There are reports about how quarantined married couples are the cause of rising divorce rates during the coronavirus crisis. Family law attorneys are talking about it and there are plenty of jokes and memes circulating on the internet. I do not find it funny. I feel for those struggling and in pain in their marriage and suffering over their likely feeling of being trapped.
People are scared and stressed about their futures. There are uncertainties about health, jobs, finances, security and family. Now, when it is a time to pull together, people are also worried about their marriages. I find these reports and jokes to be quite sad.
Maybe this is natural as people have more time on their hands to think about life. While I am not a psychologist, maybe too much time combined with high stress and fear makes people take stock in their lives. Perhaps people are asking themselves, what does it all mean?
I saw this happen before — shortly after 9/11. Many pundits believed divorce would decline after that terrorist attack on our country and the ensuing suffering from those events. The belief was based on people would appreciate their spouse and treasure their marriage as their spouse survived the attack. While that sounded like a good theory, the exact opposite was true. Post 9/11 was one of the busiest times for divorce lawyers as many took those events as an opportunity to look at their relationship and many concluded that life is too short to remain in an unhappy marriage.
I suspect this same premise will come to fruition once this awful virus leaves us. Spouses who have been pent up together over a prolonged and very stressful period of time, may realize this is not the enduring relationship they had hoped for.
If this crisis has made you conclude that a divorce is the path you want to pursue post-virus, we are here to help you now, or then, with your family law needs. In the meantime, please be safe and healthy.