Quarantine has changed the dynamic of many couple’s marriages, and with the added time couples have at home, it’s become a driving wedge, leading some to consider divorce.

Politics, money, chores, kids, lack of intimacy, and boredom have become the reality of most households and everyday quarantine stressors. This has couple’s reconsidering how they feel about their partners and their marriage.

“At some point, the comparison is to 9/11: Either (the crisis) brings them together or it makes them realize they need to get out because life is too short,” Michelle Gervais, a family law attorney at Blank Rome LLP in Tampa, Florida told USA Today.

The pandemic alone has taken a toll on people, and trying to maintain their own feelings and concerns, on top of tending to their home and partner, with few resources, is stressful.

“Pandemics, quarantine, the effects on life and society as we know it changing – that is about as uncertain as you can get,” says Stacy Lee, clinical director of the Couples Institute Counseling Services in Menlo Park, California. “Couples are facing more challenges, they have fewer resources and low bandwidth to manage all of this. Sadly, this is the perfect cocktail for increased divorce.”

People have also relied heavily on the internet to address their marital problems during this time. Lina Guillen, a lawyer, and editor for Nolo.com, gained thousands of views on an article she published on custody and visitation issues. Traffic to her site and its sister sites, DiovorceNet.com and Lawyers.com, has increased by hundreds of thousands during the pandemic.

The divorce rate in America is almost 50%, and that number is expected to go up once divorce courts are fully open.
For many couples, some of the issues they experienced within their marriage stemmed pre-pandemic, and the stay-at-home orders only magnified those issues.

Marriage is hard, and the current pandemic circumstances have made it even harder for married couples, but there is hope that couples can push through these hard times and come out stronger and together. The pandemic is a first for everyone, and there is no right or wrong way when it comes to how to best handle it. It’s important that couples prioritize themselves and their marriage during these times, communicate effectively and give each other space to be human. If couples remain committed to each other and their marriage, it will be easier for them to combat any challenge that arises.