As many experts predicted would happen, the divorce rate has risen significantly throughout the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. The long-term shutdowns and closures caused many couples to be stuck at home with each other for months at a time, and in relationships that already had a fair amount of tension, this has led to more people deciding to call it quits.
One study from Legal Templates indicated the number of people who filed for divorce from March through June 2020, when stay-at-home orders were at their peak, was 34 percent higher than it was in the same period in 2019.
Causes of increased divorce rate
Many people have experienced extremely elevated stress since the start of the pandemic. Unemployment and hits to the market have caused some significant financial strain. Parents who have been working from home have also been forced to take on dual roles as educators while children are learning virtually. There’s also the ever-looming threat of illness and death of loved ones to consider.
All of these added stressors can put a significant strain on relationships. According to the study, approximately 31 percent of couples admitted the confinement to close quarters caused irreparable damage to their relationships.
The peak day for filing for divorce or separation was April 13, about a month into the first lockdowns issued by states. Newlyweds were the group hit hardest by the pandemic—approximately 20 percent of the couples who sought a divorce had been married were married within the previous five months, compared to 11 percent in the same time period in 2019. States in the so-called Bible Belt also had higher levels of divorce, particularly in states like Arkansas and Alabama.
While divorce rates were expected to level off later in the summer and fall as people returned to work and at least some semblance of normalcy returned, it is likely that 2020 will see an uptick in divorce figures in the United States for the first time in some time.
For more information about the steps to take in your divorce, contact an experienced Minnesota divorce lawyer at Appelhof, Pfeifer & Hart, P.A.
