Michigan residents who file for divorce in August may have chosen the late summer to part from their spouse because they are following a ‘domestic ritual” calendar. That was a suggestion of a study on divorce by University of Washington sociologists. The researchers found that divorces peak in August and March, periods that follow traditional family holidays.
The researchers gathered evidence for their study from Washington state divorce filings from 2001 to 2015. The researchers found that over the 14-year period, filings were higher in March and August. One of the study authors suggested that people might view filing for divorce during the winter or summer holidays as inappropriate, and people tend to wait until these periods are over to go forward with their plans.
Another reason people may choose to file for divorce after family holidays is that these periods make people feel optimistic. With higher expectations, people enter the holidays thinking that they may be able to mend their damaged relationships. Holidays can be stressful times, and they may not live up to these expectations. Spouses may wait until March to file for divorce because the longer days increase activity and motivate them to take action. After the summer holidays, however, spouses may hasten to file for divorce in August because they want to act before the school year begins.
Divorce is inevitably more complicated when spouses have children because they must work out a child custody agreement. Michigan divorce attorneys may be able to assist parents who are negotiating for full or joint custody. An attorney may also assist a divorcing parent with a petition for child support.