For many Spanish couples, September, means not only the end of summer holidays, but also the end of their marriage. According to the study “Family Evolution”, carried out by the Family Policy Institute, a marriage breaks up in the European Union every 33 seconds, Spain ranking as the third country in terms of the increase in the number of divorces from 1995 to 2004. This figure has risen by 59%, surpassed only by Portugal (89%) and Italy (62%).
According to several studies, approximately one out of three divorces that take place in Spain happens after summer holidays. The reason seems evident: in the case of summer holidays, close contact does not breed affection, but in fact the opposite. “Many couples have arelationship based on everyday routine, and daily life does not leave them enough time to realise that their relationship does not work. But the problem does not arise in summer–summer is simply the time when it comes to light, because couples have more free time to think about their situation”, states Diego Becerril Ruiz, lecturer at the School of Politics and Sociology of the Universidad de Granada and author of the book Después del Divorcio (Centre for Sociological Research, 2001).
The reason why September is the month with the highest number of divorces is also that we involuntarily relate this month to the beginning of a new stage. “People mentally structure the year around two key periods: September and Christmas. These are periods of change, periods to start from the scratch because they entail, respectively, the beginning of the academic year and the beginning of the calendar year,” affirms Diego Becerril. This is the reason why one out of three couples decides to divorce in September and the reason why most people start going to the gym or begin a diet during this month.
The profile of divorce
This Sociology lecturer of Universidad de Granada highlights that most separations that take place after holidays affect young couples (from 25 to 35 years old) recently married with a young child. “It is during summer months when cohabitation is higher and we spend more time with our partner and children. Many of these young couples had not lived under the same roof before marriage. Therefore, the problem is magnified during these dates: it is not the same to enjoy weekends throughout the year together as to spend 24 hours a day under the same roof in summer”, explains Diego Becerril.
Furthermore, to think that having a child can solve conjugal problems is one of the most frequent mistakes. “It works the other way around: if something goes wrong, a young child can provoke more tension instead of relieving the problem”, warns the Spanish researcher.
Even so, Spain is the European Union country where marriages last longest: according to the Family Policy Institute, they stay together an average period of 13.8 years.
Reference:
Prof. Diego Becerril Ruiz. Department of Sociology of the Universidad de Granada.
Phone no. +34 958 24 80 65 – +34 958 24 80 63. E-mail: becerril@ugr.es
