Marriage And Divorce Summary

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.

Divorce can harm couples without children as well. One way is that divorce is much more popular to those who are getting married for the second or third time. This is can be explained by a few different reasons. One reason is simply because the spouses know how easily they can get divorced. They are more likely to focus on their spouse’s imperfections than on how they can mend their dissolving marriage. Also when a person remarries there is a higher chance for the other spouse to have children. This can put stress on both people because the new spouse will want more attention, but the attention will be given to the kids or vice versa. Money can also be a problem in second marriages more than the first because spouses are more likely to be financially crippled from having the previous divorce; this in turn will make them less financially secure. Divorce can also make people feel insecure with themselves and make them think that everything is their fault. It can cause depression and in certain cases could even lead to suicide.

One of the important things that I learned from Demo and Fine chapter 4 and 5 is about the societal views of marriage and divorce. By reading chapter 4, it has been clear to me that marriage still reserved as the highest desired institution. However, I also shocked with the fact that marriage rates are higher for more educated men and women compared to prior generations that are lower for more educated individuals. About divorce, it is good to hear that the negative stigma associated with divorce is reduced over time even though it does not seem that it has become positive in the recent years.

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.

Throughout time, practices that were once never used, become more common. In the 1600s divorce was a forbidden practice or a last resort. Since then, laws have changed, and so hasn’t the stigma related with divorce. The guilt and fault that divorce once carried has vanished. According to the book Should I Keep Trying to Work it out, “In the United States, researchers estimate that 40%–50% of all first marriages will end in divorce or permanent separation. The risk of divorce is even higher for second marriages, about 60%.” (Hawkins 42). As it became more common for couples in America to separate, divorce gradually became a normal part of so many lives. Why are so many couples separating now? Through research on EBSCO, and other findings, I will attempt to explain this question that so many people ask in today’s world. The divorce rate in America is drastically increasing over time due to new laws, certain generations, and relationship issues.

A: Iowa state did not turn Mrs. Sosna away when she filed for divorce, in fact, she had chosen (shopped) a wrong state to end her marriage. To support the decision in favor the State, the U.S. Supreme Court reasoned: “The durational residency requirement under attack in this case is a part of Iowa's comprehensive statutory regulation of domestic relations, an area that has long been regarded as a virtually exclusive province of the States.” The Supreme Court struck down Mrs. Sosna’s two prongs of argument:

In the chart about the figure of marriages and divorces in the USA, the number of divorces increased sharply from 1 million people to approximately 1,5 in 1980. However, The number fall to over 1 in 1990 and continued to decreased to the same number with 1970 in 2000 ( 1 million people). in stark contrast, however, the proportion of people getting married remained at 2,5 in 1980 but this number fall to around 2,25 in 1990 and decreased slightly to 2 in 2000. nevertheless, the percentage of people getting married still made up more people than people in divorce in the period from 1970 to 2000.

Marriage is the Glue of Society Millions of Americans find out the hardships a divorce brings each year. Although many couples know it can be a long hard road, many still decide it is the best option. In her book “The Case against Divorce” 1989, Diane Medved confesses, “Quite simply, I discovered in my research that the process and aftermath of divorce is so pervasively disastrous-to body, mind, and spirit- that in an overwhelming number of cases, the “cure” that it brings is surely worse than marriages “disease” (664). After a lot of heartache and personal experiences, many newly single people are forming a very similar opinion. It is usually better for a person to try to save their marriage rather than getting a divorce because it is damaging

Those couples who view their marriage most important and incorporates religion are less likely to consider divorce. As well as women who are are more religious are less likely to go through a divorce. When both male and female share the same religious commitment divorce is unlikely to be

“Marriage is the way in which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.” (Vatican) In today’s world divorce has become a rather recurring theme. Men and women marry younger and younger, and in many cases it has nothing to do with love. In these cases people marry for selfish reasons such as sexual desires, pride, or principal. These reasons have nothing to do with love and marriage should not be built upon them.

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

Harvey and Fine say, in their book on the effects of divorce on children, that divorce has increased at a “contagious rate since 1980.” They argue that divorce in America is a “cultural burden of vast proportions,” and insist that the “pain extends beyond the persons who dissolve their relationships to children, parents, and dear friends.” Harvey and Fine

The sanctity of marriage has seemed to have disappeared with the arrival of the 21st century. Though marriage rates have always fluctuated in the past, current events have caused divorce rates to increase. According to recent statistics made by the census bureau, the divorce rate in America is roughly 50 percent. There are a myriad of speculations as to why more people are not staying together. One reason is that people are getting married for the wrong reasons, such as unplanned pregnancies. Another reason is that women have become more independent so that they are not forced in to being in a marriage where they are not happy. Last, lenient divorce laws make it much easier for many couples to get divorced. Combined, these three

“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.

I am not in any way saying that marriage is easy and I believe divorce rates are increasingly high because our generation and those past are becoming accustomed to the eases of today’s lifestyle, the marriages that last are the ones that truly understand the commitment that is being made not just seeing it as the final step in a relationship because this is not in any way true. The advancement of a relationship doesn’t end with marriage or children, after all there is a lifetime ahead of you with the person you have married, there will be trials and some of the most difficult times of your life. Marriage requires a commitment to fall in love with that person over and over again each day.