WEBVTT - Is January the Biggest Month for Divorce?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren bog Obam. Here a new year. Time

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<v Speaker 1>to firm up those resolutions, pair down possessions, eat more vegetables,

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<v Speaker 1>and get divorced. Research commissioned by a UK based law

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<v Speaker 1>firm called Cooperative Legal Services suggested that as of January

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<v Speaker 1>brought an over three increase in divorce proceedings over the

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<v Speaker 1>previous four months, and USA Today reported in twenty nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>the the topic of divorce peaked on Google trends the

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<v Speaker 1>week of January six through the twelve, at the dawn

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<v Speaker 1>of a new year. It seems couples who have kept

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<v Speaker 1>the peace during holiday festivities can wait no longer. Come

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<v Speaker 1>January one, they're ready to take official action towards marriage dissolution.

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<v Speaker 1>But it seems that it isn't the hoopla of the

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<v Speaker 1>holidays that breaks the camels back. More likely, the leapen

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<v Speaker 1>divorce inquiries is the result of a collective agreement to

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<v Speaker 1>put off the big announcement until after the kids have

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<v Speaker 1>opened their presence and all the grandparents, aunts and uncles

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<v Speaker 1>have returned to their respective homes. The aforementioned law firm

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<v Speaker 1>also commissioned a survey of five hundred divorces. The results

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<v Speaker 1>found that of couples beginning divorce proceedings in January had

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<v Speaker 1>already planned to call it quits long before the ball dropped.

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<v Speaker 1>For the article, this episode is based on How Stuff Works.

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<v Speaker 1>Spoke with Sam Hickman back in she was the head

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<v Speaker 1>of family law for Cooperative Legal Services at the time.

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<v Speaker 1>She explained many will have sought legal advice before the

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<v Speaker 1>Christmas break and then chosen to move their separation forward

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<v Speaker 1>in the new year. According to the survey's results, of

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<v Speaker 1>respondents who didn't announce divorce proceedings until after the holidays

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<v Speaker 1>said they didn't want to dampen the festivities. A third

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<v Speaker 1>of those couples wanted to have quote one Mass Christmas

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<v Speaker 1>as a family a all. Another third side of day

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<v Speaker 1>lack of public confirmation as their reason for keeping mum,

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<v Speaker 1>didn't want to upset family members with the news, and

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<v Speaker 1>nine percent didn't want to spoil a child's birthday that

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<v Speaker 1>fell around the holidays. Hickman said many couples, especially those

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<v Speaker 1>with children, do not want to cause unnecessary upheaval over

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<v Speaker 1>the festive period. They don't want the children distressed. However,

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<v Speaker 1>it seems that January is actually the peak for divorce

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<v Speaker 1>inquiries of rather than actual filings. A different survey conducted

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<v Speaker 1>by the University of Washington, looking at fourteen years of data,

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<v Speaker 1>found that March and August were both peak times for

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<v Speaker 1>divorce filings. The divorce process does take some time, so

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<v Speaker 1>while filings did begin to climb in January, March was

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<v Speaker 1>the peak month. And what about August? The researchers believed

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<v Speaker 1>parents may have wanted their children to have a good

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<v Speaker 1>summer experience before filing for divorce, or maybe the big

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<v Speaker 1>summer tripp didn't live up to expectations, increasing the disillusionment

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<v Speaker 1>of the spouses with their marriage. They may have wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to file before the start of the new school year.

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<v Speaker 1>That's similar to how others filed at the start of

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<v Speaker 1>calendar year. The August spike was almost at the level

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<v Speaker 1>of the March peak. Hickman said, I don't think that

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<v Speaker 1>there is a right time to file for divorce in

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<v Speaker 1>the vast majority of cases. It is distressing news for

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<v Speaker 1>any family at any time. Today's episode is based on

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<v Speaker 1>the article is January really the biggest month for divorces?

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<v Speaker 1>On how Stuff Works dot Com, written by Lauree L. Dove.

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<v Speaker 1>The brain Stuff is production of iHeart Radio in partnership

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<v Speaker 1>with how stuff works dot Com, and it's produced by

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<v Speaker 1>Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the

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