Five Shocking Recent Divorce Trends

In recent decades, marriage has been gradually losing its position as an indispensable attribute of harmonious life in every society. On the contrary, it is becoming an increasingly unstable institution, thus contributing to a significant decrease in the number of couples willing to marry in the first place. Therefore, the recent decline in the number of divorces does not mean that marriages have become more stable — there are simply fewer of them.

The strength of family ties largely depends on the motives for marriage. A study conducted by CompleteCase.com found that marriages based on love and mutual sympathy break up 43% less often than all others. The highest percentage of divorces (39%) was found in those couples who bound themselves in marriage due to a child’s birth and who would not have married otherwise.

In the past, divorce was considered an immense tragedy for the family. Now many people are beginning to regard it as a long-awaited release from an annoyingly heavy burden. Not everyone perceives divorce as a reason for sadness — some people believe it is a chance to build a happier life with another person.

If you think about it, such a position is perfectly sane and optimistic. At the same time, what if this approach becomes the new normal when spouses file for divorce every time they have a mere misunderstanding? It may well be that this would have begun to happen if divorce were cheap and straightforward. Unfortunately, saving time and money is not commonplace when legally ending a marriage.

Nevertheless, divorce is an essential right of any person. It is also a colossal annual profit for lawyers, financial experts, mediators, psychologists, and other individuals directly or indirectly involved in this process. Consequently, there are also a large number of alternatives offered by various companies trying to adjust to their clients’ needs as fast as possible.

What recently developed tendencies appeared in connection with divorce, and how do private companies and state structures make money on them? 

• Divorce hotels

These hotels where a married couple can spend a weekend and get divorced first appeared in the Netherlands. At the moment, you can find several hotels of the same type in the United States. For a flat fee starting from $3,000, a mediator or an independent lawyer will work with the spouses for two days to complete the necessary documents that will later be presented to a judge to make the divorce final. 

It should immediately be clarified that this type of divorce is not suitable for everyone. If a couple has conflicts over child custody or property, they are unlikely to resolve them over the weekend. The clients of such hotels are spouses who decided to part peacefully and agreed on their separation conditions before the court hearing. The authors of this idea believe that married couples will feel much more psychologically comfortable on neutral territory, and they will come to a compromise faster than under normal conditions.

• Divorce celebrations

While divorce may seem like a distressing experience, a large number of people who have recently gone through it believe that it is a worthy reason to meet up with their friends and welcome the beginning of a new life. In this way, they obtain a sense of finality and get ready for a new life stage, inspired to walk into a brighter future. There are many options: theme parties at home and in restaurants, nightclubs, camping, or weekends in country clubs.

The divorce celebration industry’s development is evidence of people's willingness to acknowledge their loss of a relationship through a special ceremony. Event-planning companies offer a lot of options to provide their divorced clients with the best experience. Swinging divorce parties with dancing, jokes, and champagne are advantageous for ex-spouses who have become extremely vulnerable after the split.

• Divorce as a PR move

Since parting is inevitable anyway, why not use it for your purposes. Famous and influential people often use divorce as a way to gain fame or change a public image. Making a victim out of yourself and causing pity is a popular move, after which a dozen television shows become guaranteed. It seems that for many show business figures, divorce has already become more fashionable than marriage. 

Not only the participants themselves but also the mass media make money on sensationalizing divorces. If earlier it was customary to part quietly and secretly, now the tabloids sparkle with all the details of several much-hyped divorce proceedings every month. Who is not interested in savoring other people’s quarrels, especially when it comes to a favorite actor or a singer. It's hard to imagine, but there are even several reality divorce TV shows. 

• Divorce after the holidays

As the latest opinion polls show, the number of broken marriages depends on the year’s season. The largest number of divorces occurs in March. It makes sense if we remember that it comes after December and January when Americans celebrate the winter holidays. Every divorce process involves so many formalities that eventually, the spouses part not at the end of January, but during March.

During this period, the spouses spend more time together and hope to overcome their disagreements and start again. Far too often, family conflicts do not disappear. On the contrary, an extended stay in the same territory during the holidays only further exacerbates the adverse situation, turning all hopes for reconciliation into an illusion. That’s why the advertisements of law firms and attorneys offering divorce services are more persistent right after the holidays.

• Divorce over the Internet

The Internet is more than a powerful tool that provides us with information on a variety of topics. Apart from being a vast, globally accessible library, it has also become an electronic market place with countless goods and services. Almost everything is possible on the Internet, and now you can also get divorced online. 

Again, this method is only suitable for couples with an amicable divorce. Complex cases with child support issues and considerable property should be resolved with the help of qualified lawyers. Many websites offer to collect and complete the necessary documents for a small fee, and sometimes they even file them with the court for you. This method’s most significant advantage is that it’s very convenient and cheaper than standard divorce procedures.

Final word

The rapidly developing world around us dictates new rules of life in society. As a part of it, each of us plays in this game, whether we want to or not. While some changes are frightening and shocking to us, they can contribute to humanity’s progress in one area or another, and we should treat them with understanding.

(Disclaimer: Devdiscourse's journalists were not involved in the production of this article. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)