All of a sudden, I found myself thinking sociologically when I got home for summer vacation, after completing my first year of college. At this time, I received the news that my parents were separating after celebrating 23 years of marriage. Of course this was shocking news to hear, but I knew there was more to the divorce than my parents falling out of love. At this time I began taking an online class called, “Sociology of Human Sexuality”. The readings that were given in this class discussed divorce issues in the United States and every other country. The textbook, Understanding Human Sexuality had provided insight on reasons for divorce; that discussed kids leaving moving out, high divorce rate and even couples getting married too young. While …show more content…
While, approximately 45% of marriages in America end in divorce, there are various amounts of sociological reasons for this number being so high (Hyde). Truly, while thinking about all of the factors that go into a divorce, they can be overwhelming. The first reading for this class, “Taking a New Look at a Familiar World” had examined the reason for a girlfriend breaking up with her boyfriend. During this reading the author had examined the reasons for a break up and said that there are a significant amount of other possibilities for the break up (Newman). Michael and Louise had broken up and Louise was the one to initiate the break up (Newman). People tend to use an individualistic explanation for the break up and blame it on one or both of the individuals personally (Newman). If the break up is looked at from a sociological standpoint, then one can see that there are many of other factors that could be the reason for Michael and Louise breaking up. Other circumstances that could of led to a break up could have been the availability in the dating market, as well as a change in what a partner needs in a relationship
Introduction A century ago, divorce was nearly non-existent due to the cultural and religious pressures placed upon married couples. Though over time Canadians have generally become more tolerant of what was once considered ‘mortal sin’, marital separation and divorce still remain very taboo topics in society. Political leaders are frowned upon when their marriages’ crumble, religions isolate and shun those who break their martial vows, and people continue to look down on those who proceed to legally separate their households. With that being said, couples do not just decide to get a divorce for no particular reason. There must be something driving them towards marital dissatisfaction and further, driving them towards divorce.
Society considers divorce as a failure and a destruction to a family unit when in reality divorce should be considered normal considering that the majority of families are blended or single parent homes. Barbara Kingsolver, an american novelist and essayist states her thoughts about divorce, blended and broken families in her essay titled “Stone Soup.” She argues that no family is perfect and that all families have problems. She uses examples, statistics and metaphors to persuade her readers of what a true family is. She informs us based on her own life experiences: her values, changes, and choices which ended in her divorce.
For instance, in 2008 there were 147,848 marriages and a staggering 70,266 divorces (Statistics Canada, 2013). Thus, this illustrates that almost half of all marriages end in divorce. There are many reasons that a couple may choose to divorce including but not limited to economic issues, unrealistic expectations, and the weakening societal view of marriage. The implantation of the no-fault divorce grounds in 1968 have resulted in an easily attainable divorce (Riedman et al, 2003). In the film, many characters have been affected by divorce. First, we observe Duncan’s mother, Pam and Trent who have both been divorced in the past. Next, friends of Trent, a couple that also vacations during the summer are evidently heading for divorce as their marriage is filled with infidelity and
DeVault, C., Cohen, T., & Strong, B. (2011). The marriage and family experience: Intimate relationships in a changing society. (11th ed., pgs. 400-426). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth cengage learning.
Masters and Johnson were a pioneering team in the field of human sexuality, both in the domains of research and therapy. William Howell Masters, a gynecologist, was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1915. Virginia Eshelman Johnson, a psychologist, was born in Springfield, Montana in 1925. To fully appreciate their contribution, it is necessary to see their work in historic context. In 1948, Alfred C. Kinsey and his co-workers, responding to a request by female students at Indiana University for more information on human sexual behavior, published the book Sexual Behavior in the Human Male. They followed this five years later with Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. These books began a revolution in social awareness of and public attention given to human sexuality. At the time, public morality severely restricted open discussion of sexuality as a human characteristic, and specific sexual practices, especially sexual behaviors that did not lead to procreation. Kinsey's books, which among other things reported findings on the frequency of various sexual practices including homosexuality, caused a furor. Some people felt that the study of sexual behavior would undermine the family structure and damage American society. It was in this climate - one of incipient efforts to break through the denial of human sexuality and considerable resistance to these efforts - that Masters and Johnson began their work. Their primary contribution has been to help define sexuality as a healthy human trait and the experience of great pleasure and deep intimacy during sex as socially acceptable goals. As a physician interested in the nature of sexuality and the sexual experience, William Masters wanted to conduct research that would lead to an objective understanding of these topics. In 1957, he hired Virgina Johnson as a research assistant to begin this research issue. Together they developed polygraph-like instruments that were designed to measure human sexual response. Using these tools, Masters and Johnson initiated a project that ultimately included direct laboratory observation and measurement of 700 men and women while they were having intercourse or masturbating. Based on the data collected in this study, they co-authored the book Human Sexual Response in 1966. In this book, they identify and describe four phases in the human sexual response cycle : excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution. By this point in time, the generally repressive attitude toward sexuality was beginning to lift and the book found a ready audience.
Divorce is and has become a major issue in our society, the reason for that has been attributed to the drastic increase in divorce rates over the years. Divorce often disrupts the flow of the family structure, increases discord, and affects how family issues are handled. Families dealing with divorce are often times in a state of complete confusion and disorder, and filled with frustration, anger, and pain. Power struggles between spouses, which often times spread to the children if there any increase as the addiction worsens. There is a growing concernment among those in different fields like Social Work, Academia, and Mental Health in the United States, other countries, who have taken an interest in how divorce is readjusting
Marriage is a commitment that seems to be getting harder to keep. The social standards placed on an individual by society and influenced by the media inevitably lead some to consider divorce as a “quick-fix” option. “Have it your way” has become a motto in the United States. It has become a country without any consideration of the psychological effects of marriage and divorce. The overwhelmingly high divorce rate is caused by a lack of moral beliefs and marital expectations.
First of all, America has the highest divorce rate among western nations. Divorce rate increased after every major war, and decreased during the Post-World War II economic boom. The divorce rate has more than doubled since 1940, when there were two divorces for every 1,000 persons. Now for the same number of people, there are over five divorces. Studies indicate that there is more divorce among persons with low incomes and limited education and those who marry at a very young age. Teenage marriages are much more likely to end in divorce than are all other marriages. And women who marry when they are over age 30 are the least likely to become divorced. There has been a decline in divorce in the number of couples who have children under 18. Almost 45 p...
Zimiles, H. (2004). Schismatic studies of divorce: Essay reviews of for better or for worse: Divorce reconsidered by e.m. hetherington and j. kelly and of the unexpected legacy of divorce by j.s. wallerstein, j.m. lewis and s. blakesfee. Human development, 47(4), 239-250.
In the article “An Anthropological Look at Human Sexuality” the authors, Patrick Gray and Linda Wolfe speak about how societies look at human sexuality. The core concept of anthology is the idea of culture, the systems of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors people acquire as a member of society. The authors give an in depth analysis on how human sexuality is looked at in all different situations.
Divorce is not a word many people like to use in casual conversation. It has a derogatory connotation that just leaves a lingering feeling of sadness hanging in the air. Although I grant that there are times when there is nothing left to do but move on in a relationship, I still maintain that a marriage is meant to be for life and it’s not something that should be given up on lightly. “Fifty percent of first marriages, sixty seven percent of second marriages and seventy four of third marriages end in divorce (Baker, 2011.)” That statistic is staggering. Recent studies state that there are three main contributors to the rise in the American divorce rate. They include young age, education, and income. The effects of divorce on children can be detrimental to their development and sense of self, especially during their crucial adolescent years. “Basically, divorce tends to intensify the child’s dependence and it tends to accelerate the adolescent’s independence; it often elicits a more regressive response in the child and more aggressive response in the adolescent (Pickhardt, 2011)” Mr. Pickard acknowledges that children and adolescents respond differently to the ending of a marriage. The three main effects of divorce on adolescents are separation, differentiation, and opposition. Because half of all marriages are likely to end in divorce, parents with adolescents should think clearly before choosing to separate. In order to ensure that they are not placing added stress onto their kids during one of their most hectic stages of life.
Every year approximately 2.4 million marriages occur.Out of those,2.1 millionwill file for divorce in the United States. These marriage and divorce rates have significantly increased since the years past(Coltrane and Adams, 364).According to Schoen, in the 1950’s, 15 out of 1,000 marriages ended in divorce.In the 1970’s, the rates of divorcedoubled,increasing to 40 per 1,000 marriages. Currently, the rate of marriages resulting in divorce remains the same. Most marriages are ending within seven years ofthemarriage for multiple different reasons. Sociologists haveestablisheddivorce as a social problem from the rise in divorcerates due to the early year of marriages (2006).
From birth, one's sexuality is shaped by society. Cultures institute behaviors that are to be seen as the societal norms, which work to constantly reinforce societal expectations of how genders should act in relation to one another. Although some may argue that one's sexuality is an innate characteristic resulting from genetic makeup, there is a large amount of evidence pointing to its social construction instead. Through the power differences between males and females, established gender roles, and drastic economic shifts, society establishes sexuality and reinforces the behaviors that are expected of its citizens.
Divorce is a plague that is destroying numerous families across the United States of America. Sadly, when husbands and wives divorce, the children are often caught directly in the middle. Throughout the years divorce has been becoming more and more common. In the 1920's it was a rare find to know a person whom had been divorced, today it is a rarity not to know of one who has been, or will be divorced. Divorce has numerous effects on the structures of families, and many devastating effects on the children that must experience it, although sometimes necessary, divorce radically changes the lives of adolescents and adults alike.
In today’s society things are being expressed and experienced at younger ages, than ever before in our time. Children and teenagers are discovering their sexuality at very early ages. Sexuality is the discovering of who you are and what makes you different from everybody else.