Why Do People Divorce After the Holidays?

 Posted on December 17, 2018 in Illinois Family Law

Many families in DuPage County may realize that, once the holidays come to an end, more friends and neighbors are filing for divorce. Indeed, divorce is so prevalent after the holiday season in the U.S. that many commentators have begun to refer to the Monday after the holiday season ends as “Divorce Day,” or the Monday after Christmas break when the flood of divorce emails clogs attorney inboxes. To be sure, divorce filings at the start of the New Year jump by nearly one-third. And this is not only the case in the U.S. Divorce lawyers in the U.K. also see a spike in divorce filings at the start of January.

What is leading so many people to divorce after the holidays? In short, divorce may have notable seasonal peaks, and there are a couple of different reasons for these spikes in divorce filings. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Washington noted these salient rises in divorce filings at two times of the year and discussed the reasoning behind these trends.

General Seasonal Trends of Divorce

Divorce filings do tend to spike just after the holiday season comes to an end, but to better understand the reason for this, it is important first to consider the reason for seasonal divorce trends more generally. According to the researchers at the University of Washington, rates of divorce filings tend to rise at two different times of the year: just after the holiday season ends and just after summer vacation (typically for kids on an academic schedule) comes to an end.

The first part of the explanation for this trend concerns a decision to avoid filing for divorce. Social expectations and a desire to preserve the family are the most significant reasons for avoiding filing, and these issues tend to be most prominent when families plan vacations together and spend time together. In most U.S. households, these two times of the year are during the summer when children do not have school, and during the holiday season when parents plan to spend extra time with their children and married couples plan gatherings together with friends and family members.

These vacation and holiday times also give couples the opportunity to try to make the marriage work one last time. The holiday season, in particular, offers a chance to plan ways to rekindle the flame, including expensive gifts, cozy nights at home, and date nights without kids.

Holiday Season Adds Additional Stress

Given that divorce is seasonal for the reasons mentioned above, why is the time period just after the winter holiday season the time with the highest rates of divorce filings? In other words, why do more people file for divorce in January than in September just after summer vacation has ended?

In short, not only does the winter holiday season represent a make-or-break time for the marriage and a chance to give the relationship one final try, but it also comes with added stress. Families feel pressure to give their kids, as well as their friends and family members, a happy holiday season. When relationship problems are combined with the stress of the holidays, and the ultimate realization that the marriage is not working, a high number of those couples end up deciding that divorce is the right decision.

Family Lawyer in DuPage County Assisting Clients with Divorce Cases

Do you have questions about filing for divorce? An experienced Oakbrook Terrace family law attorney can assist you. The advocates at our firm have years of experience serving members of the Muslim community in DuPage County and can discuss your options with you today. Contact Farooqi & Husain Law Office for more information. We can be reached by phone at 630-909-9114.

Sources:

https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/sc-christmas-divorces-family-1213-20161208-story.html

https://www.livescience.com/55859-divorce-rates-seasonal-pattern.html