Divorce Family Sociology Professor Connie Gager

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

Annual Divorce Rate per 1,000 Marriages United States,

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!  We use the refined divorce rate: the rate of divorces per 1,000 married women per year  For example, in 2001 about 20 out of 1,000 married women got divorced  In other words, 2 percent received a divorce in 2001

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

Why has Divorce Increased? Societal changes: 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

Why has Divorce Increased? Societal Changes 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 William Goode argues that the possibility that a wife can support herself suggests that wives in unhappy marriages now had an alternative to her existing 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

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

Percentage of first marriages that end in divorce or separation within 10 years, for women, by year of marriage and education

Divorce Notice on the chart that individuals who did NOT graduate from high school are the MOST likely to divorce. Individuals with a college degree are the LEST likely to divorce Why might this be? More education may indicate that you have learned to communicate, have more experiences or make better choices?

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

Predicting Divorce Divorce is a process Often, there are signs of trouble long before the divorce Does an unequal division of housework lead to divorce? Does the amount of time couples spend together influence divorce? How about couple’s own perceptions that their marriage is in trouble?

Divorce Source: National Survey of Families and Households, 1987

What predicts divorce? What individual or family characteristics can tell us who will divorce? – s-and-stories/ /unhappy-marriage-signs-youll- get-divorced/ s-and-stories/ /unhappy-marriage-signs-youll- get-divorced/

Divorce –Economic consequences for women –Decline in standard of living

Economic Effects of Divorce Numerous other studies using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) data find: Women’s experience a 30 percent economic decline following divorce Men’s experience a percent increase in standard of living

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 44 percent of families actually receive any support Among those who did receive support – the average amount was $341 per month

Child Support Pyramid

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

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

Effects of divorce on children Many studies have considered the effect of divorce on children’s scholastic achievement, conduct, psychological adjustment, self esteem, social skills, and relationships with parents But many consequences are difficult to measure

Effects of divorce on children Short-term effects –1-2 year crisis period –Children’s lives may be disrupted due to sale of family home –Decline in financial status due to high chance that mom supporting family – possibly without child support, possibly having to reenter the job market

Effects of divorce on children Long-term effects Many studies find that children from divorced families experience lower levels of well- being across some of these areas than do children from intact families However, there are many inconsistencies in these studies Many studies don’t find significant differences between kids in divorced and intact families

Effects of divorce on children Long-term effects of divorce on children Researchers reviewed the literature from 1970 to 1980 find overwhelming evidence that after the initial trauma of divorce, children are as emotionally well-adjusted as children from intact families.

Effects of divorce on children Long-term effects of divorce on children Long-term studies show that after controlling for socioeconomic status, adolescents who have experienced a divorce have only slightly lower levels of adult adjustment. (Adjustment is measured in several ways: self- control, leadership, responsibility, independence, achievement, aggressiveness and gender-role orientation)

Effects of divorce on children Long-term effects of divorce on children Studies based on national samples (National Survey of Children) suggest some long-term effects of divorce on kids, but they are in the minority For example, Peterson and Zill find that 34 percent of parents who had divorced or separated reported that their kids had a problem at school However only 20 percent from intact families reported school problems.

Effects of divorce on children Long-term effects Is this a big difference? We can look at these results in two ways: 1) Children from divorced or separated families are twice as likely to have problems as kids from intact families, BUT –We don’t know if they would have still had problems had their parents not separated 2) 66 percent of kids from divorced families did not have behavioral problems at school, we can conclude that most kids from divorced families don’t have behavioral problems

Effects of divorce on children Long-term effects NCS data also shows that children from families in which the parents fought continuously were doing no better and often worse than children of divorce. Thus, researchers suggest that children function better in a single- parent family than in a conflict ridden intact family.

Effects of divorce on children Long-term effects  My new research shows:  kids from high conflict parents who later separate, are less likely to have conflict in their adult relationships  compared to kids of high conflict parents who stayed together

Effects of divorce on children Long-term effects Other researchers, who collected data on families prior to divorce, found: –Many of the problems that associated with children of divorced families were evident before the actual decision to divorce Thus, researchers argue that conflict between parents is a fundamental factor that harms children’s development and produces behavioral problems

Effects of divorce on children Long-term effects In sum, conflict in families may be the cause of children’s problems, not the actual decision to divorce.

Divorce Summary Divorce has increased steadily over the 20 th century The biggest increases occurred during the 1970’s Divorce rate leveled off since 1990 and in the middle 2000s declined slightly Recent recession may act as a barrier to divorce as couple cannot afford to divorce

Divorce Summary Divorce has a greater adverse economic effect on women than men Short-term effects of divorce on children – last 1-2 years Long-term effects are still debated – more research and better data is needed Conflict is the source of negative outcomes for kids – not just divorce