Tipsheet: Divorce downturn

Bad economic times cause stress, and stress can put a strain on relationships. But the economic downturn has not led to a spike in divorce rates. Quite the contrary.

In fact, there's some evidence to suggest that the bad economy may actually be keeping couples together, because they don't have the money or the resources to split up. In the past, couples might sell a home and share the proceeds. Now, they may be saddled with a home that's worth less than they paid, or that just won't sell.

The divorce rate in the United States has been declining since the 1980s and it went down again in 2008, the first year of the recession, according to the National Marriage Project.

Local lawyers told the Washington Post that more and more clients are asking how they can file for divorce without moving out of the house. Others say they have lots of cases on hold, as couples try to figure out how to afford a divorce filing.

The paper quotes Johns Hopkins University sociologist Andrew Cherlin as saying that a similar pattern emerged during the Great Depression--divorce rates went down, only to go up again when the economy improved.

Cherlin said the recession has probably created "a backlog of unhappy married couples who would like to get a divorce soon but can't afford it," and he predicted a surge in cases during the first several recovery years. "The longer this severe economic downturn continues," he said, "the larger the backlog will be."

Consider asking divorce lawyers in your area if they've seen more couples putting off divorce while awaiting better economic times. But also check with low-cost legal clinics to see if they've seen more divorce cases.

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