How The Coronavirus Pandemic Affects Divorce Rates
GLOBAL CASES AS OF 5/18:
4,744,216GLOBAL DEATHS AS OF 5/18:
315,740Cases
As of 5/18:
-
United States - 1,487,447 -
Russia - 290,678 -
United Kingdom - 244,995 -
Brazil - 243,968 -
Spain - 230,698 -
Italy - 225,435 -
France - 179,693 -
Germany - 176,551 -
Turkey - 149,435 -
Iran - 122,492
DEATHS
As of 5/18:
-
United States - 89,567
-
United Kingdom - 34,716
-
Italy - 31,908
-
France - 28,111
-
Spain - 27,563
-
Brazil - 16,196
-
Belgium - 9,080 -
Germany - 7,988
-
Iran - 7,057
-
Canada - 5,903
Average divorce rates of most affected countries per 1,000 citizens (as of 2020)
-
Italy - 1.6
-
Iran - 1.6
-
United Kingdom - 1.8
-
France - 1.9
-
Netherlands - 2.0 -
Germany - 2.0
-
Spain - 2.1
-
Belgium - 2.1
-
China - 2.8 -
United States - 2.9
Should we expect divorce rates to increase due to increasing social isolation and government-imposed lockdown?
Very little data is available, but China was likely the first country exposed to the novel coronavirus and some provinces have reported up to a 25% increase in the number of divorce applications. Domestic violence is skyrocketing as well, up 3 times in Hubei province, near the epicenter of the outbreak.
Effects of divorce on health?
According to the National Institute of Health, divorce results in a disconcertingly higher overall mortality rate: 23% higher after divorce. 10-15% of divorced couples report having issues coping and struggle to adapt to life outside marriage.
Conclusions based on statistics?
There is a great deal of physical and emotional overlap between divorce and social isolation, but spending too much time with a partner can also damage a relationship beyond repair. This means that a vicious cycle may persist as long as social distancing and lockdown measures are in place. Relationship troubles will be exposed during the extra time spent together, which might result in divorce, consequently causing even greater depression, anxiety, feelings of loss, grief, poor mental health, and even poor physical health.
What do people
feel in isolation?
Lack of purpose- Fear of rejection
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Loss
- Grief
What do people
feel during divorce?
- Loss
- Depression
- Anxiety
Couples sometimes choose to stay together due to financial hardships. In the United States alone, 22 million people are newly unemployed and may lose access to health insurance — which consequently is more important than ever due to treatment costs for COVID-19. The economy is shrinking, adding to the financial burden.
It was reported in 2019 that nearly 40% of Americans cannot cover even an unexpected $400 expense. Although most Americans will receive a $1200 stimulus check in the next few weeks and boosts to unemployment benefits, we can predict that many couples experiencing relationship troubles will choose to stay together simply because it would be incredibly difficult to survive financially if they did otherwise.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, most parents expecting child support payments will not receive the full amount.
In 2015, the average expected payment from one parent was $5,760.
The actual payment was $3,447 (deficit: $2,313)
According to CNBC, Google searches for "I want a divorce" increased 230% just after Christmas. The is in line with increased applications during January and February each year.
Lawyers expect a large increase because of social isolation.
Conclusions?
Which countries can expect the biggest increases in divorce numbers: Difficult to say. Social distancing measures vary from one country to the next. China had some of the most restrictive measures in place, while the United States has some of the least restrictive — but those social distancing measures also resulted in proportional control. China’s outbreak is under control while the United States has been hardest hit. We know this will result in more divorce cases, but we don’t yet have enough information to predict the extent of the increase country by country.
NUMEROUS CITIES AND COUNTIES IN THE UNITED STATES ARE RUSHING TO IMPLEMENT NEWLY AMENDED PROCEDURES FOR FILING AND PROCESSING DIVORCE APPLICATIONS IN THE WAKE OF CORONAVIRUS. THESE CHANGES WILL INCLUDE VOICE CHAT, VIDEO CONFERENCING, AND ONLINE APPLICATION AND JUDGMENT.
