30 percent of divorces annually happen in the first 2 months of the year. Today, the first Monday in January, has come to be known as “Divorce Day,” thanks to family lawyers who noticed high number of people inquiring about leaving their partners.
"It's the day where couples who were tolerating each other during the intense holiday season decide that they want to start the new year afresh," breakup coach Cherlyn Chong tells Insider, "resulting in a surge of divorce inquiries to Google search and divorce lawyers alike."
- As for why it usually happens in January, Chong says it could be because parents stayed together to give the kids one last holiday as a family, or because one spouse doesn’t want to be the evil person who ended things during the holiday season.
- Also, holiday stress could have escalated flaws in a marriage, bringing things to a head. Chong notes that “January blues” could also play a role, although she notes, “if you want to file for divorce, that's usually something that has been brewing for a while in the marriage, and the January blues will just urge you into action.”