The Reasons for Changes in the Patterns of Marriage, Cohabitation and Divorce in the last 30 Years
Over the last 30 years there has been a significant change in the
pattern for marriage, co-habitation and divorce. There are many
reasons for these changes that have taken place. For example, since
1971, when a divorce act was introduced, divorce has been more
acceptable in today's society. This has slowly increased the figures
of divorce at a steady rate. A downfall in religion has also
contributed to more people co-habiting before marriage or even instead
of marriage all together. There has also been a change in the average
marriage age due to factors like women striving more for careers
instead of families. The increase of divorce rates and co-habitation
has resulted in the two-parent nuclear family (headed by a married
couple), to steadily decrease as a proportion of all families. This
essay will look at these factors and examine how and why the pattern
of them is changing.
The divorce rate has rapidly increased over the past 30 years. Changes
in the law have added to this increase. Before 30 years ago a
'matrimonial offence' had to be proven and a 'guilty party' had to be
found for a divorce to be accepted. However The Divorce Reform Act
introduced in 1971 meant it was no longer necessary to prove guilt but
simply to show that the marriage was beyond repair. Also in 1984, the
Matrimonial Family Proceedings Act came into effect. This act reduced
the time a couple had to be married from 3 years to 1 year before they
could petition for divorce. These changes in the law have made divorce
a lot easier and have provided greater opport...
... middle of paper ...
...escribe a
positive view of singlehood whereby people choose to remain single as
a lifestyle option. Women striving for careers and leaving marriage
till later in life or not at all is an example of this.
In conclusion I have examined many different reasons for why there is
an increase in divorce and cohabitation and a decline in marriage.
They all intertwine within each other for example, the increase of
divorce rates and co-habitation has resulted in the two-parent nuclear
family (headed by a married couple), to steadily decrease as a
proportion of all families. The changes in attitudes in today's
society have changed the appearance of divorce and cohabitation that
what use to be unacceptable into a 'norm' of today's lifestyle.
Marriage also seems to be far less important to many people than it
was 30 years ago.
Marriage has changed more over the last 30 years than the previous 3,500 years. As
finally the opportune moment for individuals to build a stable family that previous decades of depression, war, and domestic conflicts had restricted. We see that this decade began with a considerable drop in divorce rates and rise in marriage rates, which is often assumed as the result of changed attitudes and values. However, this situation cannot be only just attributed to women’s
Heterosexual cohabitation is essentially one man and one woman, living together who are in a committed relationship. According to recent census data, an estimated four million unmarried heterosexual couples are living together in the United States; a number which has doubled since the 1980's.(Warner1/3) In fact, cohabitation was illegal in all fifty states prior to 1970.(Popenoe "Should") In the year 1965, only ten percent of newlywed couples had lived together before marriage; presently the statistic has risen to fifty percent.(Tolson) The reasons for the new found acceptance of cohabitation are obvious. The sexual revolution, which began in the sixties, played a major role in changing the attitudes towards premarital sex. The media has taken advantage of this revolution and has been a prominent cause in the spread of acceptance towards sexual openness. Presently, it is not unusual for young adults to be sexually active with more than one partner before their first marriage.
Marriage is the legal or formally recognized union of a man and a woman, or two people or the same sex as partners in a relationship. Marriage rates in the United States have changed drastically since the last 90’s and early 2000 years (Cherlin 2004). Marital decline perspective and marital resilience perspective are the two primary perspectives and which we believe are the results from the decline. The marital decline perspective is the view that the American culture has become increasingly individualistic and preoccupied with personal happiness (Amato, 2004). The change in attitudes has changed the meaning of marriage as a whole, from a formal institution
According to Wikipedia – the free encyclopedia[4], “From 2002 to the latest survey data as of 2012,[2] 29% of first marriages among women aged 15–44 were disrupted (ended in separation, divorce or annulment) within 10 years. [3]” This is alarmingly a high rate of marriage failure. After reading the novel by Jordan Sonnenblick, “Notes From the Midnight Driver” [1], I am submitting a research paper on the topic, “Family Divorce” using the situation of the novel as an example.
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...
In her text, she states that cohabitation has become very famous in the United States. Jay also reports that young adults in their twenties see cohabitation as a preventive way to avoid divorce. The perception that she contradicts by pointing out that people who cohabit before marriage are more at risk of divorce because once they are married they become unsatisfied of their marriage, she calls this phenomenon the cohabitation effect. The author also punctuates that the problem of the cohabitation effect is that lovers do not really discuss their personal perception of cohabitation or what it will mean for them. Instead, they slide into cohabitation, get married, and divorce after realizing that they made a mistake. She proves her point by presenting a research which shows that women and men have a different interpretation of cohabitating prior marriage. Furthermore, the author emphasizes her argument by saying that the problem is not starting a cohabiting relationship but leaving that relationship which can be the real issue after all the time and money invested. Finally, Jay indicates that American’s mindset about their romantic relationship is changing and can be illustrated by the fact that more Americans started to see cohabitation as a commitment before
The rate of divorce rose during these times as well. The young generation had stopped living their lives according to traditional society values and had inserted their own sets of desires, goals, and values by which to live instead.
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).
No one expects to divorce when they get married but nearly half of all marriages will end in divorce or separation. Divorce can be costly, with court fees and attorneys. Dr. Doherty, noted marriage scholar and therapist has determined a list of risk factors that are attributed to marital problems and divorce. The first three: Young age, less education and less income are coincidently other topics brushed upon in this paper. Impulsive decisions made by younger people to marry leads to children which leads to financial instability. Once a couple has children, they are unlikely to further their education because of lack of time. Divorce also has a negative effect on
Marriage is a very joyful event in a person’s life. However, unless much can be done in order to redefine the status of what marriage is all about, divorce and other marital problems will continue to arise tremendously. Divorce is tumultuous event in a married couple’s life. It does not only affect the financial status of the household, but rather it also affects the people that comprises the family especially the children. Families are experiencing many problems today, but the role of divorce in this picture has been frequently overlooked because its destructive effects have been subtle, yet insidious. When the divorce rate increased in the 1960s, few would have predicted its dire consequences three decades later. Yet divorce has changed both the structure and the impact of the family. Intimacy, time, effort trust and love is the key to have a peaceful and healthy relationship. Marriage for life is God's ideal, but divorce is a reality in our society.
“You change for two reasons: either you learn enough that you want to, or you’ve been hurt enough that you have to.” While maturing, young adults start searching for other peers to settle down with and marry. Although glamorous to picture, marriage is a commitment two partners make for life. To stick by one another “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health” (Sample Marriage Vows, 2004). Unfortunately, the promise to stay true to one another through everything diminishes. Resulting in what modern day society’s term as divorce. There are many paragons to justify on why individuals consider such deviances from their oaths. This does not mean, however, that every marriage will end in a catastrophe. Matrimony involves learning throughout life on how to work as one. Some couples play by the books and develop a system that agrees with both parties. Differing partners, on the other hand, fail at the teamwork category in their relationship. Therefore, the cause and effects of divorce in the United States of America illustrates different reasons on why and how the term comes about.
From the past to present, people all over the world have determined to live together, which is called “get marriage” in another word, so that they depend on for living each other. Nevertheless, some couples are unable to maintain their relationship; therefore they choose divorce, which is one of the solutions to cope with problems between husband and wife. Furthermore, most people think carefully before they get marriage. However, the divorce rates trend to continually increase nowadays, thus it might be argued that divorces can be taken place easier than the past. There are three main causes of divorce: changing woman’s roles, stress in modern living and lack of communication, which are highlighted below.
United States, having the highest marriage rate, is not surprisingly the leaders in divorce. (NationMaster.com/people/statistics), (Divorcerate.org). One of the leading causes of divorce is unh...