“Going through the big ‘D’ and don’t mean Dallas…..” Divorce Chapter 16 Pages 465-469

Problems with measuring divorce Media reports that the divorce rate is 50% and higher This in actuality is NOT true! Each year about ½ as many as divorces are granted as marriages Number of divorces and number of marriages within a given year should not be compared. One set of statistics has nothing to do with the other

Divorce predictions (cont) Why does the media say then that the divorce rate is 50%? Many marriages occurred after WWII and many of the baby boomer’s parents divorced later Dramatic increase in divorces between 1960-1980 Since peaking around 1985, divorce rates have leveled off and actually declined Remember though, fewer people are getting married so that affects the divorce rate.

Divorce predictions Of industrialized nations, the United States may have highest divorce rate depending on which source you believe. European countries (2012) US has 2.8 per 1,000 people (2012) Overall in Europe 1.8 per 1,000 people Things to consider: age at marriage, education level, socio-economic status, number of children

Causes/Effects of Divorce Individual Factors Age: Married young, more likely to divorce Minimal years of marriage: The more years married the less likely to divorce More children, the more likely to divorce May be due to financial strain Co-habitation before marriage no longer increases the likely hood of divorce Recently changed statistic Higher the education, less likely to divorce Divorce divide Respect and flexibility are key factors

Causes/Effects of Divorce (cont) Societal Factors Divorce rates rise during economic prosperity Society’s stigma of divorce is not quite as severe today as in past years Increasing financial independence of women American values and attitudes about marriage and divorce are changing

Children of Divorce Each year over 1 million children learn their parents are getting a divorce Many have a hard time accepting the break and become confused and insecure causing other problems Children of divorced parents have more nightmares, don’t do as well in school, are more anxious and depressed Studies have found that children whose parents do divorce are better emotionally than those children who constantly live with conflict High conflict vs low conflict marriages

Children of Divorce (cont) What helps children to adjust to divorce? Both parents show understanding Child lives with the parent making a good adjustment to the new situation Family routines are consistent The family has adequate money to meet basic needs The child lives with the same sex parent (debatable study/results)

Children of Divorce (cont) Children of divorce are affected into adulthood Less contact with either mother and/or father More likely to divorce themselves

Fathering? Serial Fatherhood: a father maintaining high contact with his own children, establishes a new relationship, starts to father her children and reduces contact with own children. Only 1/6 of children who live away from their father see him every week Most divorced fathers stop seeing their children altogether

Ex-Spouses Women are more likely to feel that divorce is giving them a “new chance” In the past, divorce would usually create difficulty for women Women’s standard of living drops Men’s standard of living increases This is changing!!!!

Re-marriage Creates a new family situation that may or may not be awkward Today, people are waiting longer to re-marry For women: 1960=2 years, today=5 years Most divorced people marry other divorced people Chance of divorcing again dramatically increases with each additional marriage 3rd marriage: have above a 70% chance of divorcing Men are more likely to re-marry than women No adequate norms for re-marriage Those who bring children into a re-marriage are more likely to divorce again More studies need to be done on the effects of re-marriage