Cost of living preventing divorces
Data suggests financial pressures are putting couples off divorcing each other
Last updated 24th Jan 2023
New data suggests the cost of living is preventing married couples who want a divorce, from seeking one.
Over a third of unhappy couples say they remain together because financial pressures are preventing them from separating, according to a recent poll.
The research included responses from 1,008 people who are married or in a civil partnership, and 1,001 respondents who are divorced or in the process of getting a divorce.
Of those who have divorced their partner, or are in the process of doing so, more than half (54%) said they wish they started the divorce process earlier.
Of those who've chosen to delay getting a divorce, almost half (42%) said it's made them suffer from stress and anxiety, and almost a third (29%) said it impacted their children.
Family lawyers who consistently receive the highest levels of enquiries after the Christmas period, say it's been an unusually slow January.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, family lawyer in Salisbury, Lin Cumberlin, said the increased cost of living is making people more reluctant to progress with divorce.
"It's affecting people in the way that they're more reticent to progress with divorce and more reluctant, and they're considering their finances and whether they can afford to employ a solicitor.
"Where, for instance, Dad has moved out, he's supporting himself sometimes in rented accommodation while supporting their children and former partner in the other household. With the cost of electric, gas and everything else going up, it's really affecting them.
"That's obviously going to have a huge impact on the family environment because you've got possibly one, maybe two, people that don't want to be together but are finding that, because of financial constraints, they are having to stay in a situation they don't want to be in."
Lin adds it can be especially concerning for people in abusive relationships, not being able to get out of the marriage.
"Financial abuse is definitely prevalent and preparators, generally the husbands, will use this as means to keep the family together.
"We've had the pandemic and the impact that that's had on relationships and I think a lot of people probably seeking help then. And now they're having to put things off even more, because financially they can't afford to separate.
"It will have an impact on the children because obviously they'll pick up if parents aren't happy around each other and struggling financially."