The Divorce Rate in Canada: Grey Divorce, COVID-19 and Woke 

As of 2021, Canada’s divorce rate stands at approximately 38%. This statistic implies that 38% of marriages will culminate in divorce before reaching the 30-year mark. It’s crucial to highlight that divorce rates have remained fairly steady over the past decade, with a slight downward trend from the peak rates seen in the 80s and 90s.

Regional Variations in Divorce Rates

The divorce rate in Canada exhibits significant variations across different provinces and territories. Cultural, economic, and social factors contribute to these regional disparities. For instance, Quebec records one of the highest divorce rates in the country, while Newfoundland and Labrador boast one of the lowest. These regional differences are important to consider when analyzing national divorce statistics.

Factors Influencing Divorce Rates

Several elements can impact the divorce rate in Canada, including:

• Age at marriage: Younger adults who marry are more likely to divorce than those who marry later in life.
• Education: Higher education levels generally correlate with lower divorce rates.
• Income: Higher income levels often bring financial stability and are typically associated with lower divorce rates.
• Cohabitation: The risk of divorce may increase for couples who live together before marriage, although this relationship is multifaceted and depends on various factors.
• Children: While having children can stabilize marriages, it can also introduce stress that may lead to divorce.
• Religion: Religious beliefs and practices can influence divorce rates, with some religious groups recording lower rates than others.

While the number of divorces in Canada has remained relatively stable in recent years, it’s vital to acknowledge the various factors that can influence these rates on a regional and individual level. By understanding these trends and the underlying causes of divorce, individuals, families, and policymakers can work together to foster healthy and enduring relationships.

The pandemic has presented numerous challenges, with COVID-19 abruptly halting everyday life. Many lost jobs, businesses collapsed, and the virus claimed countless lives. Even those who didn’t suffer direct losses experienced heightened stress and uncertainty about the immediate future due to the virus’s relentless spread.

Nationwide lockdowns and mandatory quarantines further exacerbated the strain on households grappling with significant financial setbacks. This increased tension, felt by families and couples alike, has led many experts in family law to speculate about COVID-19’s substantial influence on the divorce rate in Canada.

With a noticeable uptick in divorce filings, it’s reasonable to infer that the coronavirus has significantly affected the number of divorces and the overall divorce rate.

However, the most crucial question isn’t whether COVID-19 has escalated divorce rates in Canada. Instead, it’s more beneficial to examine how the pandemic has influenced the separation process and the broader culture of marriage and divorce.

Marriages, whether in times of a pandemic or not, are susceptible to certain challenges that can significantly shape their dynamics. Shellie Warren, a life coach and writer for Marriage.com, rightly points out that “financial troubles can be categorized as one of the biggest causes of divorce.” She delves deeper into how a lack of funds or disparate spending habits can put a strain on married couples, affecting the divorce rate in Canada.

The COVID-19 pandemic, responsible for the loss of millions of jobs and businesses, understandably exacerbated financial stress in marriages that were already battling money issues. According to annual statistics provided by Statistics Canada, this heightened financial strain resulted in a sharp increase in the number of divorces, with many couples filing divorce applications during the pandemic.

However, this trend predates COVID-19. As reported by Olivia Bowden of Global News, family law experts have long noted a strong correlation between economic downturns and increased divorce rates.

Yet, it’s crucial to understand that this correlation doesn’t necessarily denote causation, as other factors also contributed to the overall rise in divorces during the pandemic. The enforced lockdown is another dimension of COVID-19 that has put immense pressure on all relationships, notably marriages.

The abrupt change in daily routines prompted couples to reassess and reshape their everyday lives. Navigating these challenging times typically requires healthy and robust communication. However, for some couples, the uncertainty brought about by the pandemic proved too overwhelming, culminating in the decision to divorce – a solution that had likely been on their minds for a while.

It’s plausible to assume that the difficulties posed by the lockdown have unveiled numerous underlying issues within marriages.

Addressing these pre-existing relationship problems becomes much more complicated when life is far from normal. However, the most significant impact of COVID-19 isn’t so much on the rate at which marriages end in divorce or even the refined divorce rate but rather on the overall culture and process of separation, which has seen a drastic shift.

The onset of the pandemic has led to profound societal changes aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19. These changes have significantly impacted various sectors, including family law and the court system. Civil courts, which handle divorce cases, have been particularly affected, experiencing significant backlogs.

Prior to the pandemic, a government study of divorce statistics in Canada for 2010-2011 revealed that most divorces were granted within six months of the initial filing. This suggests that protracted divorce proceedings were relatively rare.

However, the nationwide lockdown has resulted in significant delays in court cases as legal proceedings transitioned from in-person to online platforms. Despite the expectation that these delays would deter the filing of divorce cases, recent trends indicate an increase in divorces. Consequently, even though the process of filing for divorce has been significantly altered due to the pandemic-induced delays in court proceedings, couples continue to seek divorces.

The same study noted that less than half of all divorce cases took more than two years to finalize. However, with the current delays brought about by mandatory quarantine measures, this duration could potentially double. These substantial modifications to the divorce process have significantly influenced the dynamics of divorce and, by extension, marriage.

Divorce has become a more challenging and exhausting process compared to previous years. The cost, time, and procedure of divorce, all impacted by COVID-19, now play a significant role in how couples choose to legally separate. Thus, it can be inferred that the pandemic has affected how people approach legal divorce actions, inevitably influencing societal responses to marriage dissolutions.

The pandemic has not only influenced legal proceedings related to the Divorce Act and marriage, but it has also hindered individuals’ ability to connect with trusted friends and family during a separation. This is due to health officials’ recommendations to limit physical interactions, as these can contribute to the virus’s spread.

Consequently, quarantine has posed significant challenges for those undergoing a divorce, as they must navigate the process largely on their own. Moreover, couples with children who are contemplating divorce must consider the potential impact of their union dissolution on their time with their kids during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If a couple decides to live separately during the divorce process, complications regarding child visitation rights could emerge, given health officials’ discouragement of physical gatherings to curtail the virus’s spread. Furthermore, many couples lack the financial resources or the means to physically separate, a requirement for a successful and safe quarantine.