Low Divorce Rates = Happy Couples or Bankrupt Marriages?

Recession Preventing Couples from Divorcing

50% of marriages end in divorce. This statistic is no longer accurate. According to the Financial Post, the divorce rate is 41%. But, why are divorce rates decreasing? Is it really because couples are happier or could it be that couples actually can’t afford to divorce?

Divorce has become a lot easier within the court system and there are many resources available, including unbundled services by family law lawyers, to help aid in the financial and psychological burden divorce can bring to individuals. However, with tough financial times still affecting many families in Canada, divorce may continue to be out of their financial reach. Therefore, couples may be staying together to ride out the financial crisis and consider divorcing when their wallets can better handle the financial beating.

There are many costs that go along with separation and divorce. On top of lawyer fees, individuals may need to take time off work to finalize plans, they must split their assets and liabilities between both parties, and they must determine support payments and custody arrangements if children are involved.

Recession Taught Newlyweds to be Financially Responsible

According to Experian Consumer Services, newlyweds married after the recession (2009) are more likely to discuss financials with their spouse than those married before and are therefore, more financially responsible:

• 75% of newlyweds discuss small everyday purchases (compared to 59% pre-recession couples),
• 61% of newlyweds discussed their credit scores before getting married (compared to 35% of pre-recession couples),
• $256 is the average maximum amount newlyweds spend before checking with their spouse (compared to $1,022 of pre-recession couples),
• 82% of newlyweds discuss financial goals with their spouse at least monthly (compared to 65% of pre-recession couples).

The financial crisis is not only keeping unhappy couples from divorcing because of financial strain, it’s also keeping happy couples from divorcing from a result of financial strain.

We can only conclude from this information that even as the economy improves, money will be a less common factor of divorce in the future. Does this mean the divorce rates will continue to fall below 41%? According to Solutions for Life in 2013, 5% of divorces were a result of money issues. Will family law firms continue to see a decrease in divorces?

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Natalie Waddell

Founder and President at LawyerLocate.ca Inc.

Natalie was spirited to start this company after a frustrating and poor personal experience when searching for a lawyer back in the late nineties. “I quickly realized that the tools available to assist someone in finding the right lawyer were grossly inadequate. Not only inadequate for the individual in need of a lawyer, but also inadequate for the lawyers in search of new clients. There had to be a better way to connect clients and lawyers in a more efficient manner – without wasting everybody’s time and effort”, explains Natalie.

Natalie brings a passion to the business that ensures the entire LawyerLocate.ca team strives to improve the service for both lawyers and the general public. To that end, she is committed to ongoing communication with our members and welcomes and relies on clients’ input to continually evolve the service to make it better for all.

Latest posts by Natalie Waddell (see all)

• LawyerLocate.ca’s #Clawbies2016 Canadian Law Blog Nominations – December 17, 2016
• Canada’s #1 Legal Referral Service is Coming to the UK! – January 29, 2016
• Facebook Glitch Displays How Popular Your Posts Are – October 16, 2015