These days, most of us are spending a lot more time at home than we used to. Though restaurants, movie theatres, campgrounds and other New Hampshire businesses have reopened, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused most people to be careful about where they go and whom they spend time with. As a result, many married couples are spending a lot more time together than usual. Especially if you and your spouse are both working from home, you might be with each other virtually 24 hours a day.
Many marriages have been strengthened by these difficult times. For others, this forced time together has magnified problems in their relationship. So it is probably not a surprise to hear that the U.S. divorce rate has jumped 30 percent since March, when the first pandemic-related lockdown orders began.
How has lockdown increased divorce?
Besides the people who have filed for divorce or at least met with a divorce lawyer, there are likely millions more Americans who are thinking about it. A data analytics company called SEMrush reports that internet searches related to divorce are up 11 percent this year. Of those divorce-related searches, the phrases “filing for divorce online” and “I want a divorce” have been especially popular.
Along with the forced togetherness possibly making marital problems worse, the pandemic has also caused serious financial problems for many couples in New Hampshire. Money trouble is a common reason for divorce. Infidelity may also be a common factor, despite social distancing. Even if a spouse cannot get out of the house to cheat, they can still text and chat online intimately with someone outside the marriage.
If you don’t know your rights, you cannot fight for them
If you are thinking about filing for divorce, or if your spouse has served you with divorce papers, there are many important things you may have to work out, especially if you have children. If you are a father, you might not get a fair shake when it comes to child custody and child support — unless you hire a divorce attorney who knows how to fight for fathers’ rights.
