Would your spouse leave you if you lost your job? Quicken study shows: Maybe!

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Apr 13, 2023, 10:00 ET

80% of married respondents who were recently laid off would consider leaving their spouse if they lost their jobs, too – nearly double those not laid off

MENLO PARK, Calif., April 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Quicken Inc., maker of America's best-selling personal finance software, today shared findings from a survey that explored people's attitudes about their personal relationships and employment status. The study revealed a surprising percentage of people – including half (50%) of the general population, and significantly more for certain groups – would consider leaving their spouse in at least one scenario if they lost their job.

Married people are shockingly willing to consider leaving their spouses in the event of a layoff – especially those who lost their own job

People tend not to think about separating when they're standing at the altar, but for many respondents, the thought would cross their minds should their spouse lose their job and then demonstrate financially irresponsible behavior. The overwhelming majority (80%) of married people who were laid off in the last twelve months would consider leaving their spouse if their spouse lost their job, which is nearly double the number of married people (42%) who would consider it and weren't laid off themselves. The most common reasons people would consider ending their marriage were if their laid-off spouse was spending too much money (21%), if they remained unemployed for more than a few years (16%), and if they weren't putting in the effort to look for a new job (16%).

Some groups of respondents are willing to stick it out more than others. The most loyal are Boomers, where only 21% of respondents would consider leaving their spouse in any situation should they lose their job – though that number grows as people get younger. Over half (57%) of married Gen Xers would consider leaving their spouse, and nearly three-quarters (71%) of married millennials would.

"Staying together for the kids" is a myth

Conventional thinking would have us believe that married people with kids are more likely to make a marriage work under any circumstances – but survey findings prove the opposite is true. Surprisingly, if their spouse lost their job, over two-thirds (68%) of married people with children under 18 would consider leaving in at least one situation. Only 19% of married people with children over the age of 18 said the same. Quicken again found millennials were the most flighty of the generations of married parents – just 23% vowed to stick it out under any circumstance, while 58% of Gen Xers and 81% of Boomers said the same. This research shows married folks aren't willing to "wait it out" if their spouses' behavior after losing their job would impact their young children.

"A crucial element of financial planning is preparing for the unexpected, and tens of thousands have experienced that in the form of a layoff over the past year," said Linda Itskovitz, marketing chief of staff at Quicken. "Not only do you need to be prepared for the unexpected, but you should have a hand in managing your money. Too many people leave managing their finances to their partner, and then they are even less prepared should disaster strike."

Paying it forward in other relationships

Despite the harsh reality of how people would react to layoffs in their marriages, they still have empathy and generosity for family and friends. One-third (33%) of people who haven't been laid off in the past year have offered, given or lent money to someone negatively affected by layoffs or the current economic climate. Their generosity starts with family, as people are most likely to give to siblings (81%), their spouse (79%), their own children (76%) and their parents (75%).

One thing is clear: "till death do us part" may have its limits, but people have plenty of generosity for family members in need.

To help track and manage your financial health, visit www.quicken.com.

Methodology: This SurveyMonkey online poll was conducted in March 2023. The survey consisted of a sample of 865 adults, ages 18 to 74, from the Cint consumer network.

About Quicken Inc.

Quicken is the best-selling personal finance software in the U.S. For 40 years, more than 20 million customers have relied on Quicken to help them take control of their finances. Quicken's award-winning suite of personal finance software and apps — including Quicken Starter Edition, Quicken Deluxe, Quicken Premier, Quicken Home & Business, and Simplifi by Quicken — cater to different financial needs and device preferences. Simplifi by Quicken, named the "best budgeting app" by The New York Times Wirecutter, was added to the Quicken product suite in 2020. Simplifi, a web and mobile app, is designed to help a new generation of digital natives easily stay on top of their finances.

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