Effects Of Divorce On The United States

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.

Each year as families are progressing to be built there are more familes decreasing. The online database “The Effects of Divorce In America” connects to how many children will grow to see there parents divorce before the age of 18. “Mounting evidence in social science journals demonstrates that the devastating physical, emotional, and financial effects that divorce is having on these children will last well into adulthood and affect future generations”. This problem that is occurring with children being involved in divorces is causing the world to be kept at a low with violence and education. Which is allowing behavioral effects and the rate of divorces to be kept at a high. With the lowering of children having families also only “42 percent of children aged 14 to 18 live in a “First Marriage” family”. Having such high rates with divorces, child influence is a major factor when separating.

According to the National Health Statistics Report, nearly half of all first marriages end in divorce (Casey et al. 2012). As this rate has drastically increased since the mid-20th century, divorce has begun to create many setbacks for society in terms of the economy, crimes rates, mental health capacity, and academic achievements. While initially divorce was seen as an issue for families individually, society as a whole is increasingly subject to facing the repercussions.

Divorce is a rising social issue in the United States of America, but it is not a new concept. Divorce has been a social issue since at least 1867 when for every 35.9 marriages, one couple were to get a divorce (Huth, 1947). Although divorce is not a new concept, it has become more social acceptance which is raising the divorce rate over the years. Another controversial topic in divorce is when the two people divorcing have a child or children together. Approximately 150,000-200,000 children in the United States of America are affected by divorce yearly (Huth, 1947).

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.

Marriage was described by Lord Penzance as ‘an institution for life’, however the statistics show that there is an increasing trend in the divorce law. There has been a long history of reforming the law to its current stage. Until 1857 the only way of obtaining a divorce was through an Act of Parliament, however due to its expense, it was reserved for the wealthiest. The Matrimonial Cause Act 1857 for the first time created a possibility to divorce on the ground of adultery, which was gender-biased because wife had to prove aggravating circumstances in addition to the fact of adultery. Following it, the Matrimonial Causes Act 1923 allowed the husband and the wife to rely on adultery as a ground for divorce. The Matrimonial Causes Act 1937 created additional grounds for divorce, such as cruelty, incurable insanity and desertion. The divorce became more acceptable and therefore more couples decided to proceed with the divorce petitions and there was a need to remove fault. Consequently in 1966, both the Law Commission and a group convened by the Archbiskop of Cantenbury agreed that irretrievable breakdown should be the sole ground for divorce, which wasmentioned in the Divorce Reform Act 1969. This was incorporated into the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 (MCA 1973), which remains the current law.

The divorce process starts in the palm of the couple’s hand. They decide and determine whether or not to get a divorce. Divorces has good and bad outcomes and they affect different people. Couples have the direct impact, while children have to live with the outcome and the society has an indirect impact from it. There are issues with divorce at each level. Historically, divorces were hard and rare to achieve. However, the liberalization of divorce laws created a no-fault divorce law that made it easier for couples to have a divorce without evidence of conflict (Ball and Kvisto). As society is implementing to these new laws, couples’ perception of divorce has changed. It can be argued that because of the new divorce laws, Americans now see marriage

Over the past decades, the divorce rate has increased tremendously. Sadly, society today has made it seem like divorce is a normal thing. There are many consequences to making such a big decision that does not only affect the couple, but also could affect the whole family. The effects of having a divorce could include financial loss, children suffering, and be emotionally unstable.

The divorce rate in today’s society according to Barbara Dafoe Whitehead is higher than ever. Although people have a legal right to file for divorce, it is still viewed as an ethical problem. Barbara Dafoe Whitehead writes in “The Making of a Divorce Culture”, that divorce has become an ethical problem in the United States. In today’s society, divorce is viewed as a social norm, and that couples should have a right to file for divorce with no stigma. Although Whitehead argues that divorce is an ethical issue, she also shows reasons why couples should carefully think of filing for divorce before making a final decision such as their children’s consideration. Whitehead successfully presents the divorce culture as a very serious ethical problem by giving ideas of why parents are getting divorced, and how their children can be effected by it.

Marriage used to be a sacred thing; once you married someone you spend the rest of your life with them. Even some places such as the Philippines and The Vatican City make divorce illegal. Here in America divorces are happening every single day. This social phenomenon is considered problematic. Almost 50% of all marriages end in divorce. When most people think of a divorce, they think of it ending in bad terms due to infidelity; but this is not always the case. It’s important to understand what a divorce is, how it works, who it affects, the consequences, and the solution. Divorce has become way to common; we need to reestablish the sacredness of marriage and the importance of family.

What is divorce? Divorce is the legal dissolution of one’s marriage. Why is divorce a controversial issue? Many people believe that divorce goes against moral beliefs. I believe that even though many people believe divorce shouldn 't be the solution to marital issues it is a way to keep both people happy. In my opinion, divorce is actually helpful to society. People should be able to get a divorce if they see no way to make their marriage work. I feel if they have tried to fix their marriage and work on it but the only mutual solution that they agree on is divorce then that is the option they should choose. I do, however, think it should be for couples who have decided together not just a one sided decision. In this paper I will discuss some reasons for divorce, things that contribute to divorce, the phases of divorce, the effect divorce has on children, religious views on divorce, the healing process, and why divorce is actually helpful to society.

The effects of a divorce can take an emotional toll on a person as much as a financial burden. There can be temporary effects to long lasting effects on the family. Divorce is emotionally devastating for most people. It forces us to kill “our dreams” when we are married to our mate. Often at times, we envision the “white picket fence” and growing old with that person and we never see divorce as an option. So, when the end result is divorce it can be the ultimate rejection, because we feel like we are being rejected by the one person that would “never hurt us”. Divorce is a type of death, and we need to grieve the loss such as we do a death. In a divorce, we can also lose our confidence. At times, we often feel like we have failed as a wife or husband, and that sometimes leads to “rebound” relationships where we can fall into a relationship right away, not choosing someone that is healthy. (Swaity)

Divorce is permanent and it affects more than just one person, it is a situation that is becoming more known and common. Almost anyone in the United States knows of at least one couple that has gone through a divorce. The word divorce tends to be a nerve wracking word, for  most couples that never want to have to go through such a heartbreaking moment in their lives. Divorce is defined as when two people that have a marriage license are split up and no longer married or seeing each other. For a divorce to happen, one of the spouses must start a divorce petition (that is when one of the spouses writes the petition and gives it to the other spouse to sign stating that they are getting a divorce). The petition is then taken to a courthouse where one of the spouses live no matter which state the divorce takes place. Many children in the United States experience a divorce. Kalter states, “Nearly one of three children experiences divorce” (Kalter 587). Divorce easily affects males and females economically, socially, physically and emotionally. A divorce will affect a child different than a parent, but it negatively affects the family equally. How does a divorce negatively affect the children, female and male aspect equally?

Getting a divorce is not an easy decision. As a matter of fact, for many people getting a divorce is one of the hardest things they will have to deal with. Divorce has a long-lasting effect on the entire family. For example, according to Clarke-Stewart and Brentano (2006, p. 56), the couple getting a divorce can feel anxious and depressed by the situation. They also mention that children can be the most affected because they might feel confused and betrayed. However, the aftermath of divorce is different for everyone. For instance, the ages of the children can have an impact on how they deal with the divorce. Furthermore, the way parents cope with the aftermath of the divorce can have a negative or positive outcome in their children’s

Marriage is a very beautiful thing when you’re with the right person. Many beautiful things can come from marriage such as kids and a lifetime partnership with the love of your life. But divorce is one of the worst things that comes from a marriage some people get through the hard times and some decide it is better off to go their own ways. Divorce is caused by many things and there are many effects to it. This happens when two people no longer connect and two hearts begin to drift apart or one spouse no longer feels the same. But effort is one thing that may always like one spouse cannot give their 100% while the other gives only 50% of their effort. This is a very delicate topic for many people and those who have gone through it might have done it for their well-being.