Why Divorce Rates Spike In March and August

Wedding season is in full swing, but with every new promise of forever another couple decides to end their relationship. 

Even summer love can’t stop the break ups.  After studying Washington state divorce rates from 2001 to 2015, researchers found that March and August spike in divorces. 

That means one minute you will be buying a wedding gift for a friend and the next you will be buying another friend a pint of ice cream and bottle of wine.

According to University of Washington researchers, divorces tend to happen seasonally with two months out of the year where couples file papers at peak levels.

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Researchers believe this biannual pattern is due to couples trying to stick it out during the holidays and summer months before making a final decision to end their marriage.

“They represent periods in the year when there’s the anticipation or the opportunity for a new beginning, a new start, something different, a transition into a new period of life. It’s like an optimism cycle, in a sense. They’re very symbolically charged moments in time for the culture,” said researcher Julie Brines.

Holidays are important times for families and the hope that something will change in the relationship dwindles once the good times are over.  “People tend to face the holidays with rising expectations, despite what disappointments they might have had in years past,” Julie added.

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The expectations can be added pressure that can make the holidays stressful and easy for couples to throw in the towel once its over. The winter and summer are also seasons the boost an increase of engagements and weddings. Witnessing others new beginnings and happiness may also trigger couples to reevaluate their own.