Why January is a popular month for divorce

On Behalf of | Jan 3, 2020 | Divorce

Florida residents might be surprised to learn that January is considered ‘Divorce Month” by many legal professionals. It seems that many people wait until the holiday season has passed and then file for divorce. There are a number of reasons why this often happens. Some couples who have already decided that they are going to divorce may choose to hold things together for a few more months so as not to disrupt the holidays for friends, family members and especially their children.

Another reason to delay is that a couple may be on the verge of filing for divorce but think that they can work things out. The stress of the holiday season has a way of exacerbating relationship problems. Once the holiday season is finished, spouses realize that things aren’t going to get any better and so they file for divorce.

January is a month of resolutions. There are many people who have wanted to get out of a bad marriage for some time and use the idea of a New Year’s resolution as the push they need to make the needed change. Google trends show very clearly that between January 6 and January 12, searches for the topic of divorce peak. There is a similar increase in the topic ‘divorce party” in January.

It’s important to note that there has been an overall decline in divorces among Americans over the past several years. There were around 8% fewer divorces in 2017 when compared to 2007.

If a spouse decides that they want to file for divorce during the month of January, they have to realize that it may not be an easy process. There will likely be challenges and contention that they will have to deal with. However, a family law attorney could help a soon-to-be ex get through everything. They could provide the client with information that might make the divorce process less intimidating.