Divorce Lawyer Rates Surging Along With the Economy

Why people get divorced has been extensively studied, but two recent reports highlight the role of the economy in influencing such a momentous decision. Though these reports have been given prominent news media attention, they are not necessarily reliable. In the end, it is unlikely that just economic factors are the sole cause in determining the number of divorces per year.

One report by the University of Virginia found that divorces sharply declined during the most recent economic recession. This report found that people who had desired to get divorced simply delayed the decision until their finances and the economy became more stable. Some couples did decide to stay together after sharing hardship and learning to deal with it better as their finances fell.

Approximately forty percent of couples who had considered breaking up prior to the recession were considering it now that their finances are better. An additional thirty percent stated that they are even more dedicated to their marriage now that they have gone through the recession together.

This university study hypothesized that during times of economic stress, couples that are best able to deal with the stress together are most likely to stay together after their finances improve. The others simply wait until they are confident that they are able to live comfortably apart before they decide to get divorced. The current increase that divorce lawyers are reporting is due to these latter couples who now are more confident to continue their standard of living, if they are no longer together with their spouse.

There are, however, some demographic factors that affect the likelihood of remaining together during tough economic times. If you do not have a college decree, this makes it twice as likely that you will get divorced because of the recession. Also, if you did not attend religious services, this makes it three times as likely that you will have emerged from the recession divorced.

Ultimately, however, divorce attorneys predict that the downturn in divorces is unlikely to last, as they return to their former financial position. While they may be able to deal with problems better, this does not mean that whatever was causing them to dislike each other has been fixed. Additionally, they will have greater resources to deal with the problems now that the economy has improved.

This survey by the University of Virginia should not be seen as completely authoritative on how the economy affects divorce. The primary defect in the study done from the University of Virginia is that it was based on opinions on their likelihood of getting divorce. To show the weakness of such a survey, another study examined the actual statistics of requests to divorce attorneys from a Virginia bar association. This report shows that requests for divorces have doubled over the last couple of years during the recession.

Which result should you believe? Probably the first is more accurate because Bar Association data is more likely unreliable. (Lawyers typically refer clients to bar associations for the cases that they do not wish to take or who cannot afford their fees.) Divorce attorneys will likely closely watch the national economy to determine their own success.

The above material is intended for information purposes only. It is not intended as professional legal advice and should not be construed as such. Attorney Will Beaumont practices in New Orleans, La.