Westmoreland County divorces decline during coronavirus pandemic

Captain & Tennille, the soft rock duo of the 1970s, once crooned that “Love Will Keep Us Together.”

So, apparently, does the covid-19 pandemic.

Divorces overall are on the decline throughout the United States. The divorce rate fell from 9.7 new divorces per 1,000 women age 15 and over in 2009 to 7.6 in 2019, according to Census data.

And in Westmoreland County — while the pandemic raged and couples were quarantined together, perhaps working from home, jobless or caring for children — there was a 20% decrease in divorces in 2020 as compared to the previous three years.

Saint Vincent College theology professor Jason King said the decline in divorce numbers is not unexpected.

“Divorces go down in financial downturns,” said King, who teaches marriage courses at the Unity-based school and is the author of two books about relationships. “It’s the loss of income and in a pandemic, if you get a divorce, where do you go?”

Couples at odds are more likely to stay together out of convenience rather than seek a legal breakup and go their separate ways, according to the experts.

While access to lawyers and the courts may have some impact on divorce numbers, Duquesne University theology professor George Worgul Jr. said struggling couples might attempt to hold on to their marriages at least for a bit.

A University of Chicago study from the 1980s found significant numbers of couples who filed for divorce but never completed the legal separation process, a sign that as time moves along, damaged relationships sometimes heal.

“It shows that a lot of people who get a divorce don’t really need to get a divorce,” Worgul said. “Quarantining may actually give couples time to communicate and provide the possibility of positive growth in a relationship.”

Quarantining also might just put off the inevitable.

Worgul said as the pandemic winds down and society heads into more normal times, it’s possible couples who stayed together out of necessity eventually will seek out a divorce.

Meanwhile, quarantine-created conflict between couples is on the rise and could have more dire consequences.

Protection-from-abuse petitions filed over the past year increased by nearly 10% in Westmoreland County as the divorce rate dropped.

“Those are the only one’s we know about,” said Elizabeth Jacobs, an associate professor of psychology at Seton Hill University in Greensburg. “I’m surprised it’s not higher. This entire situation is extraordinarily stressful. Relationships have conflict and marital stress that tends to increase marital violence, as do other factors such as substance abuse.”