Divorce rates are fairly predictable, at least when you’re looking at when divorce is most likely to occur. Every year, there is a decline in divorce starting in the fall, often reaching yearly lows in December. Then in January, there is a major spike, as divorce becomes far more common.
But why does this happen? Generally speaking, the reason is that people are trying to avoid the holiday season. They don’t want to get divorced around Thanksgiving or Christmas.
In other words, many people who get divorced in January may actually have been thinking about it for months. Maybe they already made their mind up in September or October that they were going to file for divorce. But they may not do it immediately because they want to get through the holiday season. This creates a corresponding spike in January because you are getting both the cases that normally would be filed in January and a backlog of cases from the months before.
A fresh start
Another potential reason for this spike is that the start of the new year is often when people are looking for a fresh start. They make New Year’s resolutions. They decide what they want to accomplish. For some people who have been considering divorce, the start of the new year may feel like a natural time to end their relationship and move on to something new.
Are you getting divorced?
If you and your spouse are thinking about getting a divorce this year, be sure you take the time to carefully look into your legal options. You’ll need to make decisions about how to divide assets, split up parenting time with your children and much more.