History Main / MarriedToTheJob

* In ''VideoGame/PotionPermit'', Osman is dedicated to his job as the Chief of Police, but beneath his ToughLeaderFacade, he carries a heavy burden to the community and his family, especially his wife Cassandra. He also [[DrowningMySorrows used to drink to try escaping his problems.]]

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS4E119PassageOnTheLadyAnne Passage on the Lady Anne]]", Alan Ransome has paid considerably more attention to his job as a financier than his marriage to Eileen over the course of the last six years. As it had gotten to the point that they barely saw or spoke to each other, Eileen arranged the voyage on the ''Lady Anne'' and the trip to UsefulNotes/{{London}} in order to save their troubled marriage.

* Detective Beckett on ''Series/{{Castle}}'' gets obsessive about her job, although she does find time for a life outside of it. This becomes a form of CharacterDevelopment thanks to the fact that earlier seasons see her frequently depicted as intensely focused on her job (although less-than-pleased about it) and later seasons see her come out of her shell a bit more. It's hinted that it's a result of hanging around with Castle.

* ''Fanfic/WhiteDevilOfTheMoon'' calls [[Franchise/LyricalNanoha Nanoha]] out on this, stating that she was "married to the job, only to realize that the relationship [[GameBreakingInjury had gotten abusive]]."

* ''Film/XMenApocalypse'' has [[Characters/XMenMutants Moira MacTaggert]] turning out to have a son from a failed marriage because she couldn't maintain a stable family life while juggling a profession as a CIA agent.

* Scrooge's fiancée Belle in ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'' leaves him when she realizes he cares more about making money than he cares about her. They were once "both poor and content to be so," but now, she says, if he were single he would never choose a penniless girl like her -- and though he tries to deny it, his expression shows that he knows it's true.

* ''Literature/UnfinishedTalesOfNumenorAndMiddleEarth'': "Aldarion and Erendis" features Aldarion, who is the Crown Prince of Númenor and is always sailing to Middle-Earth for long periods of time. This eventually breaks down his marriage with Erendis who influences their daughter Ancalimë to dislike men.

* ''Franchise/Pokemon'': It's mentioned during the Celebi time travel event of ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Heart Gold and Soul Silver]]'' that Giovanni of Team Rocket barely has time to see his son, Silver, and even after returning to Virdian City and losing to Blue and Red, while handing them the Earth Badge, he leaves once again, but Silver calls him out on it and tries to explain to his son that gathering a large group of people would create a great source of strength, which is the power of organizations such as Team Rocket, though he feels he has failed to utilize the Grunts and their Pokemon to their fullest potential, but vows to revive Team Rocket one day, much to Silver's disappointment, causing him to run away, despite Giovanni's assuring his son that he'll one day understand. By the time of ''[[VideoGame/PokemonMasters Pokemon Masters]]'', released 2 years after he [[VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon revived Team Rocket in the Alola Region as Team Rainbow Rocket]], he even admits as such in one of his quotes.
'''Giovanni:'''

* A recurring theme in the ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' series is that all Heralds are so devoted to Duty (and to their [[BondCreatures Companions]]) that there is really no way to have an exclusive romantic bond with another person unless that other is a Herald as well and can understand. The fact that common Heraldic assignments involve being on the road for eighteen months at a time, making most relationships long-distance, doesn't help.

* Despite Film/JamesBond's womanizing ways, his loyalties to [=MI6=] always take higher precedent. The deaths of [[spoiler:Tracy]] in ''Film/OnHerMajestysSecretService'' and [[spoiler:Vesper]] in ''Film/CasinoRoyale'' reinforce that he can't have a stable love life.

* ''Webcomic/MyImpossibleSoulmate'': Nara has 3 jobs at the GA Library, which often gets in the way of her dating life.

* ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'': Link grows distant after Ganon's defeat, dedicating his life to guarding the Triforce.

* In a 2022 interview, football legend Tom Brady mentioned that one thing not often thought about with pro athletes is that the training, travel and playing schedule means that they routinely miss most if not all birthdays, holidays, and other social obligations that happen to fall from the pre-season through the end of the regular season (or post-season, if you make the playoffs). For the football season, that includes Thanksgiving and Christmas. This can strain relationships, as seen when Brady divorced his longtime wife Gisele Bündchen after he didn't retire in 2022.

* Sousuke Sagara from ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'' is completely and totally [[NoSocialSkills socially inept]] because of living his whole life as a soldier. One time, Kaname and Tessa hold a little bingo and concert party for soldiers to unwind, and Sousuke is shown very uncomfortable, showing disapproval of them relaxing on the job. It's only in ''The Second Raid'' that he even begins to consider the possibility of a life and a future with Kaname outside of the job -- and that's only after [[CoolBigSis Mao]] asks him about his plans for his future and then criticizes him sharply when his only answer is "follow orders."

* ''Series/WillAndGrace: Grace's marriage to Leo is severely strained by his commitment to Doctors Without Borders. She hates being separated from him, but when she tries to go with him she has nothing to do while he works all day. Leo briefly quits the organisation but has no idea what to do with himself and is distracted thinking about the work he could be doing.

* ''sEries/WillAndGrace: Grace's marriage to Leo is severely strained by his commitment to Doctors Without Borders. She hates being separated from him, but when she tries to go with him she has nothing to do while he works all day. Leo briefly quits the organisation but has no idea what to do with himself and is distracted thinking about the work he could be doing.