Now that our 45th President, Donald Trump, became the USA's official Commander-in-Chief, how are couples coping?
Not very well at all. As a matter of fact, if your relationship was on shaky ground during the election season, you just might not make it to Valentine's Day.
Relationships are falling apart now, at a time where the month of January has always been known to be the highest month of divorce filings.
Political conversations have become a huge part of dating. Singles who aren't on the same political page can't make it to the second or even third date. If your boyfriend or partner is a Trump supporter and you marched with enthusiasm at the post-inauguration Women's March, it could ignite problems at home and you could be headed for a breakup.
Here are a few reasons why.
1. Election Results Post-Traumatic Election Shock.
During the election season, Trump supporters who opposed Clinton weren't sure their candidate would become President. On the same note, Clinton supporters believed she would win, despite their irritation of what Trump supported. Clinton supporters hoped the Electoral College would miraculously overturn their votes to support Clinton who received the popular vote. It didn't happen. Couples tolerated their partners' political disagreements, because the outcome had not been decided.
2. Inauguration Coverage Obsession.
If one of you was glued to the television watching the inauguration activities, while simultaneously recording it so you can watch it again as you posted your thoughts live on social media, and your partner went on a media moratorium and went to work or did other activities because they didn't believe America would be great again, you know already that you weren't on the same page. How do you come home to dinner and ignore the big elephant in the room?
3. Women's March
The Women's March on the day after the inauguration brought together millions of people around the world, with 500,000 just in Washington, DC, to support women's rights. While it was intended to be peaceful, if your partner didn't join you or support you on the walk, the wedge between the two of you just got bigger. If you returned home only to find out your selfies and photos on Facebook had a sad or angry emoticon in the comments from your significant other, then your differences just became very public. It won't be long before one of you decides to change your relationship status.
4. Politics Moved into the Bedroom
A Match.com Singles in America study showed that singles who talked about politics on a first date had a 91% chance of getting to a second date. They added that Trump supporters are 1000 times more likely to expect sex on a first date than those who supported Clinton.
If you've got strong opposing views on who became President, then those conversations have moved from the dining room to the bedroom. I've heard singles say they can't sleep with a Trump supporter and other say they don't want to have sex with someone who voted for Clinton. If your sex life is based on the vote you cast, expect that you could be sleeping on opposite sides of the bed, before that side becomes empty.
5. Social Media Posts Have Turned You Off
We love signing on to Facebook to see happy events our friends are posting. We get a digital high when someone, especially our partner, likes or even clicks the love button. If you are logging on to social media only to see your sweetheart's rants and his or her wall is filled with political opinions that you don't agree with, it's a buzzkill for your relationship. You'll start to feel disconnected and the gap between you will widen.
How can you prevent your relationship from ending?
Ask your partner why they supported a candidate and which specific policies they are aligned with. If they voted against a candidate and don't seem to support the ideas and values of the candidate, then find out what they do believe in. How strong are your views and do some align but not others?
If their viewpoints on hot topics such a women's rights, walls, the arts, medical coverage, and LGBTQ rights are polar opposite than yours, perhaps it's time to wish each other adieu so you can find someone who thinks just like you.
If you find your relationship couldn't get past this election, when you join an online dating site to put up a new profile to start dating again, make sure to list your political views if they are on par with dating a non-smoker as a deal breaker when finding love.
If you like, take it a step further and if you're a Trump supporter, join a niche dating site such as Trump Singles , where their tagline is "Making Dating Great Again," or Conservatives Only, where their tagline is, "Because liberals just don't get it." . If you're on the opposite side, check out Liberal Hearts, where they claim to unite single Democrats, Progressives, Environment and Animal Rights Activists, or Democrat Singles, where you know that your political views will align, hopefully just like the stars in the sky.
Julie Spira is America's Top Online Dating Expert and Digital Matchmaker. She was an early adopter of the Internet and has been helping singles find love online for over two decades. Julie's the CEO of Cyber-Dating Expert and creates Irresistible profiles for singles on the dating scene. Follow @JulieSpira on Twitter and Instagram. Sign up for the FREE Weekly Flirt newsletter for dating advice.