Introduction
China has been in the news, not only because it was the epicenter of the COVID-19 Pandemic but also as being the country that saw the highest rates of divorce following the pandemic!
The hashtag “Xi’an divorce appointment explosion” caught the fancy of social media and digital users when the city of Xi’an saw record divorce requests when the marriage office reopened during the pandemic.
This made other relationship experts point out how the pandemic has played a critical role in changing traditional marital relationships. Broader factors like patriarchy, domestic violence, and sexual infidelity became prominent watchwords in any study.
- The Changing Nature of Household Rules during the Pandemic
With a majority of men staying indoors and working from home in most developed nations of the world, there was a natural expectation- men would help around with normal household chores. This expectation from women, who have traditionally juggled household roles along with managing their carriers was natural.
This was also necessitated by the fact that lockdowns did not allow for housemaids, cooks. and housekeepers to visit homes. The fact the social and physical distancing was mandated meant that people had to do their own work in their houses.
A leading divorce lawyer Birmingham AL points out that this caused a lot of strife and arguments between partners. It also exposed how one partner was completely insensitive and irresponsible when contributing to household work.
Overtime small fissures converted into massive ridges of blames, passing the buck and flimsy excuses. The snowball effect made people aware of many things and led them towards separation or divorce.
- Increase in Cases of Domestic Violence in Different Parts of the World
The frustration of unemployment, getting laid off, collapsing businesses, and no income played out in different ways in different parts of the world. Saying that physical violence was only present in less developed countries or the developing world where patriarchy is more ingrained is not true.
Most developed societies also recorded a spike in cases of physical violence arising because of one or the other frustrations. When everything was under lockdown, helplines saw little or no action. However, once partial lockdowns were eased and restrictions lifted, helplines went into overdrive with many coming forward and registering complaints.
Relationship experts point out that increasing levels of awareness on violence made many people take the step towards separation and divorce. The pandemic definitely brought out and exposed the worst of what human nature had to offer.
- Piling Financial Burdens played a Cataclysmic Role in Changing Relationships
Most homes saw men, the traditional earning members getting laid off, getting reduced salaries. This forced many women, who were previously doing only household work to take up odd jobs to complement family income and offer additional support.
Over time, this meant that they were not being able to devote as much time to their housework, look after kids, pay attention to the food, and other responsibilities.
Relationship experts suggest that the rising income levels of female family members were interpreted as a rising threat. This coupled with small areas of disagreements started leading to arguments and lack of communication between partners in a marriage.
Blaming one another for bad luck, rising bills, unpaid EMIs, and increasing costs of children, all contributed to making the financial factor snowball into the biggest cause of breakups, separation, and divorces.
The Final Word
Being cut-off from friends and family members that have traditionally played an important role in diffusing tensions because of the lockdown and social distancing restrictions aided in the increased nature of the problems. While some have been at the receiving end of the pandemic, other couples have used the opportunity to come closer to one another and build a stronger relationship. The COVID-19 Pandemic also saw many couples that were together getting married.
