Why are divorce rates on the rise during the pandemic?
Posted Jul 24, 2020 05:34:00 PM.
There have been numerous reports that divorce rates are on the rise as Canadians continue to grapple with COVID-19.
Colette Fortin is a Partner at Fairway Divorce Solutions, and appeared on The Mike Farwell Show on 570 NEWS on Friday.
“We certainly have experienced a significant increase in demand for our free consultations, particularly in the last four weeks.”
She said she thinks there are a couple of reasons for that.
“First of all, people don't make the decision to separate overnight. So anyone who was sort of along that path in March and April and were thinking about it … when the world came to a grinding halt, they kind of froze and cocooned in their homes. Now that things are opening up again, we're starting to see some of those folks coming in.”
Fortin said schools, workplaces, gyms, bars, and pretty much everything else being closed for months likely played a factor too.
“When you think about life before COVID, most couples don't actually spend that much time together over the course of the week, especially if they have kids. When you factor in work schedules, getting kids to sports and activities, one parent going to the gym… when you add it all up, you don't really have that many hours together,” explained Fortin. “Then all of a sudden, people found themselves spending 24/7 together if they were working from home or temporarily lost their jobs.”
She noted if relationships were struggling or fragile before the pandemic, this was likely just the straw that broke the camel's back.
