I saw a couple of headlines recently that with the drop in the economy, there is also a drop in the divorce rate. I was thinking about it this morning and was curious as to why. Obviously during a recession, jobs are uncertain and money is tight. So, here are some of my musings on the causal relation between divorce and recession:
1) Money is tight and there isn't the extra cashflow for legal and attorney fees, etc.
2) If you get divorced, one or both spouses will get displaced. This means money for moving, security deposits or an additional mortgage, additional furnishings, etc. Setting up another home as we all know is expensive. And who during this time would like to take on another housing payment?
3) A more optimistic thought would be that with money tight and so much uncertainty, a couple bands together (maybe even without knowing it) and works harder to pay bills and stay afloat. So they are focusing on something other than "Am I Happy?" and are throwing their extra energy into providing for each other and children. This then gives a sense of accomplishment, or at least a goal to work towards and therefore the constant questioning of whether or not "I am happy" is put-off.
No. 3 as the most optimistic of the bunch would lead to an additional question... would the couples who were considering divorce but didn't due to economic reasons, do they just get divorced when the economy stabilizes? I venture to think that some do. But maybe some work through it. Maybe they realized the strength that they have as a couple and as individuals and decided that they could make it work?
More tomorrow.
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