WildFern,
It's okay, I am always up for a spirited debate! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
The divorce issue is a complicated one; many sociologists have made it their life's work to study this, and still haven't come up with the "ultimate answer." There probably isn't one; every situation is different.
I have heard that there are contradictory findings within U.S. studies about this. This may be partly due to the way that researchers can sometimes put a "spin" on their findings by mentioning some statistics and not others. It may also be due to the complexity of the issue. There are cultural differences to take into account in the U.S. since our culture is not homogenous. There are the effects of time on a marriage and one's educational attainment and career; as time goes on, the charm of the marriage fails or children take their toll as far as stress, and that's also enough time for education to have been attained or a career to have been advanced. If multiple things happen at once, it's hard to see what led to the divorce.
A correlation does not a causation make, so perhaps I was hasty in my comment. I apologize.
I will offer the following points, however. If educated or financially independent women are more likely to divorce, it may be because they are not afraid of being unable to take care of themselves. A century ago, one of the reasons women couldn't divorce so readily was that they could not provide financially for themselves. This situation is changed today for many women but some women STILL can't provide for themselves. The inverse is not true for men so much currently, but I believe we will start to see it more; for instance, my husband has stated repeatedly that he does not have the life skills to provide for himself, and that he needs me because he cannot live independently.
Also, an educated or career woman seems like someone who would be less likely to stick around in a chronically abusive marriage and use divorce to get out of it. An educated woman might have taken psychology courses and understands when she is being manipulated or understands that abuse will continue no matter how many times the abuser apologizes. A career woman could be more in touch with the outside world -- her coworkers would notice if she missed work frequently or had mysterious injuries, and they may intervene or urge her to seek help. Either woman might have a higher sense of self-worth and might be quicker to say "I deserve better."
On the flip side, an educated or career woman might be more likely to be abusive or manipulative, using her extra income as leverage. I'm not sure if there are any sociological studies around to confirm this.
Anyway, an educated/career woman may be less likely to divorce because she waited until later in life to marry; statistics show that if you marry later in life you are less likely to divorce. Also, she is less likely to have money problems if she can pitch in with family finances; money is another reason many couples divorce. An educated/career woman may be more resourceful and diplomatic due to her experiences in the "real world" and so might be better at resolving marital issues, and therefore reducing her risk of divorce. An educated woman is likely to have less children, if any, which reduces stress and financial strain, which might also reduce the risk of divorce.
Anyway, I guess my whole point here is that there is a very complex interplay of factors involved, and it's very difficult to make -- and prove -- a blanket statement either way.
I know one thing for sure, though. If a man values a woman based solely on his strict set of ideals and not on the unique person that the woman is -- if he stays in his rigid mindset and does not respect her wishes for a good life -- he is more likely to be divorced, as well as being beat up by a rabid crowd of educated, career-minded feminists. <img src="/images/graemlins/devil.gif" alt="" />
