There is a lot written in the media about ‘Divorce Day’, the first working Monday of the New Year when divorce enquiries rocket as people decide to go their separate ways. (We have some views on this written here.)
But what about the September spike? Every year we experience a spike in enquiries in September that are starting to rival Christmas and New Year and early autumn is poised to become the biggest make or break time for marriages.
Are divorce enquiries influenced by seasonal changes?
January and September whilst seasonally very different, do share some similarities that may contribute towards the breakdown of a relationship.
The end of the school holidays
Everyone loves the idea of the summer holidays with their partner and family. However, if there are difficulties in the relationship already, the break from routine can shine a spotlight on those issues. Spending much more time together is bound to create flashpoints for arguments from money worries to the Wi-Fi connection.
We often find that clients end the summer holidays by taking a look at their marriage and for some, if the relationship has been strained for some time, this can end in a divorce.
Money worries
Money is often touted as one of the leading causes of a marriage breakdown be it financial pressures, arguments about spending or money worries. Whilst happy times, Christmas and summer holidays are expensive and can put pressure on already stretched finances and relationships can buckle.
‘We’ll just get through…’
Nobody decides to enquire about divorce because it’s a Monday, whatever month of the year. Most of our clients have been thinking about separating for a long time.
Whilst there is never a good time to separate, key events in the family calendar are times when people want to hold onto that happy family feeling for everyone involved. When the time finishes, people struggle to continue the pretence and make the first step to separate.
We have worked with clients over the years who have viewed Christmas or a summer holiday as their last shot at making a marriage work but sadly, these are probably the worst times to try and do not address the underlying issues.
The reality is that by the time a couple decides to separate they are already at a crisis point from built-up tensions over time that have been brought to a head by Christmas or the summer break.
Be it ‘Divorce Day’ or the September spike, behind the headlines are people and families dealing with a relationship breakdown and the emotions that come with it. Let’s not minimise that to just one day.
Support through divorce
If you need advice on divorce or separation, please get in touch with our divorce lawyers here or call using the number below.
