5 Challenges Divorcing Couples Face in 2021

The last year has been difficult for many couples. Ongoing lockdowns and working at home while managing online schooling for children have put undue pressure on families. As a result, some couples are calling it quits and seeking divorce amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Yet, couples going through divorce in 2021 are facing some unique challenges. Some of those include the following:

Deciding where to live once they decide to separate or divorce. In California and New York, and other states where stay-at-home orders continue, it can be difficult to move right now. You might have problems finding a suitable place to rent, where you feel comfortable and less at risk of contracting coronavirus if you move into an apartment building complex. Your adult children could be living at home, forcing you and your spouse to continue living there to keep everyone safe. Plus, couples are having a hard time agreeing on which spouse should move to the vacation home, out of a highly populated area where COVID-19 cases may be surging.

Deciding to divorce if one spouse is unemployed. The economic downturn that coincided with business shutdowns in 2020 left millions of Americans without jobs. If you or your spouse suffered a job loss last year, you may put off your divorce because of your financial situation. Or if you lost your job amid your divorce, you may feel your future financial situation is even more difficult to overcome.

Experiencing delays in the divorce process. Many courts shut down in spring 2020 and still haven’t caught up from those shutdowns. Your divorce proceedings still may face delays in 2021, as courts work to process all the divorces that were delayed last year and new filings for 2021.

Ensuring child health safety when sharing custody. Often, divorcing parents don’t see eye to eye when it comes to establishing common rules for their children and household. This has become more difficult in 2020 and 2021. Some parents have been very strict about following health guidelines to avoid spreading COVID-19, not allowing for children to visit their friend’s homes and requiring them to wear masks when playing with friends or visiting family members. Other parents haven’t been as restrictive. This can lead to conflict for parents sharing child custody.

Wanting to settle your divorce quickly. With extra delays and hurdles getting documents prepared for divorce, you may feel tempted to rush to a quick divorce settlement. However, you may not receive the best divorce settlement by rushing it. It would be better to seek your divorce attorney’s help in dividing marital assets fairly with your spouse.

Going through a divorce never is easy. Yet in the coming months, you may face more challenges than divorcing couples did before the pandemic. You will need to keep in mind your end goal if you are divorcing this year: your desire to move forward with your life in the best way possible.