Summer is here and thus divorce season is now officially in full force. According to researchers with the University of Washington, divorce filings are highest throughout the country in the months of March and August.
Researchers at the school had initially begun their quest to analyze marriage and divorce statistics in Washington state between 2001 and 2015. In doing so, they hoped to gain a better understanding as to whether the recession had any impact on these rates. Much to their surprise, what stood out most among the data they crunched was a different divorce trend.
A pattern showing showing that an increasing number of couples decided to call it quits on their relationships in March and August rose to the surface. The data researchers uncovered seems to suggest that both the winter and summer holidays propel many couples to reassess the state of their relationships and make hard decisions about their futures.
As for why the researchers believe there’s an increase in divorce filings at this time of the year, they believe it has to do with people looking to start a season of rebirth in their lives. It’s during this period that partners hunger to either transition into something different or start something altogether new.
Despite the fact that the March start to the increased filing period starts a bit after winter break, they argue that this statistic still captures relationships that couples decided to end over winter break. They argue that it just takes couples additional time to properly organize their finances and choose a divorce attorney before they ultimately file for divorce.
As for the August trend, they argue parents may be anxious to file right before their kids go back to school.
Now that they’ve noted this divorce trend in Washington, researchers are looking to expand their analysis of statistics into other states. Preliminary data that they’ve compiled from Florida, Arizona, Ohio, and Minnesota shows that the uptick in divorce rates is not limited to Washington, but that these other states have experienced the same trend.
If you’ve been thinking about walking away from your marriage and you’re looking for advice as to how to put an end to it as swiftly as possible, then a Fort Myers, Florida, divorce mediation attorney may be able to help.
Source: The Philly Voice, “Study: We’re coming up on divorce season,” Marielle Mondon, June 27, 2017
