The Impact of COVID-19 on Marriage and Divorce Rates in Australia Introduction
There is no denying that loving relationships can b difficult, complicated, and not always successful. And the rate of divorce in Australia that has varied over the last fifty years reflects this. Ever since the introduction of “No Fault Divorce” in 1975 the family law act influenced the rate of marriages and divorce trends in Australia (Power, 2022). The approval of the legislation permitted divorce no matter the cause of separation, which escalated the divorce rate by 4.5 percent for every a thousand people. With the highest recording of divorce in Australia credited to the legislation, fewer people tend to get married until they are emotionally stable as opposed to the prior sequence. Covid-19 impacted the rate of marriages and divorce in Australia, with the first Covid-19 restrictions lowering the rates of marriages by 30 percent. The situation is considerably more complicated as it relates to evaluating divorce. Even though the rate of divorce had decreased in recent years, initial signs indicate that there were anticipations for a rise in divorce cases in 2020 whenever the new Covid-19 data was released (Damien Greer Lawyers, 2023). This essay will cover the impact of Covid-19 on marriage and divorce rates in Australia, highlighting the reasons for marriage patterns, the economic scope, and why more individuals sort online sites for dating.
Marriage and Divorce Patterns during Covid-19
The number of marriages recorded in 2021 was 89,164. This number was lower compared to the pre-pandemic period, yet it was higher as compared to the 78,989 that was recorded in 2020. The Australian government implemented a series of policies that contributed to the overall reduction of marriage rates (Marriage and Divorce, 2022). These policies include limiting international traveling, reducing the tendency of overseas marriages, and restricting the density and size of gathering and socialization activities that deprived couples of the right to hold marriage ceremonies. Furthermore, the Australian government established support measures policies for the economic stability of its citizen, such as JobSeeker and JobKeeper, that has safeguarded the financial security of people that prevented individuals from getting into marriage for a financial drive.
The number of people filing for a divorce has spiked ever since the start of Covid-19 due to the stresses brought about by the pandemic. Statistics from Federal court and family indicates that divorce cases filed during the pandemic period were deemed the highest figure for more than a decade to the extent of giving birth to a new profession, divorce coach (Barker, 2022). Besides the pandemic stresses a major cause of increased divorce, the government’s financial security has made couples realize they can learn to live without each other.
Economic Perspective for Divorce Decisions
On the economic framework, two aspects implicate the financial status during the divorce decision. One aspect is losing the wealth-generation ability attached to marriage and losing finance to divorce industries. Most people decide on divorce procedures because of inclined benefits or costs attached to the decision (Wendy, 2014). The associated cost involves the legal expenditures for divorce filing, the financial cost of providing support payments through the division of assets, and the emotional cost associated with the dissolution of marriage. Based on the above cost, the divorce process will serve as a remedy to allow individuals to proceed with their lives and achieve the financial benefit of avoiding sharing of asserts or providing supportive payments in the marriage (Wendy, 2014). The law allows a 50/50 division of assets during a divorce. With such a law, women are tempted to make divorce decisions to gain wealth allocation from the divorce.
Reason for Online Dating during Covid-19
The economic knowledge learned from module 3, such as supply and demand can be used to explain the increase in online dating during the pandemic. The imposed restriction during the pandemic for both public gathering and international travels increased the demand for socialization and interaction with intimately attracted individuals (Gibson, 2021). With the restriction limiting the supply for face to face chances of public interaction, online dating sites were the only alternative solution for the increased demands. The rise of demand for online dating services increased possible suitor’s supply while reducing the cost of locating a potential match. Based on the circumstances established with the pandemic, individuals may resort to online dating sites due to its cost effective in finding a match, due to demand for life partners and due to a ready supply of people with similar interest in the dating site.
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