Head of the Family & Divorce
Kingsley Napley
The latest ONS statistics show that the number of people divorcing is at the lowest rate since 1971.
There has been a 29.5% decrease in divorces in 2022 compared with 2021. There were 78,759 opposite-sex divorces, which is a decrease of 29.6% from 2021. Same-sex divorces also decreased, to 1,298 in 2022 representing a decrease of 17.4% compared to 2021.
Interestingly the median duration of marriage at divorce was 12.9 years for opposite sex couples, a fractional increase compared with 12.3 years in 2021. For same-sex divorces in 2022, the median duration of marriage was 7.5 years for male same-sex couples and 6.3 years for female same-sex couples.
As the Government press release suggests, the declining divorce rate can perhaps partly be attributed to the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act, effective from April 2022 which introduced new mandatory waiting periods during the divorce process.
Undoubtedly, however, there are also societal trends going on. The cost-of-living crisis may have deterred some couples from divorcing, although based on our experience of the 2007 financial crisis, this will probably mean divorces are delayed rather than decided against altogether. Recorded divorces are happening later and after longer marriages, but at the same time cohabitation is on the rise for younger couples.
Despite today’s figures, the fact is divorce and separation still affect many couples and families. We continue to see this in our work although increasingly clients are willing to mediate or explore alternative forms of dispute resolution to agree terms both financially and for the sake of their children. The good news is that there are now a variety of ways to go about that depending on the circumstances and how couples wish to approach such a significant event.
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