Is there actually a divorce season?
There’s cuffing season so surely there has to be one for the exact opposite, think like spring and autumn.
Well, many solicitors have come to the same conclusion about which month sees the most couples call it quits and why they might wait for it to hit.
Though you might think you know exactly what month relationships end, you might be surprised by the real answer.
It’s not actually January
For years, January has unofficially been dubbed Divorce Month.
Many legal experts believe that the reason for this trend boils down to one idea: the holidays.
People don’t want to get divorced during the festive period be it, because they don’t want to be alone or they stick it out for their families.
Though there is an increase overall in marriages ending at the start of the year, it’s not the month that sees the most paperwork filed.
According to Russell I. Marnell, principal lawyer at the Marnell Law Group who spoke to Reader’s Digest, the holiday period leads to an increase in January divorces in a combination of ways.
“Stress levels during the holidays are exacerbated by the stress of the marriage and they don’t want to deal with both of these situations,” he said.
“A couple that is struggling to maintain a marriage may often be prompted to consider divorce as part of one or both of the partners’ self-evaluation that comes with the new year. Many people make New Year’s resolutions to put their personal lives in order, even if that includes ending an unhealthy marriage.”
While the twinkling lights may be a source of joy for many, for relationships on the rocks they can just highlight the cracks in the foundations.
So what’s the real month?
It turns out March might be the real-time of the year when people want to move on.
FindLaw.com analysed the search frequency for the word “divorce” on its own site – and determined that March, not January, is the true ‘Divorce Month’.
The study found that the rate of searches for the word “divorce,” as well as related phrases such as “child custody” and “family law,” jumped 50 per cent from December to January.
The trend continued through March.
Though difficult to find data relating to Ireland specifically, The University of Washington did a study showing most divorces filed in the state happen in March.
This could possibly be due to the time lag of several months from the first meeting with a solicitor in January to then preparing and filing with the court the legal documents necessary to start the process.
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