Category: Divorce

Introduction

Singh defines negotiation as the art of creating an agreement on specific issues amongst parties with differing views (39). Negotiations occur at different levels, for instance, in the workplace and at a personal level. However, negotiation constitutes a vital component in achieving optimal performance. Thus, it is essential for entrepreneurs and organisational managers to develop effective negotiation skills. Poor negotiation skills can affect an entitys long-term performance. Business leaders should not perceive negotiation as a matter of common sense. The need to develop negotiation skills arises from the view that most individuals become emotional during business negotiations, hence ignoring the basic instincts and techniques. Such occurrences can lead to negative negotiation outcomes. In an effort to develop adequate information on business negotiation, this paper entails of a video analysis involving a negotiation between Miles and Freddy.

Overview of the negotiation vignette

The video shows two sides on a negotiation table. On one side, Miles Massey is representing Rex in a divorce settlement. On the other side, Freddy Bender is representing Rexs wife, Marylin. The objective of the meeting is to settle the matter of Rexs divorce outside the court. Miles states that his client would want to reconcile with his wife. However, Freddy declines the offer with instructions from Marylin. Miles states that Rex is ready to dissolve the marriage without conditions, but Freddy declines the offer. Miles again notes that Rex would want to request a 30-day cooling off period, but Freddie and his client are not interested. Miles does not give up and he requests Freddy to delay initiating the divorce proceedings, but Marylin breaks into laughter. Miles finally asks Freddy to state his terms and he asks for 50 percent of Rexs wealth. However, Miles is a highly experienced lawyer and he makes fun of it by wondering why Marylin is not asking for 100 or 150 percent. Miles dominates the negotiation process and ultimately he irritates Freddy who storms out of the office without any settlement.

Analysis

Preparing for negotiations

In order to succeed in conducting negotiations, it is important to undertake adequate preparations. Negotiators should take into account a number of aspects during the preparation phase. First, negotiators should think ahead regarding the intended negotiations. Clear objectives regarding the upcoming negotiations should be set. The objectives should be SMART, viz. specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. Developing clear objectives plays a remarkable role in establishing the bottom-line of the discussion.

In the video, it is clear that Freddy has set clear objectives, viz. to get at least 30 percent of Rexs wealth for Marylin. Additionally, it is imperative for the parties to anticipate possible reactions during the negotiation process. These aspects form the basis on which effective workout strategies are developed. All the parties involved in the negotiation process should be involved in the preparation of the negotiations in order to understand their role and responsibilities during the negotiations. Preparing for negotiations leads to the development of an effective roadmap. Subsequently, all the negotiation participants speak the same language. Teams are usually comprised of different team members, for instance, stabilisers, de-stabilisers, and assertive negotiators. In the video, Miles team is comprised of three members, while Freddys team has two individuals.

Despite the diversity within a particular team, it is imperative for the differences amongst the various participants to be managed adequately. A leader to guide the negotiation process should be selected through consensus. This move ensures that all the participants are comfortable with the leader. According to the video, it is clear that each team has selected a negotiator. Marylin has selected Freddy as the negotiator, while Rex has selected Miles.

The negotiators should be prepared to face any outcome of the negotiation process. However, in the video, Freddy is not prepared to accept any outcome amicably. Therefore, when Miles resorts to mind games, Freddy storms out of the office, and thus he does not achieve his objectives.

Getting started in the negotiation

In an effort to succeed in the negotiation process, it is important for a good start to be adopted. One of the aspects that should be considered entails the negotiation environment. Singh asserts that the negotiation environment greatly affects the prevailing level of tension and openness (45). On this note, Miles chooses a very conducive environment, viz. an office where the negotiating teams are seated facing each other. Miles understands the importance of an enabling environment, and thus he avails water and snacks on the table to ease any form of tension that may develop during the process.

Developing a strong rapport is vital in establishing trust during negotiations. Participants in the negotiation process can adopt different approaches in an effort to establish rapport. One of these approaches entails developing mutual attention and involvement, which can be attained by engaging in nonverbal behaviours such as smiling, maintaining eye contact, leaning forward, and gestures (Singh 81). Marylin utilises these gestures during the negotiations. In addition, Miles uses these communication cues when urging his client, Rex, to calm down.

In an effort to develop a strong rapport with the client, Miles recognises the importance of integrating small talk during the negotiation process. Subsequently, he uses a joke by wondering why Freddy and his client are only asking for 50 percent instead of 150 percent of Rexs wealth. Miles knows that Freddy and Marylin cannot win this case even in the court. Singh affirms that using small talk lowers peoples natural defence, hence commencing the process of building relationships (45). Moreover, small talk plays a fundamental role in determining the degree of truthfulness amongst the participants involved in the negotiation process. Engaging in small talk increases the probability with which integrative agreements are reached. The small talk that Miles introduces in the negotiation works to his advantage. Freddy storms out of the office without reaching an agreement, which means he will take the case to full trial in a court of law. Miles wants the case to go to full trial because he knows he will win it. Apparently, Miles has a witness who is ready to testify against Marylin.

Despite the significance of small talk in establishing rapport, it is essential for one to assess the degree to which the other participant involved in the negotiations appreciates informal and informal communication. Singh corroborates that if some of the negotiators do not appreciate informal negotiations, it is essential for one to refrain from speaking too casually because the negotiators might perceive such a move as an indicator of lack of seriousness in the negotiations (45). Miles knows this principle and he uses it to irritate Freddy to a point of abandoning the negotiations.

The negotiation process

Negotiations are aimed at attaining a particular objective. Consequently, the participants involved in the negotiation process tend to move from their ideal position to a settlement point, which is mutually acceptable (Singh 45). The extent to which the settlement point is achieved depends on the negotiators bargaining skills. Consequently, it is essential for negotiators to leverage on their negotiating skills. Thus, the participants must agree to adjust their position, hence making the negotiation process a considerably flexible exercise.

Negotiators must ensure that they adjust towards their ideal point. However, the ideal point is subject to change due to new information that might emerge during the negotiation process. Singh contends that the degree of movement during the negotiation process is limited by the breaking point (47). The breaking point entails the point at which either of the parties prefers breaking off the negotiations as the most appropriate option. The negotiation video illustrates a relatively high degree of inflexibility from the two sides. Miles and Freddy are unwilling to reconsider their offers in a bid to reach a settlement. Miles does not give any monetary offer, while Freddy cannot accept anything less than 30 percent of Rexs wealth.

Offer

Negotiations are characterised by offers, which may arise from either party. Singh asserts that the offer forms the basis of contractual agreement between negotiators (51). In order for negotiations to culminate in an offer, it is essential for the parties involved to outline all the specifics associated with the negotiation. Some of the aspects that should be considered include the offer price, scope of the job, and the expected duration within which the intended task should be delivered among other aspects depending on the nature of the negotiations. Different components such as terms and conditions of the offer should be considered. However, Miles and Freddy fail to reach an agreement.

Closing the deal

The final stage in the negotiation stage entails closing the deal. The effectiveness with which the deal is closed affects the degree of success or failure of the negotiation process. The process of closing the deal should involve eliminating the remaining differences between the negotiators (Singh 52). Unfortunately, Miles and Freddy do not solve their differences, and thus they do not close the deal.

Barriers in the negotiation process

A number of barriers may hamper negotiations, and thus they must be eliminated in order to achieve the desired outcomes. Some of the common barriers evident in the negotiation vignette relate to prejudice. In the video, Miles is acting arrogantly because he is sure of winning the case if it goes to the court. In essence, Miles is not prepared to strike a deal with Freddy. Miles resorts to mind games in a bid to scuttle the negotiation process and he succeeds. On the other side, impatience can hinder negotiations. Freddy is very impatient and he gives up easily without pushing for a settlement.

Conclusion

Negotiations are essential in promoting business performance. Consequently, individuals should not underestimate the importance of developing effective negotiation skills. The outcome of the negotiation process is greatly impacted by the behaviour of the negotiation facilitator. One of the most important aspects that should be considered in enhancing the outcome of the negotiation process includes effective preparation. Clear objectives should be set in order to direct the negotiation process. Moreover, developing a strong rapport with all the participants is fundamental. This goal can be achieved by integrating effective communication and mutual trust between the participants. In addition to the above aspects, it is essential to incorporate a high degree of flexibility during the negotiation process in order to reach the ideal agreement.

Works Cited

Singh, Balraj. Negotiation and counselling; text and cases, New Delhi: Excel Books, 2013. Print.

The poetry of Marie Ponsot can be called lyric and passionate, enriching the soul and teaching people about the simple human values. The poem For a Divorce is a part of her new work Admit Impediment, which is a collection of her verses. The poem produces a very strong impression, with the author letting the reader come into the most intricate corners of her soul and participate in her speculations on why she actually married and what led the happy couple to the divorce. The opening paragraphs of the poem show how the author treats divorce and marriage:

Death is the price for life
Lives change places (Ponsot I, 1-2).

She clearly feels that her marriage was a life of hers, and the death of feelings is the divorce  the end to happiness, to mutual understanding, to being the two parts of the whole. However, the end of the poem indicates that Marie Ponsot is putting up with the reality of a divorce and treats it as something natural, giving life to a new stage of her own life path by the death of the previous one:

Deaths except for amoeba articulate
Life into lives, separate, named, new.
Not all sworn faith dies. Ours did (Ponsot VII, 1-3).

The regrets Marie Ponsot feels about being divorced are felt in the words by which she tries to comprehend her feelings about the loss. It is clearly a loss for Ponsot, and she perceives the divorce as a real endeavor requiring much effort and strength of will from the one enduring it:

How dear now undark appear the simple
Apparently simple wishes of the untried will;
How dark it is here and now suddenly too still (Ponsot II, 1-5).

Ponsot puts a certain portion of blame for the divorce on her ex-husband, seeing that he did not put any effort to save their marriage. It is evident from the description of Ponsots romantic endeavors to make their life in marriage bright, unusual, delicate and interesting. The husband did not support her efforts and did not try to play the roles that Ponsot offered to him:

&Even on my crystal sands even under my fragrant trees you were a pig (Ponsot IV, 5-7).

This quotation shows that the relationships between Ponsot and her husband, no matter how hard she tried, were far from romantic and intricate. It is dreadful for Ponsot to recollect that she was actually for such a state of affairs, and she blames herself in part for the ruinous end of their relationships by saying: I a Circe stupefied who/ could not tell the master from the man (Ponsot IV, 8-9).

She realizes that she was weak and could not influence the distribution of roles, power relationships and let her husband torture her in many ways. There are many descriptions of beasts and monsters in the poem, offering a colorful idea of what Ponsot was trying to compare the agony of their union to: in myths gross beasts must wound; it is their work (Ponsot V, 2-3); a cruel kind of guide or Christ (Ponsot V, 8-9) etc.

Nevertheless, no matter how much bitterness and regret, the romantic fleur of spiritual suffering and pursuit of finding the answer to the question why, there is surely the sentimental warmth about the foregone happiness and closeness Ponsot used to have with her husband.

Despite the fact that fewer individuals decide to divorce these days, separate forms of procedures have not gotten any less muddled. Since my externship law firm dealt with diversity, criminal cases, and divorce cases, it went through many news stories and evaluated many court orders just as state laws to work with a few uncommon separation conditions, grounds, and provisions. Seeing the real-life situations and uniqueness of each case and a client makes me excited and feel youthful curiosity. The most tedious and intriguing cases are likely hostile contrasts. This implies no gathering needs to demonstrate that their accomplice is to be faulted for the breakdown of the relationship. In any case, in numerous states, couples have much more work to do. How simple or troublesome it is to end a marriage relies to a great extent upon where they reside. A few couples will lawfully be compelled to sit tight for quite a long time and acquire a separation schooling authentication before petitioning for legal separation. Then, at that point, there is the way toward arranging who gets what and why.

Regardless of whether individuals set off to end their marriage agreeably, harsh contentions are normal. My job sometimes involved direct contact with clients and frequent phone calls. The outcome is in some cases surprising and surprisingly outrageous components in separate from settlements that make the division of resources, child care, and support installments appear to be easy. Then, at that point, there is the way toward arranging who gets what and why. Regardless of whether individuals set off to end their marriage genially, harsh contentions are normal. The outcome is at times strange and surprisingly outrageous components in separate from settlements that make the division of resources, young authority, and support installments appear to be easy. I recollect from my first classes of CRJ115 Introduction to Law data that the lengths individuals will go to when cash, popularity, and individual sentiments are included can be astounding now and then and that mix of cold consistent administrative methodology with a human passionate premium can be questionable. For example, there were conditions requiring previous mates to never criticize each other, to get treatment, to in a real sense split a loft in two, and even to pay a portion of the exs food expenses for eternity. This is one part of my externship that always makes me engaged.

In todays society, divorce has become the norm. A comprehensive study conducted by the American Bureau of Labor Statistics last year shows that, about 43% of all marriages that occurred between ages 15 and 46 ended in divorce (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013). Similar studies that have been conducted by other organizations and individuals also estimate the divorce rates in America to be between 30% and 40%. Therefore, the overall divorce rate in America is above 30%.

Divorce has several causes that fall into three main categories viz. affective issues, abusive behavior, and external pressure. Affective issues take the form of communication problems and infidelity among others. Abusive behavior, on the other hand, includes physical violence, drug abuse, and verbal violence. Finally, external pressure consists of financial problems, work issues, health issues, and family pressure (Nevid & Rathus, 2013).

Marriage begins to fail when communication dies. At that point, couples tend to stay apart and in so doing, they allow thoughts of divorce to overwhelm them. Infidelity for its part, shatters all the three components of love at once causing the sentimental attachment and trust that existed between partners to wane suddenly (Acker & Davis, 1992). In the long run, divorce becomes an attractive option for both partners (Nevid & Rathus, 2013). Moreover, when one partner suddenly becomes violent towards the other, the love bond between them weakens. Consequently, the future of their marriage becomes shaky. Once the commitment aspect is affected, love begins to grow cold, thus, paving the way for a divorce (Acker & Davis, 1992).

External pressures for their part, cause divorce by attacking the foundation of marriages. Most marriages lack a solid foundation. As a result, they cannot stand the turbulence that is caused by external factors such as financial strains, work-related pressures, and interference from in-laws and other family members (Nevid & Rathus, 2013). These external pressures, lower marital satisfaction and create tension between partners. Consequently, they adversely affect intimacy and passion thereby causing divorce.

References

Acker, M., & Davis, M. (1992). Intimacy, passion and commitment in adult romantic relationships: A test of the triangular theory of love. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 9(1), 21-50.

Nevid, J. S., & Rathus, S. A. (2013). Psychology and the challenges of life: Adjustment and growth (12th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2013). Marriage and divorce: Patterns by gender, race, and educational attainment. Web.

Over time, the family, which is regarded as one of the oldest and most significant social institutions, inevitably has undergone some changes. For instance, for many centuries, it was nearly impossible for people to get a divorce. This situation started to be the other way around by the 19th century when the governments of many countries decided to adopt laws that allowed ordinary people to divorce.

Nowadays, people have the legal right to break up with their husbands and wives, and from the point of law, they have no problem getting a divorce. However, in the modern world, the rate of divorces is incredibly high and continues to increase rapidly. Moreover, there is a wide variety of reasons for getting a divorce, such as a spouses unfaithfulness, constant quarrels, issues related to abuse, lack of spouses attention, and many others. In the present research paper, the causes of the high divorce rate are going to be observed.

What Are the Common Reasons for Getting a Divorce?

As was already mentioned in the introduction, divorces are becoming more and more common in modern society. At this point, various scholars have conducted many types of research, the aim of which was determining the causes of that phenomenon. According to the data presented in Divorce: A Psychological Study by Shelly Day Sclater, more than 25% of couples married in the period between the late 70s and early 80s decided to get a divorce by the end of 1994 (Sclater 6).

Moreover, the scholar singles out the possible causes of divorce: most divorces (54%) granted to women are connected to allegations and irrational behavior, while the reason for most of those (37%) given to men is adultery (Sclater 6). From that evidence, it can be concluded that there is a gender distinction of grounds for divorces since they vary for women and men.

Is It Possible to Count the Frequency of Divorces?

It is beyond argument that the abovementioned study cannot be considered sole possessor of the truth, being that scholars hold to the various views. The second point of view, which is going to be observed in the present research paper, is that of the anthropologist John Arundel Barnes. According to Barnes, it is difficult to pick only one adjective or index to describe the reasons for separation since it is a complex social issue (Barnes 98). In the study, the scholar analyses data about spouses that may have some impact on divorce (for instance, age of spouses at marriage, their religion, number of children they had, and some others) (Barnes 98).

Barnes claims that there is some interrelation between the collected data and divorce frequency; however, the scholar cannot say under what circumstances divorce is more likely to happen because this phenomenon varies from one society to another (Barnes 98). In this essay, the focus of the study is on the frequency of divorce. Nevertheless, the information presented by Barnes helps to understand the dependence between the divorce rate and social factors.

The third study to refer to is a scientific article on demography, Breaking Up Is Hard to Count: The Rise of Divorce in the United States, 1980-2010, written by two scholars Sheela Kennedy and Steven Ruggles. This study presents the data on divorce trends in the US. According to the research results, Kennedy and Ruggles found out that the number of divorces among people over the age of 35 doubled during the past two decades (Kennedy, Ruggles 587).

On the other hand, they claim that younger couples decide to get a divorce much less frequently than older ones (Kennedy, Ruggles 587). In addition to that, scholars make reference to Cherlin, who did not support the idea according to which problems in family life, related to frequent entrance into and dissolution of formal marriages and informal cohabiting unions are the basic feature of American families (Kennedy, Ruggles 598). They believe that their study results represent the growth of the family life turbulence (Kennedy, Ruggles 598). This article can be considered evidence of divorce rate evolution as it provides data on the divorces that took place in the US during the three decades.

Conclusion

All things considered, divorce still remains to be common in modern society. The causes for it can be different, being that of allegations, inappropriate behavior of one of the spouses, lack of attention, issues related to the financial side of family life, adultery, or even some violent incidents. However, it should be mentioned that sometimes reasons for getting a divorce are strongly associated with the gender of the spouse, and some of them are regarded to be purely feminine or masculine. Furthermore, scholars have conducted studies related not only to the causes of divorce but also to their frequency.

While some scholars claim that it is nearly impossible to design a unique formula to calculate the divorce rates in any country since every community differs from the others, other scholars believe that the frequency of divorce can be successfully counted.

Works Cited

Barnes, John Arundel. The Frequency of Divorce. The Craft of Social Anthropology, edited by Arnold Leonard Epstein, Routledge, 2017, pp. 47-100.

Kennedy, Sheela, and Steven Ruggles. Breaking Up Is Hard to Count: The Rise of Divorce in the United States, 19802010. Demography, vol. 51, no. 2, 2014, pp. 587-598.

Sclater, Shelley Day. Divorce: A Psychosocial Study. Routledge, 2017.

Introduction

Divorce is the legally authorized and ultimate termination of a matrimonial bond. There is a range of motives why couples choose the Option of divorce. Psychotherapists mention dilemmas with pairs getting separated, detested and unappreciated emotions, the difference in aims, difficulties with money, and sometimes sexual relationships as the foremost stimulants for divorce. (SIRS Knowledge 1)

Bases of Divorce

Present divorce laws have been formulated mainly from religious imperatives. Such as, in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, divorce rules are based on Christian belief. In these countries, divorce was usually allowed to the innocent spouse only, till around 1900. This was also only on the basis of any matrimonial offense committed by any of the two, such as desertion, adultery, and cruelty. Later in the 1960s people began to adopt a more copious approach to divorce that what so ever may the reason be, there is no point to continue an unsuccessful and marriage.

Divorce Rules in the United States

All states of the United States follow different rules for divorce which are applicable only to the legal residents of the states. States laws present the grounds for divorce i.e., the causes for which the divorce is asked for. Thus on the basis of these reasons divorce is classified into:

• Fault divorce includes reasons like drug addiction, alcoholism, adultery, desertion, mental or corporal torture, imprisonment for criminal acts, and failure to afford financial support.
• No-Fault Divorce is not based on the above reasons but is granted only when spouses prove their relationship as unsuccessful. This type of divorce was first adopted by California in 1969, where divorce is granted on two main grounds:

1. 1. Incompatible differences
   2. Untreatable lunacy of a partner. (Nock 1of 1)

A divorce lawyer, who also writes The Divorce Lawyers Guide to Staying Married, recently gave an interview to AOL Book Maven Bethanne Patrick. In this interview, she has presented nine symptoms of divorce on the basis of her own experience. These are:

1. Sexual relationship
2. Unrealistic expectation
3. Financial matters
4. Communication gap
5. Over control of one spouse
6. Physical addictions and mental challenges
7. Remarriage
8. Differences in goals, hobbies, and interest
9. Lack of commitment. (Jaffe 1-2)

As Phillips comments (ix) divorce has become the general associate of matrimony at the core of the western marriage structure, for divorce, as well has never been so prevalent in the western part of the world as it has become in the current t era . As Phillips suggests, scholars must find out the historic extraction of divorce to understand the ever-increasing frequency of divorce in the USA as compared to the past.

A Brief Historical Backdrop of Divorce

Opposing the conservative perception, the occurrence of divorce in current American society is not totally unparalleled. Anthropologists state rates of parting and remarriage amongst several hunting and gathering civilizations, and in a number of horticultural groupings also, they are as high as in contemporary developed societies.

Divorce has not always been a strenuous process. In the Shoshone Indians culture, a wife who required a divorce would merely put her husbands belongings out of the house. In the Cewa civilization of East Africa, the man obtains his ax, hoe, and sleeping rug when he departs his wifes town and the process of divorce is accomplished. In conventional Japanese society, a specific letter of three and a half lines was all a husband required to divorce his wife. Wives, conversely, had to submit two years long service at an exclusive holy place before getting the divorce. (Coontz 1)

The first on paper divorce set of laws were instituted in the ancient Babylonian, System of Hammurabi. Numerous early cultures allowed only men to obtain a divorce. The early Christians educated that marriage was a perpetual relation until death, and they eradicated divorce in the regions they controlled. They also organized exclusive church courts to manage the marriage affairs.. (Nock 1of 1).

The matrimony and separation institutions of the West are derivative of primeval Hebrew and Roman resources. In Jewish law, a woman didnt hold the privilege to divorce her spouse, but she was entitled to remarry if her husband divorced her. This is evidenced in Deuteronomy that when a man marries a woman if then she obtains no support in his consideration because he has felt some inappropriateness in her; he may give her a written statement of divorce and send her away from his life. But she has the right of remarrying reserved.

Marriage was not a legal procedure in the Roman Empire. A man and woman wishing to be life partners could start living jointly in an undeviating family unit. The only permissible conditions were that the partners must be adults and should live together with the consent of their families. Both the husband and the wife owned their individual properties. Any of them could bring an end to the marriage, the only legal formality was apparent intend to divorce like a written statement or an official letter. (Bohannan 1)

A marriage could be canceled, nevertheless, if any of the precise conditions of canon law for a legitimate marriage had been dishonored and both the spouses A distinct convention existed in England. When Henry VIII broke away from Catholicism the primitive Christian rules of Rome initiated to put marriage and divorce under the power of the law. King Justinian, the founder of the Roman Empire, is said to be the Law-Giver in the 6^th century. He made an effort to put divorce under the Church but could not impose it on account of the public demonstration. According to the Christian church matrimonial bond was unbreakable.

The Canon law was reinforced in Christian countries of Europe, related to marriage and divorce, during the middle ages. Under this law, divorce was not permissible in usual cases. Only in some evident cases of extreme adultery and cruelty, separation, Divorce from bed and board was allowed. Both the spouses could remarry then.

In the 16^th century, when the Protestants including Martin Luther broke away from the Roman church, they assumed a distinctive prospect of marriage. They called it an outer sophisticated thing, dependent on worldly influence, just like clothing and foodstuff, house and field.The Protestants, consequently, allowed divorce on a certain basis, i.e., adultery, cruelty, or desertion.

Church, legislative divorce was established. It could be availed through the parliament instead of any court, requiring a separate act of the House of Lords. Thus, the process of divorce became expensive and inaccessible even for the middle class. This system was sustained till the establishment of the Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes by the parliament in 1857. (Bohannan 1).

Divorce in the United States:

Since 1960 there is a dramatic upward trend in US divorce rates.

Connoisseurs have recommended several motives for this raise:

1. Divorce is more generally tolerable than it was in the past.
2. Numerous people anticipate more of marriage than previous generations so they may be easily disappointed.
3. Better career opportunities are open to women. Thus, women are less financially reliant on their husbands.
4. Amendments in divorce laws have made the divorce process convenient and accessible.

The divorce rate is much elevated in the USA than in any other country. Generally, urban areas have a higher divorce rate than the countryside. The rate also differs among different states and areas, partially because of the difference in divorce laws and court practices. But the rates most likely vary because of the distinct social, economic, ethnic, and religious structure of the population. Usually, people with less professional jobs and with low earnings have a higher divorce rate than people on professional jobs and better earnings. But, the farmers who also belong to the nonprofessional group have the lowest divorce rate. The majority of researches show that dark pairs and pairs comprising of a black and a white have higher divorce rates than white couples.

Among the three main religious classifications in the United States, Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Jews. Roman Catholics hold the lowest divorce rate and Protestants the highest. The Catholic Church sticks to the belief that legitimate marriages cannot be adjourned. Its members are allowed to obtain a civil divorce to resolve matters like child custody or finances. But remarriage is not allowed even after such a divorce; whereas, Judaism and most Protestant groups allow divorce. Various surveys reveal that Christian-Jewish couples and Catholic-Protestant couples possess a higher divorce rate than couples of the same religious conviction. (Nock 2)

Works Cited

Bohannan, Paul.Divorce. Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. 2008. Grolier Online. 2008. Web.

Coontz, Stephanie. The Origins of Modern Divorce. 2007. Web.

Jaffe, Wendy. The Nine Symptoms of Divorce. 2008. Web.

Nock, Steven L. Divorce. 2008. World Book Online Center. Web.

Phillips, Roderick. Untying the Knot: A Brief History of Divorce. Cambridge University Press. 1991.

Sirs Knowledge. Divorce. 2008. Web.

Introduction

According to Kuehn (4), divorce is a legal process that ends a marriage. Divorce can also be described as a period when families fail to overcome the major changes they experience. It is often associated with a disagreement between couples. Many people consider it an inappropriate way of solving problems. However, I completely disagree with the statement if I were to get married, I would never consider divorce to be a viable option for any reason. I think it is right for a couple to divorce if they think they are not compatible with each other.

Role of love in a relationship

I believe that love is the fundamental element of any serious relationship, that is why no one on earth can withstand a loveless relationship. Love makes marriages grow strong. It enables couples to share views and ideas, hence enhancing individual prosperity. On the other hand, the absence of love contributes to the deterioration of many relationships. The absence of love leads to a misunderstanding that results in a lack of communication between partners (Seiden and Billett, Chapter 2).

Evidence also points to the fact that people without affection portray uncouth behavior. For instance, people who do not love each other indulge in occasional quarrels and wars. The absence of love also makes many people avoid discussions of relationships, which affects the ability of partners to solve disagreements. Relationship discussions aid couples in learning the differences between them (Seiden and Billett Chapter 2). Thus, it is crucial for parties that do not love each other to divorce to avoid turmoil in marriage.

Antisocial behavior

It is challenging and unbearable to withstand any antisocial behavior from anyone, including the partners. I also agree with Emery Roberts (42) argument that parental antisocial behavior contributes immensely to divorce. Occasionally, most people marry to have companions with whom they can share personal issues. However, some people tend to avoid socializing with their partners after some periods of marriage. Lack of socialization in a marriage is often associated with the discomfort that makes many married people involved in activities that may result in betrayal and exposure to some diseases.

Some marriage partners are also very secretive of their lives, aspirations, and medical conditions that may affect their union. On most occasions, lovers end up in marriages without informing their partners of their sensitive issues. Confiding in a person reluctant to share anything with his partner is dangerous since, on most occasions, it may make another party get into trouble. Thus, it is crucial for a couple that does not socialize freely to divorce.

Marriage cheating

I doubt if there is any person on this earth that can withstand cheating in marriage (Clarke-Stewart and Brentano 5). Bearing cheating of a partner in a marriage is not accepted worldwide. Cheating in marriage can result in the transmission of deadly diseases such as AIDS among partners. It leads also to the diversion of not only love but also resources as most people that cheat in marriages neglect their family responsibilities. I also believe that most cases of unfaithfulness are caused by emotional affairs. On most occasions, people who lack self-control indulge in affairs that may lead to family problems (Seiden and Billett Chapter 2).

Additionally, some people hurt their partners by expressing love and care for their former spouses. Thus, it is crucial for a person who is cheated on to seek a divorce to avoid heartbreaks and contraction of sexually transmitted diseases.

Effects of emotions

According to what takes place in many societies, it is very difficult to associate freely with emotional people. Emotional people are used to quarreling and disagreeing with everything and everyone in society. They have also a tendency of taking everything, including even jokes, very serious. On most occasions, they cannot differ jokes from personal abuse, and their habit of being too secretive also worries very much. However, most people are unaware of the emotional state of their partners as they marry them and find out about the latter after living with them for some time. Since it is difficult to stay with an emotional person as a wife or husband, it may be better for one to seek a divorce in such a case.

Difference in likes

I also believe it is very difficult for persons with different likes to stay together; the difference in likes between married individuals leads to confrontations and mental tortures. They also make married people not only perform activities differently but also disregard each others opinions. Thus, it may be a way-out for the parties involved to divorce in such a situation to grant themselves and their children an opportunity of advancing in life.

Immaturity

I know it is very difficult for any person to build a family and plan his/her future with an immature person as a spouse. Immature people are often associated with immature actions. In addition to making the wrong decisions, they also indulge in shameful activities. Immature people also love being supervised, which is an activity that is very difficult to implement. Additionally, it is very difficult to come into agreement with immature persons because of their childish decisions and opinions. If a person marries immature individual hope that his/her partner will change, he may be disappointed because, as a rule, his/her spouse may change, but he/she may not like it. Thus, such people should seek a divorce in case they cannot bear the immaturity of the partner.

Drug abuse

It is also evident that none will tolerate having a drug abuser as a wife or a husband. Drug addicts make their families suffer from violence. Additionally, most drug addicts are hard not only to manage but also to share ideas with. Thus, it is crucial for a partner who is exposed to abuses in a family to seek divorce.

Social differences

I believe it is hard for people from different backgrounds to build a family because any family requires a solid foundation, i.e. material basis. That is why people having different social statuses may face the great challenge of accepting the differences in education, views, etc. Additionally, the family members and in-laws from a low stratum tend to be problematic. Thus, the marriage of such people may be broken by the inability to accept social differences and go through economic challenges.

Conclusion

In conclusion, divorce is a societal lawful process that takes place between disagreeing partners in a marriage. These differences are mainly caused by variation in ideas and likes. Loss of love, cheatings, emotions, and immaturity have also been found to trigger divorce. Most people also end up in divorce because of drug abuse and lack of communication as a result of antisocial behavior. The majority of people consider it an inappropriate way of solving marriage problems. However, most of the marriage problems are beyond human ability and owing to the reasons mentioned, I completely disagree with the topic if I were to get married, I would never consider divorce to be a viable option for any reason.

Works Cited

Clarke-Stewart, Alison and Cornelia Brentano. Divorce: Causes and Consequences. New York: Yale University Press, 2007. Print.

Emery, Robert E. Marriage, Divorce, and Childrens Adjustment. New York: SAGE, 1999. Print.

Kuehn, Eileen. Divorce: Finding a Place. Oklahoma City: Capstone, 2001. Print.

Seiden, Othniel, and Jane Bilett. I Got Caught Cheating  How Can I Save My Marriage? New York: Crystal Night Books. 2011. Print.

Want to know about the negative effects of divorce on children? Essay sample below is what you need! Learn here about the causes and bad consequences of divorce on childrens future family life. Whether you need ideas, inspiration, or an example of a conclusion for divorce essay, you will find it here.

Negative Effects of Divorce on Children: Essay Introduction

Divorce is the act of dissolving or terminating a marriage between two people before the death of one partner thus rendering the marriage null and void. Divorce frees one of legal responsibilities and duties that he/she was previously bound to by the union of marriage. It also frees one of marriage with another person. Divorce in the society happens for different reasons depending on the individual cases.

Different authorities that have a legal authority to allow the dissolution of the marriage (Isle, 2012, Para. 4) carry out the process. These authorities might be religious, government arms, or traditional settings depending on the laws of marriage to which the partners subscribed. As the paper reveals, regardless of the reason behind any divorce case, the children of the divorced parents feel a remarkable effect.

The Effect of Divorce on Child: Essay Body

The effects that children have after a divorce may be psychological, social, and or emotional because each divorce case tends to be unique in its own way though divorces can be grouped into different broad categories: at fault divorce, no fault divorce, summary divorce, uncontested divorce, collaborative divorce, and mediated divorce.

Specific reasons that might come under the above broad groups may include unfaithfulness in marriage, lack of commitment in marriage by one or both partners, irreconcilable differences, abusive marriage, distance, and a partner developing interest in getting married to a different person (Amato, 2003, p. 605).

At the end of the day, divorce has its own effects towards the divorcing couples and the people around them especially their families and children.

When a divorce happens to a couple who have children, it stops being an issue concerning two people only. It becomes an issue concerning them and their children because, in society, childrens interest and wellbeing are paramount and hence a responsibility of any person with a legal age.

When a divorce happens between a married couple with children, the interest of the children have to be secured as provided for by the law so that they do not end up suffering as a consequence of the divorce.

Though the wellbeing of children seem secured, in case of a divorce, children tend to be affected in different ways both negatively and positively because it always has psychological effects on them. The extent of the impact of a break up on a kid will at times relate with the age of the kids at the time of the separation.

For instance, though a toddler may not comprehend the issues going on then, they tend to sense it within their parents, as their parents energy levels and mood tend to shift (Douglas, 2005, p.49). This leads to the infants reaction in different ways based on their instincts that may be observed. There might be a change in the sleeping patterns of the baby as well as their eating habits.

The baby might become so fussy with lots of mood swings, which were unusual to the baby before. Regression can also be viewed in the baby with the baby unlearning the skills it had acquired before. Either the baby may become slow in gaining weight, cutting the gained weight, or stagnating. The baby may also be slow in development (Douglas, 2005, p.50).

For the best welfare of the child, the parents should try as much as possible to maintain the previous routine between them and the child so as not to upset the balance in the childs life.

Divorce happening to parents with pre-school children tends to affect the children in such a way that they will always feel it as if it their mistake led to their parents moving apart. This leads to their feeling insecure by always wanting to be around an adult and not wanting to be left alone.

They have the fear that they might be abandoned. They develop a friendly nature. They also tend to become angered by small things, which can be attributed to mood swings. In some instances, kids who had stopped wetting beds will start again (Temke, 2006, p. 2). All these are psychological, and are often due to their searching for the answer as to why daddy no longer lives with mummy.

A divorce occurring when a child is an adolescent or a teen usually leaves him/her with lots of mental torture. The teenagers in this case feel embarrassed at the prospect of belonging to a broken family because societal norms advocate for a complete continuous family. This makes them frustrated and angry thus making them resort to activities that would give them solace.

Some might indulge in drugs while others might indulge actively in sports as a way of ventilating their frustrations to release some pent up energies. Teens tend to be affected a lot because they understand the reasons for their parents divorce. This is worse off because they are so helpless to stop the divorce thus ending up frustrated. Divorce comes with divisions in the family.

At times, they are forced to lay blame on one party whom they believe is the cause of the divorce (Elizabeth, 2006, p. 19). This leads to their division as to which side they should take. At the same time, it also comes with new responsibilities for teenagers who might be forced to cope with the different changes happening in their lives on their own on issues like sexual feelings.

The teenagers might also grow up to dislike the institution of marriage by growing doubts on whether they will ever want to get married or whether they could stay in a marriage. A good example of a divorce victim is the musician Enrique Iglesias who feels that there is no point of getting married because, at some point, the marriage might break up. Enriques dad had so many marriages, which kept on breaking up.

This informed his decision not to get married. In general, divorce might have lifelong effects to children when it happens as they witness it. Children who grow up in a divorced marriage tend to develop manipulative behaviors. This case happens when there is competition between the two parents when one wants the children to see him/her as being better than the other.

They will therefore shower their kids with favors as a way of winning them over. The moment the kids come to discover what their parents are up to, they will start making demands besides playing the parents against each other. At the back of their minds, they have the knowledge that one parent will definitely give them what the other has refused to give.

This might go on into their adult lives thus giving them undesirable characters. Children growing up in a divorced family might not have a lot of respect for the institution of marriage. They would easily walk out of a marriage in the future with the belief that, after all, their parents marriage did not work.

The psychological impact that always afflicts children when they have to attend court sessions to hear out the differences between their parents can be great (Chase, 2010, p.211). This leads to lose of self-esteem in children because they will always be embarrassed by the courtroom drama and the prospect of the news becoming public among their peers.

In many cases, children wish that they were not there to face the situation thus preferring to move away from the area they are staying to a new place where people do not know about their skeletons in the closet.

The children would also ask that they change schools and their complete social setting just to run away from what has happened to their parents. Some children would always wish that their parents got back together. They would do everything in their power to push or convince their parents to come back together.

Conclusion about Divorce

In conclusion, divorce affects children in the family psychologically and in a negative way. It is in very few instances that one would find a child who was not negatively affected even though it was the only thing that would guarantee them peace and survival. There is always that thought in the children that things should have worked out differently.

Therefore, to save the children on the effects of divorce, there is the need for parents to cultivate some good relations by nurturing everything that strengthens their love bond besides involving their children in matters that convince them positively that marriage is the best institution that every person ought to join when time comes.

Reference List

Amato, P. (2003). Peoples Reasons for divorcing. Journal of Family issues, 24(5), 602- 626.

Chase, K. (2010). Dicken and the Rise of Divorce: The Failed Marriage Plot and the Novel Tradition. Victorian Institute Journal, 38(1), 211-214.

Douglas, L. (2005). The Binuclear Family Boom. Library Journal, 130(14), 49-50.

Elizabeth, M. (2006). No Good Divorce. Christian Century, 123(3), 18-23.

Isle, I. (2012). Legal Separation Grounds for Divorce: The Legal Process. Retrieved from http://www.divorceaid.co.uk/legal/process.htm

Temke, M. (2006). The Effect of Divorce On Children, Family & Consumer Resources. Hampshire: University of Hampshire Cooperative Extension.

Introduction

Speaking of the family and the marriage, an extremely important sphere of the human life is considered, and this sphere lives through the profound alterations which occur today. The range of the treatments of proceedings is very wide. Frequently it is necessary to note, that the family, as a society and as a whole, is struck by the system crisis, which blew up the moral bases of human life. This is evinced by abnormal relations to the children and older people, the disturbance of the traditional related connections, an increase in the divorces, number of single mothers and so forth.

Main body

The topicality of the theme of work consists in the fact that although the relations between the people in the marriage are personal and especially individual, at the same time they have social values. In these relations lies the future of the state, which must be of special interest and serve as the object of concern from the side of the state and the society. It is possible to say with confidence that the society and the state are interested in the lessening the divorces and family- marriage relations to be normally developed and improved.

Divorce in any event testifies the destruction of family connections and their lack of strength and therefore objectively cannot be considered as a positive phenomenon. This essay is addressing the couple-family relationships and the issue of divorce in general as a phenomenon in terms of causes, dynamics and influences.

The family  is a unique institution of the cooperation of two people. This uniqueness consists in the fact that this tightest union of several people (husband and wife, then children) which connects their moral obligations. In this union the people attempt to conduct as much as possible time in joint interaction, to provide happiness and pleasure to each other in the process.

The destruction of the stability of the social status, the loss of confidence in the protection and stability of the family peace can negatively affect the adults and the children and sometimes they can lead to the asocial reactions. A comparatively small aid, shown at this moment to the family, which does not have the formal signs of social risk, can help it to preserve stability  otherwise family can pass into the category of unhappy families.

If outlining the crisis periods of family life, the usual stages could consist of the following:

• The first year of conjugal life is characterized by the conflicts of adaptation to each other, when two Is become one We. The evolution of feelings occurs, love in obsessive meanings disappears and the couples appear before each other in a natural manner. It is known that in the first year of the life of family the probability of divorce is great.
• The second crisis period is connected with the advent of children. The still weak system of we undergoes serious testing. However, what is the basis of conflicts during this period?
  • The possibilities for a professional growth of the couple are deteriorated.
  • Less possibilities for the realization of personal activities such as hobbies.
  • The fatigue of wife, related with taking care of the child, can lead to temporary reduction in sexual activity.
  • Possible collisions of opinions of the couple on raising the child problems. Second-order change also occurs with the realignment of relationships with extended family as it opens to include the parenting and grandparenting roles. (Arlene 2002)
• The third crisis period coincides with the average conjugal age, which is characterized by the conflicts of monotony. As a result the multiple repetitions of one and the same impressions by the couples set a feel of repletion of each other. This state could be called the hunger for the feelings, when satiety of the old impressions and hunger for the new starts. In addition if defining the conflict it could be said that it is a a circumstance that can be explained by reliance on observed spouse behavior during problem solving as the primary source of data for understanding marital conflict and by a movement away from the idiographic approach characteristic of early behavioral interventions. (Fincham & Beach, 1999, p. 47)
• The fourth period of conflicts of couple relations can come after many years of joint life. Its appearance frequently coincides with the approximation of the period of involution, the appearance of the feeling of solitude, connected with the withdrawal of children that is amplified by the emotional dependence of wife, and her worries apropos of the possible tendency of the husband to be sexually satisfied outside of the marriage.

Significant influence on the probability of the occurrence of conjugal conflicts could also be caused by external factors: worsening in the material status of many families; excessive busyness of one of the partners (or both) at the work; the impossibility of normal employment of one of the partners; the absence of own residence and other.

The list of the factors of conflicts in the family would be incomplete, if we do not name the macro factors, i.e. the changes, proceeding in the contemporary society, mainly: an increase in the social alienation; orientation on the cult of consumption; the devaluation of the moral values, including the traditional standards of sexual behavior; a change in the traditional position of woman in the family (the opposite positions of this change are the complete economic independence of the woman and the tendency to be a housewife); the crisis state of the economy, finances, and social sphere of the state.

Many recommendations regarding the normalization of conjugal interrelations, warning the overgrowing questionable situations into the conflicts are developed. The majority of them could be analyzed as following:

• Respect yourself, and your other half.
• Remember that he/she is the closest person to you, the father/mother of your children.
• Try not to accumulate mistakes; offence and sins, but immediately react on them. This will exclude the accumulation of negative emotions
• Do not comment each other in the presence of others (children, guests and etc.)
• Do not exaggerate your own abilities and merits; do not consider yourself always in everything right. More greatly entrust and reduce the jealousy to the minimum.
• Be attentive, and know how to listen to and to hear your partner. Do not descend, worry about your physical attractiveness, and work at your weaknesses.
• Never generalize even apparent weaknesses of your partner, conduct conversation only about concrete behavior in the concrete situation.
• Act with enthusiasm and respect toward your partners hobbies and interests. In family life it is sometimes better not to know truth than establishing it at any cost. Try to find time in order to at least sometimes rest from each other. This will help to remove emotional- psychological repletion by conversations.

Divorce, i.e. the legally stated disintegration of marriage, is the antithesis of marriage, and could be described as its shady side. Sociological case study of divorce (sociology of divorce)  is to certain degree is the case study of marriage itself, and in essence its negative sides. So that this analysis would be successful, it is necessary to have a correct idea about social nature of that phenomenon, which should be analyzed.

Conflicts in the family can create the psychologically traumatic situation for the husbands, their children, and parents, as a result of which they acquire a number of negative properties of personality. In the conflicting family many the negative experience of contact is attached as well as, the loss the faith in the possibility of existence of friendly and tender interrelations between the people, and negative emotions are accumulated, in such a way that psycho-injuries appear. Psycho-injuries are more frequently manifested in the form the experiences, which in view of manifestation, duration or repetition strongly affect the personality. If analyzing thoroughly this radical method of solving conjugal conflicts, i.e. the divorce, it could be mentioned that it is preceded by a process, which consists of three stages:

1. The emotional divorce, which is expressed in the alienation, the indifference of husbands to each other, loss of confidence and love;
2. The physical divorce, which leads to the separation;
3. The juridical divorce, which requires the legal formulation of the curtailment of marriage.

Divorce brings deliverance from the hostility, fraud, lies and other things that makes the life intolerable. The divorce as a phenomenon has achieved wider spread in the society today Most people know that half of Americas new marriages are likely to end in divorce, a fact recently confirmed by the U.S. Census Bureau (Mcmanus & Mcmanus, 2003) Certainly, it has negative consequences. They are different for the participants of the divorce, the children and the society. The most vulnerable to the divorce usually are women who remain with children. The negative consequences of divorce for the children are much more significant in comparison with the consequences for the husbands. The child could lose one parent, since in many instances the child stays with the mother.

Frequently, especially women, fear the need to be economically independent, because they feel dependency and they do not know, how they will manage their life. Men usually fear to completely lose contact with their children.

In many cases the effects of the divorce could be observed from many aspects although mainly negative, some positive factors could be found.

If addressing the positive effects of the divorce, it should be kept in mind that these effects are mainly established on the opinion of selecting the option that leads to less negative results. This principle is more perceptible in the case when the family has children; because it has been proved that a conflict-ridden intact home is more detrimental to all family members than a stable home in which parents are divorced. Naturally, this is because the continued conflict drains the energy needed for a childs development, causing difficulties in learning, socializing or other areas of growth.(Peterson 2008)

In case the family has no children, this result in analogy can be paralleled without question, as it is better to peacefully separate and try to search for happiness elsewhere than to keep a family-like image and live in a delusion. Of course these statements works better when all other options and solutions have been tried and reached and this is usually true for people that are younger, educated, and were in temporary marriages.

If speaking about the negative effects of the divorce, it should be noted that the previously stated positive effects should be mentioned separately and not related to each other. Due to the variety of the negative effects of the divorce, only the main aspects should be mentioned.

The main and mostly the apparent effect of the divorce is the emotional aspect, as it is revealed that the problems in the family ends with a divorce and negative feelings related to the failing marriage and the divorce have subsided to a point where they no longer determine behavior and where the divorcee seizes the change for personal growth. (Guttmann, 1993, p. 55)

Conclusion

The financial factor is an additional argument on the negative sides of the divorce, and this case is particularly correct for women, as the study acknowledged a 30 percent drop, as compared to a 10 percent to 15 percent increase for divorced men. (Galston, 1996) Other aspects could include health and social effects of the divorce, however the main issue considering the divorce will stay the effect that it has on children.

Some of the effects the divorce on children could be considered the increased likelihood of being victims of abuse, bad relations with the parents, loss of desire to have children in the future, and behavioral problems. The majority of these problems follow the children in the future, as the researches are showing that the effects of divorce continue into adulthood and affect the next generation of children as well. (Fagan & Rector, 2000)

Works Cited

Arlene F. Harder, MA, MFT (2002). Stages of the Family Life Cycle. Web.

(2000). Assessing Family Crisis. Web.

Fincham, F. D., & Beach, S. R. (1999). CONFLICT IN MARRIAGE: Implications for Working with Couples. 47.

Mcmanus, M., & Mcmanus, H. (2003). How to Create an America That Saves Marriages. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 31(3).

Witte, J. (2002). The Meanings of Marriage. First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life 30+.

Fagan, P. F., & Rector, R. (2000). The Effects of Divorce on America. World and I, 15.

Galston, W. A. (1996). Divorce American Style. Public Interest 12+.

Guttmann, J. (1993). Divorce in Psychosocial Perspective: Theory and Research. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Peterson, G. (2008). Is divorce always damaging to the kids? IVillage. Web.

Gottman, J. M. (1994). What Predicts Divorce?: The Relationship between Marital Processes and Marital Outcomes. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Hetherington, E. M. (2002). Marriage and Divorce American Style: A Destructive Marriage Is Not a Happy Family. The American Prospect, 13, 62+.

(2008). U.S. Divorce Statistics.: Divorce Magazine. Web.

There seems to be a school of thought existing which believes that people who marry young will always end up divorced. The reasons for the failure of the marriage is supposed to stem from the immaturity of the parties involved and the ill preparedness of the couple to deal with the changes that married life brings to one another. It actually seems like our society conditions these marriages to fail because the people who are supposed to be supportive and encouraging are the very people who say it is destined to fail. Luckily, there are some young people who enter into a marriage and find that it lasts them a lifetime. So what is their formula? According to Mark Regnerus of the Washington Post, there are actually 3 reasons as to why a couple marrying young could find that their marriage works over time. He outlined these reasons in his article Say Yes, What Are You Waiting For?. He indicated that the misconception as to what defines an early marriage, the age, mental maturity, and sexual difference between men and women, as well as the age factor are the real reasons that a young marriage works even though there are those who believe otherwise.

According to Mr. Regnerus, people have a preconceived notion of what an early marriage is. Unfortunately, people believe that an early marriage is limited to teenagers getting married. Those are the ones that usually end up in divorce. But that is not the be all and end all of the definition of an early marriage. In reality, early marriage is entered into by people who are in their early 20s. It is this age bracket of married couples that usually live themselves engaged in a lifetime relationship.

If we were to also pay attention to the gender differences of people who marry early, we would find that women mentally mature much earlier than men. This means that they are more capable of understanding the demands of marriage and are more understanding of their spouses shortcomings. To quote the data from the National Survey Of Family Growth that was included in the same article:

&women who marry at 18 have a better shot at making a marriage work than men who marry at 21.

Being the more mature member engaged in the relationship, women are able to see reason and find middle ground with their husbands a lot easier than the males. This is one reason why young marriages tend to last longer. The spouses find that they are still young enough to adjust to each others likes and dislikes before it becomes a real threat to the marriage.

Finally, we have to understand that the age at which a man or woman marries does not have any direct bearing on the strength and longevity of the union. What really makes the marriage work and last longer than most people expect is the fact that the couples are willing to engage in the hard work that will make the marriage last. These are the young people who prove a maturity far beyond their years. They are master negotiators, part psycho-analyst, and most of the time, best friends. Indeed young marriages tend to last longer when the spouses realize early on that they are not only engaged in a marriage but in a relationship with their best friend. Once a connection like that is made during oneself youth, it is not easy to let go. Instead, it serves as the reason for the marriage to last longer than the bets that were placed upon when the divorce would be on the day that the couple got married.

These are the reasons why young marriages do not necessarily end up in divorce over time. The fact that the people marry when they are still young enough to make compromises and talk to each other spells the difference between divorce and the golden wedding anniversary. Familiarity in this case, does not breed contempt but rather, fosters love, care, and understanding between spouses.

References

Regnerus, Mark.(2009) Say yes, what are you waiting for? The Washington Post.