Yes, you read the title correctly – there is such a thing as divorce day! This article aims to enlighten you on divorce in the UK with a sprinkling of statistical analysis and a dash of thought-provoking discussion. We will look at why the winter months are a prime period for divorce, why divorce numbers are rising, and what exactly divorce day is…
What is divorce day?
So what exactly is divorce day? In the UK, it is commonly referred to as the one day in the year that statistically results in the largest amount of divorces. You would think that this figure remains relatively even across the year, however, statistics do show that certain months are certainly rife for divorce, and even particular days appear to have a special place for this marital procedure.
When is divorce day?
Divorce day is commonly the first working Monday in January. In this year’s case, this is the 8th January 2018.
For some reason, the first working Monday in January consistently ranks as the most “popular” (we say popular with tongue in cheek) day for divorce in the UK! This might seem strange, but when you look at our reasoning below, it starts to make sense.
Why is January The Most Popular For Divorce?
Can you honestly say that you enjoy January and February? These months can be unbearable for some people due to the following reasons…
– Christmas has finished
– It is time for most people to go back to work
– The weather is most likely miserable and dull
– The temperature is cold
– Self-esteem could be lower due to over-indulgence at Christmas
– Credit card bills may be high due to excessive present purchases
– Holidays or celebrations can seem a long way into the future
Although many people look forward to the new year and the challenges and excitement it may bring, January can be quite depressing and this is undoubtedly the main factor as to why Divorce Day is usually in this month. Furthermore, couples may have postponed a divorce until the New Year in the hope that they can heal their hurts and reconcile over the festive period. If they fail to do so, they will want to proceed with a divorce as quickly as possible, hence the first working Monday of January.
42% of All Marriages End In Divorce
Whether or not you take Divorce Day seriously, it is undeniable that divorce figures are worrying and we have to ask if we have made divorce too easy? Online divorce is even possible now. Have we enabled this increase and put less importance on marriage itself? Below are some statistics relating to divorce in the UK – you might find them quite shocking.
– 42% of marriages end in divorce (That’s nearly half of all UK marriages! Isn’t that sad?)
– From 2015 to 2016 there was a 5.8% increase in UK divorce figures
– The highest age group for divorce is 45-49 for both men and women
– The median length of marriages ending in divorce is 12 years
– In 2016 there was just under 110,000 divorces
As you can see, divorce is certainly prevalent in the UK. It should be noted, however, that this is the first major increase in divorce figures for quite some time (the last major increase was in 2003). Will this trend continue? Only time will tell…
We hope that all couples have a happy and fulfilling marriage, but if you do feel there is no future in your current arrangement, and you need a divorce petition personally serving by a process server, we can assist.
Writer’s Bio: Lewis Murawski is the Marketing Director at Kahootz Media. He has been ranking websites on the first page of Google for more than 10 years. Connect with Lewis on LinkedIn.
