2020 has been a wild ride. Ever since the pandemic hit, the world has toppled upside down. The effects of the COVID-19 can be seen in all aspects of our lives, be it personal or professional.
For married couples, COVID-19 has proven to be especially challenging and has resulted in the deterioration of their marriage. In fact, it is expected that more and more couples are moving toward divorce considering new circumstances.
Why Are Couples Getting Divorced During the Pandemic?
Divorce is rarely a spur-of-the-moment decision. It’s usually based on underlying issues or conflicts that a couple couldn’t resolve or get past. Being locked down together due to COVID-19 has meant that couples who were already facing issues haven’t been able to escape their problems. In fact, being around each other constantly has made things worse.
Think of it this way: if you and your spouse haven’t been getting along too well lately, you’ll probably limit your interactions with them to some extent. Most of your conversations will either be neutral or negative. With the lockdown, however, you can’t really get away from each other. This means that all your worries, arguments, and issues are constantly present, ready to resurface at any moment.
This situation has led several couple to rethink their relationship and reconsider how they truly feel about their partners. For many of them, it has brought the realization that they no longer want to continue being in that relationship.
What Do the Statistics Say?
While there isn’t a foolproof way to actually track divorces during the pandemic, there has been an obvious surge in divorce filings. Of course, there’s no way of determining if these have come about because of the pandemic. Moreover, since the courts were closed in the initial months of the pandemic, there isn’t a record of divorce filings that would’ve been made if they were still operating.
Even as the courthouses in New York City reopen, there is a backlog of previously filed divorces to attend to. Thus, the surge in divorces shown suddenly cannot be entirely attributed to the pandemic, as they are not all new cases. There also are not sufficient statistics or surveys to prove that the couples who have recently filed for divorce have done so because of the pandemic specifically, and what it brought.
What Does the Future Hold?
It’s expected that divorce rates will soar after the pandemic. According to one email survey conducted in April, the current situation has highlighted couples who already had poor relationships and believe that the quarantine has further harmed their relationship. There has also been an increase in anxiety, depression, hopelessness, and domestic violence during the pandemic, which have also affected relationship dynamics among married couples. Thus, it’s highly likely that more couples will be getting divorced in the coming months than usual.
Our divorce lawyer Queens and Brooklyn, and other places in New York at Ledwidge & Associates offer Family Law Services Brooklyn and Queens. Call us at 718.276.6656 for further assistance on divorce proceedings.
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