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Did COVID-19 Increase Divorce Rates In The United States? You’ll Be Surprised About What The Data Says

Divorce13

The Covid-19 pandemic was a difficult time for many families. For some families, the lack of child care and staying day after day in cramped quarters without reprieve became unbearable and led to fights and strife within relationships. For other families, on a more severe note, time spent together resulted in heighted domestic abuse and grave risks to life and health with added financial stresses and inability to “escape” the dysfunctional family unit and living situation. Indeed, for many Americans, the COVID-19 pandemic made them face their family members perhaps more than they would have liked to, and spend time with their spouse through the good, the bad and the ugly. It would not be far fetched to believe that the divorce rate in the United States would increase during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, but, surprisingly, the data suggests otherwise.

A 2021 study by Bowling Green University reveals some interesting facts about divorce rates in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of divorces increasing exponentially during and after the pandemic, the study found that divorce rates in the United States actually decreased in 2021. States the study, “the pandemic has had dramatic effects on divorce in the U.S. with a 12% reduction in administrative counts of divorces, which are available from 35 states.” The study also showed, accordingly, that there was a parallel trend, with almost a 10% decline in the divorce rate from 15.5 divorces per 1,000 marriages in the year 2019 to 14.0 divorces in 1,000 marriages in the year 2020. The study showed other enlightening facts about divorce rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, including:

  • The number of divorced women in the United States declined from 960,014 in 2020 to 948,862 in 2021;
  • Arkansas was the state that saw the highest divorce rate among American women, with 21.7 divorced women per 1,000 married women;
  • New Hampshire had the lowest divorce rate in the United States in the year 2021, with a divorce rate of 8.2 divorces per 1,000 married women;
  • The top states for divorces in 2021 were Arkansas, Mississippi, Idaho, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, while the states with the lowest divorce rates were Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New Hampshire;
  • Illinois clocked in at a divorce rate of 11.8 divorces per 1,000 married women, making it among the states with lower divorce rates in the United States.

Where to Turn for Your Chicago Divorce

Regardless of the pandemic or the numbers, every married individual has their own reasons for wanting to get a divorce from their spouse. If you are in the Chicago area and are considering a divorce, the experienced Chicago divorce lawyers at the law offices of Birnbaum Gelfman Sharma & Arnoux, LLC, are here to help. Contact Birnbaum Gelfman Sharma & Arnoux, LLC for a confidential consultation to learn about your rights and options. There is no better time to learn about your rights than right now, if you are even considering initiating the divorce process. Contact Birnbaum Gelfman Sharma & Arnoux, LLC and speak to a Chicago divorce lawyer today.

Source:

bgsu.edu/ncfmr/resources/data/family-profiles/marino-divorce-rate-US-geographic-variation-2021-fp-22-26.html

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