Winter Tends to Be Divorce Season in the United States

It’s like clockwork—every year the divorce rates in the United States see a bit of a spike between January and March. This is often due to people deciding to wait until after the holidays to file for their divorce.

Some of the reasons for this include:

• The desire for a fresh start: The turning of the calendar to a new year represents an opportunity for a fresh start for people in many areas of their lives. This is why so many people make New Year’s resolutions. It makes sense that people searching for a fresh start in their lives would take the opportunity in the new year to file for divorce as well.
• Unwillingness to “ruin” the holidays: Many people simply stay together as a way to avoid “ruining” the holidays for their family and friends. They stay together for one last Christmas for the sake of their children or other family members, and then wait until the holiday afterglow to file for divorce.
• Giving it one last try: The holidays also represent a time where couples who are having difficulty in their marriage might make one last effort to rekindle their romance, hoping the joy of the holidays or of a potential winter vacation might reignite the flame, so to speak. When this fails, they then file for divorce in the beginning of the new year.
• Finances: The holidays can also represent a stressful time financially for couples. That stress could result in the couple reaching a breaking point in their relationship. In addition, staying together through the end of the year allows the couple to still file “married filing jointly” on their taxes, even though they’re in the process of divorcing.

To learn more about the divorce process as you navigate the early stages of your divorce, contact a trusted lawyer at Jakubowski, Robertson, Maffei, Goldsmith & Tartaglia LLP.