When most people think of summer, they imagine attending weddings and enjoying time spent with their families. Unfortunately, this is not the case for many couples. According to research conducted by University of Washington sociologists between 2001 and 2015, there is a biannual pattern for divorce. The months of March and August have been found to have high volumes of divorce. While it may seem like a coincidence, there are actually reasons for this spike in ending marriages.

Why the Divorce Pattern?

All relationships are different thus making each divorce case unique. Despite the individuality of each couple, studies have found a few common denominators that may contribute to this seasonal divorce pattern.

1. Post-Holiday Blues: Holiday season is charged with excitement and fun activities to attend. Whether it is Christmas dinner or a Fourth of July barbecue, families spend a lot of time together throughout the holidays. This brings many families together but can also drive some apart. It is common for all of this “family togetherness” to cause emotions to rise and friction to occur. Most couples will wait for things settle down after the holidays before officially deciding to go separate ways.
   
2. Back to School: Many parents will wait until the end of the summer before disclosing their decision to divorce to their children. Going to school is a good distraction for children, eliminating large amounts of time that could be spent at home, worrying about their family’s relationships. Having children in school throughout the divorce process also makes it easier to get legal processes done without childcare responsibilities interfering.
   
3. Vacation Stress: Family vacations are more common in the summer due to the nice weather and time off from school. Similar to holidays, vacations can bring on more problems than good memories. Traveling is stressful, especially with a spouse that you are unsure about. Traveling difficulties and a large amount of time spent together can ultimately lead to conflict and a solution of permanent separation.
   

Contact a Lombard, IL, Divorce Attorney for Help

Filing for divorce is difficult, regardless of how much conflict exists between you and your spouse. Parting ways with someone you thought you would spend a lifetime with is not easy no matter the situation. At A. Traub & Associates, we take on the legal process to give you time to focus on your emotional well being. If you are filing for divorce, contact our Glen Ellyn divorce attorneys at 630-426-0196. 

Married couples get divorced for an endless variety of reasons. For some, infidelity may an issue while financial stresses drive others apart. Of course, there are often many factors that play into a couple’s decision to end their marriage, and researchers are always trying to identify trends that could help married couples recognize possible red flags. According to several recent studies, however, a first-born daughter could be one of the potential warning signs.

Australian Team Studies Dutch Families

Dr. Jan Kabatek and Dr. David Rebar, faculty members at the University of Melbourne, conducted one such study. The pair examined more than two million marriages in the Netherlands over the course of 10 years. They chose the Netherlands because Dutch marriage and family records are very comprehensive and provide exact dates of marriages, divorces, and births. Other, similar studies have been based on participant’s responses to surveys—which rely on memory and recollection as opposed to objective data.

Winter holidays often bring to mind thoughts of families around massive turkey dinners and children excitedly opening Christmas presents. Summer months involve similar—though usually outdoor—family gatherings and vacations. Children are on a break from school and parents can grill dinner outdoors while getting some sun. Although we generally think of holidays as a fun-filled vacation from stress, a new study from the University of Washington suggests otherwise. According to the study, rates of divorce filing significantly increase in the time period after the holidays.

Divorce filings seem to peak in March, after the winter holidays, and in August, at the end of summer vacation. Sociology professor Julie Brines and doctoral student Brian Serafini found evidence of a biannual pattern in divorce in Washington State between 2001 and 2015. Their results suggest that divorce rates rise 40% from December to March. 

Why Is Divorce Seasonal?

For years, marriage and relationship experts have presented evidence suggesting that financial struggles are often a key factor when a couple decides to get divorced. In many ways, the concept makes sense. Money management is a core principle of any relationship and spouses dealing with economic stress and anxiety will often reach a breaking point quickly. A new study, however, seems to indicate that there is more to the story than just money, as its results showed that a husband’s ability to find full-time work directly impacts the couple’s likelihood of divorce.

Behaviors Over Money

Alexandra Killewald, a sociology professor at Harvard University, recently authored a study that was published in the American Sociological Review. She reviewed more than four decades of information related to over 6,300 heterosexual couples in compiling her research. The data did not include husbands who voluntarily choose to fulfill the role of a stay-at-home parent.

There are countless factors that can drive a married couple apart, eventually leading to divorce. Internal pressures, of course, such as children, finances, and spousal responsibilities can create disagreements and contentiousness between partners. In addition, many couples must also deal with difficulties created outside of the relationship, including career requirements, demanding work schedules, and stresses related to non-marital related activities. It is easy to assume that individuals with rigorous work schedules, wrought with difficult decisions, may be more likely to allow such challenges to greatly impact their marriage and experience a higher divorce rate than others. A new study has found, however, that for medical professionals, at least, that assumption would be incorrect.

Anupam Jena, MD, PhD, and Dan Ly, MD, both doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, led a team of researchers as they analyzed data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The team looked at the divorce rate among various occupation groups including physicians, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, health-care executives, and attorneys. "It’s been speculated that doctors are more likely to be divorced than other professionals because of the long hours they keep and the stress associated with the job," Dr. Jena said, "but no large-scale study has every investigated whether that is true."

The study’s sample included responses from more than 6 million people, of which about 250,000 were health professionals. Jena’s team found that outside of the health-care industry, the divorce rate was about 35 percent. Physicians, however, experience a divorce rate about one-third lower, around 24 percent. Only pharmacists showed a lower rate at 23 percent. Lawyers and nurses were a little more likely to get divorced, with rates of 27 percent and 33 percent, respectively.