Does the month of March hold significance for divorce filings?
Have you ever heard the theory that the month of March is “the divorce month?” According to some, this is an actual phenomenon where more married couples than normal decide to file for divorce in the month of March. Is there some benefit to filing in the month of March? Do the stars align just right to make this month the month of divorce? Why does this happen?
To be honest, none of the above questions really matter. There are no “special benefits” to divorcing in March. The alignment of the stars has nothing to do with divorce. It’s more of a patterns that some people notice, and it is entirely possible that they are seeing a pattern that doesn’t exist.
But let’s just say for the sake of argument that the month of March really does see more divorce filings than any other month. Why would that be?
Well, according to some divorce attorneys, it is a matter of the holidays. With a new year, many couples are thinking about their lives and reconsidering things. Maybe one of these considerations is their marriage. New Year’s and Valentine’s Day happen in a small window of time, and combined they carry a lot of emotional and romantic connotations. This can trigger some people to file for divorce.
One attorney in the source article even explained a potential timeline for divorcing couples. In January, they decide it’s time to divorce. A month passes, and then in February they look for an attorney and find one. Then in March, the official filing happens.
Source: Houston Chronicle, “March is ‘divorce month:’ Here’s the reason why,” Carol Christian, March 19, 2015