Divorce Introduction to Family Studies

Divorce How has the divorce rate changed over time? How is the divorce rate measured? Who is more likely to divorce? What are the social and economic explanations for higher divorce rates? What is the effect of divorce on adults and children?

Measuring Divorce Crude divorce rate – the number of divorces per 1000 in the population. Why is this a poor measure of divorce? Crude divorce rate is a faulty measure because it includes members of the population not at risk Refined divorce rate – best measure; the number of divorces per 1000 married women over age 15

Measuring Divorce Divorce Rates Between 1960 and 1979, the refined divorce rate rose from 9.2 to 22.8 From 1979 to 1996, the rate dropped from 22.8 to 19.5 In 1997 the refined divorce rate was 19.8

Refined Divorce Rate per 1,000 Marriages Shaded areas indicate unreliable data collection periods United States,

Divorce Rate Based on ACS (All States Reporting) Kennedy & Ruggles, 2014

The fine print, always read the details!

The “take home point” is the divorce rate has been increasing over the past 5 years and And new data analysis shows the divorce is higher than previous stats had shown The Divorce rate is going up

Measuring divorce Women marrying today have about a 50 percent chance of divorcing – but that is if trends remain the same 50 percent of first marriages will EVENTUALLY end in divorce – but remember that is over the lifetime of a marriage! Divorce could occur in the 2 nd year of marriage or the 10 th year.

Measuring divorce What is the divorce rate?  In a given year your risk of divorce is much lower than 50 percent!  We use the refined divorce rate : the rate of divorces per 1,000 married women age 15 and older per year  For example, in 2011 about 16 out of 1,000 married women got divorced  In other words, 1.6 percent received a divorce in 2011 Source: Source:

Measuring divorce For those in their first marriage, who did divorce… They were married, on average, 8 years Source:

2011 Data on Marriage and Divorce Rate

Geography of Divorce The divorce rate varies by state Which state(s) do you think have a higher divorce rate and why? Nevada…easy divorce laws Which state(s) have lower divorce rates and why? Massachusetts – may have to do with stricter alimony laws or high percentage of Catholics Source:

“I’m surprised I’m still single, I thought I’d be divorced by now”

How is divorce related to social, demographic, or economic changes? Social norm change: As more people divorce  Response: The stigma associated with divorce lessens Economic change: Increase in women working for pay  Response: Women can afford to leave unhappy marriages Demographic change: Increased incidence of divorce  Response: More children will grow up in single-parent families

Why did the divorce rate increase from 1960s – 1980s? No one can say for sure what explanation is more important. Some argue that the introduction of no-fault divorce laws are responsible for the rise in divorces. No-fault divorce laws made it easier to seek a divorce No fault divorce – distribution of marital property is no longer based on fault Instead distribution is equitable – each person gets an equal share

Why did the divorce rate increase from 1960s – 1980s? 1) Attitudes towards divorce have changed as divorce has become more common – i.e. the stigma attached to divorce has lessened 2) More young married women in the labor force Now that wives can support themselves – as they are more likely to be employed - they have an alternative staying in an unhappy marriage In sum – today - not necessarily more unhappy marriages… Now it is easier to leave an unhappy marriage

Individual characteristics associated with divorce Age People who marry as teenagers are more likely to divorce than those who marry at older ages Why? You will likely still be developing and changing in major ways when you are a teen AND Many teen marriages result from an unintended pregnancy – not a good basis for a marriage HOWEVER new research shows that marrying after age 35 is linked to higher rate of divorce

Individual characteristics associated with divorce Education level Those with lower level of education are more likely to divorce than those with higher levels of education IQ Higher IQ may indicate greater problem solving ability, which may help couples work through issues that arise in their marriage

Individual characteristics associated with divorce Race & Ethnicity Regardless of educational level, African-Americans have higher rates of divorce than whites

Likelihood of Staying in First Marriage by Race/Ethnicity

Predicting Divorce Divorce is a process Often, there are signs of trouble long before the divorce People report trouble long before they actually decide to divorce

Children & Divorce The most talked about consequence of divorce is the effect it has on children. Given the rates of divorce in the late 1970s and early 1980s, about two-fifths of all children will have experienced a marital disruption by age 16.

Children & Divorce A major problem is that many women and children do not receive child support, even when it is court ordered 2/3 of families with no father present who were supposed to receive child support, actually do receive support Only 48 percent of families actually receive any support

Child Support Data, 2007

Children & Divorce Most mothers still retain custody of children after a divorce Custody involves decisions about who will have responsibility for the children? where will the children live? Legal custody refers to having the right to make important decisions about the child’s life Physical custody refers to where children actually live The Squid and the Whale – movie about a family going through a divorce

Children & Divorce Most mothers still retain custody of children after a divorce Joint custody is becoming more common Joint legal custody – based on the idea that parent’s responsibilities towards their children have not changed Joint physical custody - children spend at least 33% of their time with each parent

Children & Divorce Joint physical custody is growing Children spend substantial time in the household of each parent – but in reality mothers still have custody more of the time

Children & Divorce Father involvement Why do fathers fade from children’s lives after divorce? Visits to children are painful reminder of failed marriage Fathers investing in new family if they remarry Cherlin speculates that fathers related only indirectly to children through wife

Children & Divorce Rather than practicing coparenting after a divorce, most families practice parallel parenting: after several years – parents go about parenting separately Father only families are growing rapidly From 1980 to 1998 – the number of father-headed families tripled 19 percent of single-parent families are headed by fathers 4 percent of all children live in single-father families

Divorce Summary Divorce has increased steadily from the 1960s to the 1980’s The biggest increases were during the 1960s-1970’s Divorce rate has leveled off and has begun to decline in the past few years

Divorce Summary Most mothers retain custody of children after a divorce Many fathers don’t pay court-ordered child support Father involvement with children may fade after a divorce