Feminism And Feminism

The acknowledgement of the need for divorce reform stemmed from the substantial increase in the number of divorces and what was viewed as “the declining stature of the married state.”

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.

The most recent studies show that 42% of Marriages now end in Divorce and that they are on the increase, although recent statistics contradict this fact, as they show that Divorce Rates are decreasing each year. In 2011, there were 117,588 divorces, compared to 121,779 in 2008, and a staggering 153,176 in 2003, a decrease of 30% in 8 years (ONS, 2008-2011)

Early feminism was typically focused only on white women, likely because racism was still extremely prominent at the time feminism began emerging. It was not until Kimberlé Crenshaw introduced the term “intersectionality” in 1989 that feminism started to look at oppressed group’s needs (Nash, 2008, 2). Intersectionality is a way of thinking that acknowledges that when a person has identities that belong to more than one oppressed group, it impacts their quality of life more negatively. In this paper, I will argue that intersectionality is important in the discussion of feminist theories and activism because it ensures that feminism is for all women, not just a select group of them. Intersectionality has changed the way the feminist movement handles the overlapping of different identities, which has helped feminist theorists understand the experiences of women of colour much more clearly. While intersectionality has a very important role in the conversation and practice of feminism, there are certainly critiques of the concept that should be brought up. These critiques, however, can offer a way to improve the study of intersectionality.

Once Societies rules on divorce changed divorce rates began to climb. A No-fault divorce rule came into effect in the 1950’s. This meant unlike before, they no longer needed to prove who was at fault in the marriage. By 1970, almost all states had laws allowing these no fault divorces. There is no doubt that this was a factor

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.

Starting from the beginning of the nineteen-sixties is when the evolution of divorces began to rise. More so from the 60s through the 80s the divorce rate began to double. As divorece began to rise it began to be over- determined. According to the online article of “National affairs under the evolution of divorce” connects to the percentage of couples divorcing around this time and what the effects were. “less than 20% of couples who married in 1950 ended up divorced, about 50% of couples who married in 1970 did”. This led to “Approximately half of the children born to married parents in

Divorce is defined as a judicial declaration dissolving a marriage in whole or in part, especially one that releases the marriage partners from all matrimonial obligation, according to Webster’s dictionary. Divorce itself can be viewed as a symbolic interaction perspective, how the interpretation of divorce has changed throughout the generations. During the 1920’s, marriage was associated with having a responsibility, a role that a wife had to uphold and a role that a husband had to commit to. These roles were demanded to be maintained because the norms were that women should marry, bear children, and do household chores while the man worked and provided for the family. Divorce, during that time period, was considered either illegal or a taboo.

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.

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).

Historically speaking the rise in divorces could possibly be due to the ease of access. At-Fault Divorce is the process of divorce through which “grounds” for approval of the divorce were required. Originally those wanting to file for divorce had to have proof of a reason that proved incompatible to their marriage. This meant divorce was not readily available to all married couples, and even in the event they had chance to file for divorce there was still an opportunity it could not be approved. This ended in 1969 when

California was the first to adopt the law in 1969 and later on, other states (Iowa being the second) did too (The History of Divorce Law in the USA, 2014). Over the years, divorce has increased as the stigma against it has started to decrease since the 1800s. Divorce rates went from less than 3% to about 7% from the late 1800s to the late 1960s. Before 1867, divorce statistics were not recorded. While there was a large amount of dishonor attached to divorce in the 1800s, divorce still happened every once in a while. One of the influences on divorce statistics at the time was that women outside of marriage didn’t have the same economic opportunities that men had. While divorce rates still weren’t that high compared to later on, divorce began to slowly increase. Divorce rates during the 1900s were still low because you couldn’t acquire a divorce without proving abuse, adultery, or abandonment. Divorce continued to rise at a steady pace, significantly increasing in the 1970s. This was because no-fault divorce had just been made available and people could now file without the hassle of having to prove something had caused the marriage to fall

In the world today, many men and women believe divorce is always a dreadful thing that occurs, but there is actually a beneficial side to it. Divorce has been around for many years and mainly just men were the only ones capable to make the decisions. Until, The Guardian states,” The 1857 Matrimonial Causes Act allowed ordinary people to divorce.” Under this new law, it was capable for women to make the decision, they just had to prove the facts to withhold a divorce. Following 1857, in 1923 there was a private member’s bill that allowed women to petition for a divorce for adultery. However, it only made it a little bit easier, they still needed to prove the reason. A few years later, they were able to pass another law, this law allowed divorce

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.