Divorce : A Complicated Subject

There is a staggeringly large amount of divorces in the United States (US). In total, the US had a recorded total of 2,140,272 marriages in the year 2014 alone, and of those marriages, 813,862 ended up in divorce or annulment (Center for Disease Control). This means that as recently as 2014, there was a divorce rate of approximately 40%. This supports the statistics that the divorce rate for the US has stayed within 40-50% since the 1970’s (Austin Institute, 2014). While the numbers themselves are important, it is also important that the causes for the high divorce rate be explored, so that it can be known what pitfalls to avoid when participating in such an important union as marriage. There are many causes of divorce in the US such as conflicting gender roles, socioeconomic status, religious conflicts, physical abuse, emotional abuse, alcohol addictions, and many more (Amato & Previti, 2003). This paper will look at many of these reasons, but it will also focus on the differing reasons reported by men and women.

Throughout history, divorce has remained a controversial topic. Perceptions of divorce have drastically changed essentially because the value of marriage has changed. Marriage was once seen as a practical necessity and an irrevocable commitment. The view of marriage caused divorce to be perceived as a stigma. Divorce in earlier generations was not granted by the court system unless there were extenuating circumstances (Evolution). For example, if the woman in the marriage was unable to conceive children the divorce would be granted to the man. This remained the standard practice until the 1970’s with the introduction of “no-fault divorces” (Croteau).

As generations pass by, divorce is becoming more of a social norm than a problem between two individuals. Divorce once was a private household issue but it became widespread only a couple of decades ago. According to the statistics, in the 1950s only 3% of families got divorced and in the 1960s it was already 10%. In the 1980s, 33% of families opted for divorce due to various environmental factors. Recent studies in Canada today, show that the rate of divorce is changing to an extent such that 4 in 10 marriages end in separation. Divorce is a sensitive concept which lies beyond two individuals simply falling out of love as is both the cause and an effect. The many factors that contribute to divorce are extramarital affairs, financial struggles, and the lack of communication.

Divorce is such a personal and common thing in America. There are so many couples who go through the act of divorce every day. According to Kanewicher and Harris (2014), forty to fifty percent of couples will end in divorce within the first few years of marriage. Divorce is the legal dissolution of a marriage by a court or other competent body. There are many factors that may lead couples into divorce. Some of those factors are, marrying too young, low education levels and overall just lack of preparation (Kanewischer, 2015). Although divorce is common now, it was not like this back in the late 1900’s. Divorce was not allowed and most of the time people did not want to get divorce because of all the time and effort they put into their marriage.

“The divorce rate in this country is approximately 50% and is seems to have become more commonplace that people are willing to get a divorce for myriad of reasons, instead of working things out.” (Martinez) Divorce causes many problems, but what the couple that is getting divorced does not know is that they are hurting people other than themselves. Many couples struggle with reasons why they should divorce and others work through issues trying to save their marriage (Martinez). Divorce impacts everyone in the family. The decision to divorce has to be made based on each family’s morals, beliefs and individual situation.

Divorce is a major sociological issue. Divorce rates continue to rise annually and more and more the definition of ‘family’ begins to change. Around 40% of marriages ended in divorce in 2004 (West). This is an epidemic that at one point shocked many People. While, divorce use to be socially and for many, religiously unacceptable it is becoming more and more a social norm. Even though it is becoming more common for couples to end marital issues with the decision of divorce, it is still a major social problem. Divorce is reshaping our culture (A Sociological Analysis of Divorce and its effects). Many people do not realize that not only does divorce affect the couple, it also greatly impacts any children involved, the extended family and the society as a whole.

The United States is identified to have one of the highest divorce rates in the world. The history of divorces are relatively a new phenomenon of America. The peaks and valleys in the divorce trend over time are often associated with world events or social movements.

I chose to this project because of the major impact divorce can have on a person in a variety of aspects. Divorce is truly a heavy concept to fully understand. To examine and explore someone’s personal divorce story one must be mindful and considerate of the different views of divorce considering the many

Divorce is becoming all too popular in our society today. When a couple experience tough times or have one too many arguments, they automatically think divorce. Despite its prevalence couples are not prepared for it’s long, drawn out, hurtful process. Divorce does not only hurt the individuals involved, it also affects the children tremendously. While many people don’t think divorce is a bad thing. Hollywood makes divorce look cool and uneventful. When in all reality, it is disruptive. Some people would say that divorce is a lazy way out of a marriage; the cowardly thing to do when a situation presents itself. Divorce is not the only answer to marital problems, in most cases.

The idea of separating the family destroyed the ideal that was instilled within society. Nuclear families consisting of one father, one mother and two or more children were common and ideal. Obstructing this image seemed to be unusual. The process itself lasts from months on end, however the societal impact on the family as well as the governmental impact on the family can become catastrophic. Two types of filings for divorce occur, fault-based divorce and no-fault divorce. Previously in the 1960s, the most common filing for divorce had been fault-based divorce. Which was the filing of divorce due to one member of the party committing an act that destroyed the marriage. The reasoning behind this type of divorce filing could be that one’s spouse has been mentally abusing the other, or a spouse has frequently abandoned his or her responsibilities, pertaining to familial and marital, for long periods of time. The association given with fault-based divorce was generally negative often related to deception, as spouses could then be falsely accused of abuse or adultery. In

As with most life transitions, divorce can be liberating, depressing, frustrating, or traumatic to any person who experiences it. Perhaps the most painful part on the process of divorce is when the children get involved and when they all get trapped in the situation. These children may suffer significant losses in their lives and unless the situation can be handled in a civil manner, they will become prone to the psychological torment that could affect them for the rest of their lives. The issue of divorce however is becoming more and more intense since for the past ten years the divorce rate in the United States has skyrocketed to a record high of almost fifty- percent. It is also believed

There are three main causes of divorce: changing in woman’s roles, stress in modern living, and lack of communication. The first significant cause of recent rise in the rates of divorce is a woman’s role being completely changed. In the past, men had to earn all the money to afford the expenses of the family, whereas woman only did housework. That led to the woman having no money

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2011 there were 2,118,000 marriages in the United States and almost half as many divorces (2013). The CDC also reports that only half of all first marriages will reach their twentieth anniversary. Divorce is a topic everyone is familiar with and it has almost become a normal part of life. While it is assumed that more divorces occur now than in the previous generation, the CDC actually reports that divorce rates have dropped over the past twenty to thirty years, though this could be due to the increase in individuals who live together without ever getting married or those who simply separate and cannot afford to become legally divorced. However, it has become a more

People in America are determined to get married and live together. Married couples want to share everything and depend on each other. However, fifty percent of these couples cannot seem to fulfill their marriage vows. As a result, they choose to get a divorce. Divorce is very easy to do nowadays unlike the past. Statistics show that the four main causes of divorce are: financial difficulty, women are more independent, infidelity, and couples are getting married at a young age.

“DIVORCE” – Just the sound of such word in any married couple or children’s ear can cause great agony that can even become terminal. Research and personal experience, has proven that in today's society, divorce is more common amongst newlyweds. Since 2009 the rate of divorce has increased to approximately forty percent, There are three out of every ten marriage that ends up in divorce before it reaches the stage of maturity, and the most prevalent results are – lack of communication and infidelity.