Divorces are at their lowest rate in over 50 years with experts warning that the cost-of-living crisis is making it too expensive for couples to split.
In 2022, 78,759 opposite-sex divorces were granted in England and Wales, the lowest number since the 74,437 in 1971. When including gay unions, which became legal in 2014, there were 80,057 divorces in 2022. This is down 29.5% compared with 113,505 divorces in 2021, said the Office for National Statistics.
Katie O’Callaghan, a partner at law firm Boodle Hatfield, said: “This is an unprecedented decrease potentially reflecting the general sense of economic uncertainty. The strain the cost-of-living crisis and rising inflation has had cannot be underestimated.”
Sarah Jane Boon, partner at Charles Russell Speechlys, said a significant jump in divorce applications had been expected. She said: “Financial challenges related to the cost-of-living crisis are a likely contributor to the fall in divorce rates. Many couples may have considered the benefits of staying together.”
Opposite-sex couples who divorced in 2022 were married for an average of 12.9 years, while for male and female gay couples this was 7.5 and 6.3 years respectively. ONS data also revealed the seven-year itch has been replaced – with divorce lawyers Vardags finding if couples make it past four years, then they are likely to enjoy a long marriage. And after 29 years together, the number divorcing falls to 1%.
David Lister, senior partner at Vardags, said: “For the first three years, the married couple are still getting used to living together. But after this point, changes brought by children, perhaps buying a property, their true compatibility becomes apparent. The four-year period is like a matrimonial hors d’oeuvre. You either like where you are and you stay, or you don’t and you leave.”
Would you get divorced if you could afford it? Vote in our poll HERE to have your say.
Joanna Newton, a partner at Stowe Family Law, said she is seeing an increase in “nesting”, where divorcing couples keep the family home and takes turns to share it with their children. She added: “With the cost of living, people are not rushing into a decision to divorce as quickly as previously.
"I have seen a rise in nesting. Whilst great for children, who don’t have the disruption of moving house, that’s difficult for parents. They still have that financial tie to the property because that’s all they can afford.” A decrease in the marriage rate and the introduction of “no fault” divorces in April 2022 might also explain the fall in break-ups. These new rules allow for a five-month “cooling off” period.
The ONS’s Kerry Gadsdon said: “This year is most notable for the introduction of legislative change, allowing couples to make a joint application for the first time, an approach taken in well over half of dissolutions and over a quarter of divorces since the new Act.”