The Rise in Divorce Rate

928 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Why have divorce rates changed

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 reasons have caused the divorce rate to be seemingly high and projected the increased trend in divorces.

Marriage has long been a sacrosanct tradition only broken in the times of utmost desperation. However, now and days people seem to disregard or just simply ignore the vows that are made during matrimony. In the United States, divorce rates are well above many other developed nations due to the fact that our current lifestyle and living habits have made divorce seem like a natural and everyday occurrence. Children whose parents have a divorce are four times more likely to get a divorce themselves, and with the growing population of children who have divorced parents, it is no surprise that the trend in divorce rate is increasing. With these trying times, people do not get married for the right reasons. Rather than getting married over love and courtship, there is an increase of people who get married for

unplanned pregnancies or just sheer desperation. Accordi...

... middle of paper ...

... too easily shattered with the soonest sign of trouble or some mishap that can be fixed with a modicum amount of effort. There are those who also get married for the wrong reasons, either from an unplanned pregnancy or an arranged marriage. Also, the status of women has changed in the past century, giving them more freedom and will to get a divorce and live independently. Finally, divorce laws have made it especially convenient for people to more easily and readily get a divorce. It is with these three factors that the divorce rate has been steadily increasing and will not go down anytime soon.

Works Cited
Henshaw, Stanley. “Unintended Pregnancy In the United States.” Family Planning Perspectives 30.1 (1998): 24-46. Web. 7 Mar 2010.

Pollitt, Katha. "Working Women: Strength in Numbers." Nation 289.16 (2009): 10. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 7 Mar. 2010.

Show More
Related

  • Overview of Divorce in Canada

    1355 Words  | 3 Pages

    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 tolerate 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.

    Read More

  • The Role of Divorce Support Groups for Black Christians

    2113 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the 21st century, divorce has become commonplace not only in the United States, but in many parts of the world. Franklin and Boddie (2004) reported that within 10 years about 40-50% of American marriages end in divorce. In 2009, the divorce rate in the United States stood at 3.6 per 1,000 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). Divorce, however, is not only a social issue, but it has serious health implications. Divorce has been researched extensively and is considered an adverse event (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). Adverse events such as personal or parental divorce has been linked to many ailments and conditions including substance abuse, depression, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and premature mortality (Sbarra, Law, & Portley, 2011; CDC, 2009).

    Read More

  • Yellow Wallpaper: Beyond The Wall

    1031 Words  | 3 Pages

    Oakley, Ann. “Beyond The Yellow Wallpaper.” Reproductive Health Matters 5.10 (1997): 29-39. JSTOR. Web. 7 April 2011.

    Read More

  • The Negative Effects of Divorce Rates in United States

    1235 Words  | 3 Pages

    ​In the U.S., is it common that we see many married people end their relationship with a divorce and most of them are young people. The divorce rates still at a high rate that in the Unites States statistics show, one out of two marriages end in divorce. The current divorce rate may be decreasing however at the same time many people are not getting married so therefore the divorce rates remains low. When people get married and divorce so easily it causes many not to take marriage as something serious.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Marital Decline And Marital Resilience Perspective

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Sociological Imagination: The Issue Of Divorce In America

    840 Words  | 2 Pages

    Divorce is prevalent in many parts of the developed world, it has been estimated that roughly 50% of marriages in America up until the 1980’s ended in divorce (Rutter). Divorce is arguably a personal hardship for both partners and their children, in that the stress of the divorce places both men and women at varying risks of psychological and physical health problems (Hetherington, Stanley-Hagan and Anderson 1989). However, using C. Wright mills’ definition of the “Sociological Imagination” we begin to view divorce as not just a personal problem of a particular man or woman, but as a societal concern that affects a wider category of people at a personal level. Therefore this essay will examine the societal structures which contribute to divorce

    Read More

  • The High Divorce Rate in the United States

    1036 Words  | 3 Pages

    Divorce can be caused by problems such as drugs, adultery, abuse, and money. The United States is a fast-paced country with little to no time to spend on the basic family values it was founded upon. Jobs are more demanding, kids are spending most of their time with people other than their parents, and the economy drains marriages by causing worry and stress. The foundation upon which marriage was built has been shaken.

    Read More

  • American Society on the CHange during the Post- World War Years

    889 Words  | 2 Pages

    American society today is different from our grandparents’ generation. The rising divorce rates, population growth in the suburbs, and the lives of women and mothers working outside the home marked the tremendous social changes in American society today. First of all, America has the highest divorce rate among western nations. Divorce rates 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 people.

    Read More

  • The Negative Effects Of Divorce On The Family

    1671 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many Americans would be shock to learn that “in America, there is one divorce approximately every 36 seconds. That’s nearly 2,400 divorces per day, 16,800 divorces per week and 876000 divorces a year” (32 Shocking). Divorce causes many negative effects and has become too accepted in society. Children and parents are affected physically through the divorce process. There are psychological effects for the members of the family that are involved. The negative impacts on the family’s future life should be taken into consideration.

    Read More

  • Sociological Analysis of Divorce

    1157 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sociological Analysis of Divorce as a Social Problem and Proposed Solutions 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.

    Read More

  • Divorce - From Heaven to Hell

    882 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to recent statistics, there are more divorces now than ever before. At the rate things are going, the divorce rate may soon surpass the marriage rate. There are many reasons for such a high divorce rate, but one of the main ones is that people do not realize what they are getting themselves into when they marry. Couples do not realize that marriage is a job that must be worked at continuously in order for it to go well. Because many couples marry for the wrong reasons, a breakdown in communication results, which leads to a couple's growing apart. This process, all too often, ends in divorce.

    Read More

  • Financial Issues In A Raisin In The Sun

    1531 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Evolution of the Typical American Family

    1382 Words  | 3 Pages

    One tough thing about today's American family is divorce. In 1816, one marriage out of one hundred ended in divorce. Then between the years 1869-1888, divorce increased up to one hundred and fifty percent. And the worse, between the years 1960-1980, the divorce rate increased up to two hundred and fifty percent. Divorce rates peaked in 1981 and then started to decline a little during the mid 1980's. However, divorce rates now are as high as they have ever been. Now fifty percent of all marriages end in divorce. There are five reasons for the increase in divorce. The first reason is in modern societies; individual happiness is regarded to be important so when people are unhappy with their marriage, they break-up and split. The second reason is it is easier to get divorced financially. The third reason is that women's economic independence has contributed. The fourth reason is the stigma of divorce has lessened so people are not

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Divorce

    1129 Words  | 3 Pages

    Approximately, in America there is one divorce every 36 seconds. That 's nearly 2,400 divorces per day, 16,800 divorces per week and 876,000 divorces a year. The average length of a marriage that ends in divorce is eight years (http://www.mckinleyirvin.com/Family-Law-Blog/2012/October/32-Shocking-Divorce-Statistics.aspx). J. Carl Laney accounts in The Divorce Myth, “Bureau reports that in 1920 there was one divorce for every seven marriages, in 1940 one divorce for every six marriages, in 1960 one divorce for every four marriages, and in 1977 one divorce for every two marriages. There were 1,130,000 divorces in 1978, an increase of 39,000 over 1977; provisional figures for 1979 show a gain of another 40,000 divorces…The divorce rate in the United States has continued to climb and nearly doubled between 1967 and 1977. If the present rate continues, there will soon be one divorce for every marriage.” (Laney, 12) While considering the drastic statistics of divorce, it is safe to say that North American society has a positive attitude about divorce. Many people see it as a fresh start- a chance to start over. Society sees divorce as a wonderful opportunity to experience new things, meet new people, and fall in love all over

    Read More

  • Cause and Effect Essay – The Causes of Divorce

    901 Words  | 2 Pages

    Another cause to confirm the recent increase in divorce rates is stress in modern living. Many people, who live in globalisation, have considerable pressures to earn money. It can be obviously seen that the stress has occurred since they are children. For instance, in Thailand, students generally want to go to famous school so that they take advantage to go to well-known universities. Studying in celebrated universities mostly causes having a good opportunity to find a job or earn a lot of money. This circumstance not only happens in Thailand, but also occurs in many countries. Some people are laid off from their companies; consequently the stress occurs in their family, which leads to divorce. Some families can earn money, but inadequate for covering their expenses, therefore it is easy to think about divorce. Nevertheless, the rates of unemployment trend to continually increase as a result the divorce rates can also rise.

    Read More

More about The Rise in Divorce Rate

Open Document