The rise of industrialization has brought a shift from extended family towards nuclear family due to the changing needs of the family, which were to be able to move freely around to places where there were employment opportunities (functionalism approach). (Waugh et al,2008).
Moreover, the events that occurred in the 20th century like world war II (1940) with the shortage of men in workplaces, the growing number of office jobs in 1920, and the Great Depression in 1930 have contributed to the entrance of women into the workforce, hence changing the marital division of labor.
Although the American Society equates marriage to monogamy, around 78% of other cultures have accepted polygamy which means being married to more than one person, with polygyny (a man married to more than one woman at the time) being the dominant one. In the United States, bigamy which consists of entering into another marriage while still being married to another person is illegal and socially unacceptable in more states. (University of Minnesota, 2010).
However, some religions like those of the Mormons faith, Muslims and most states in Africa (mostly for wealthy men, having more than one wife is also related to having more power) accept polygamy in their culture but nowadays, the percentage of people entering polygamy has steadily decreased, with more people getting into education and accessing mass media and technology.
Besides the cultural differences, the family has had some structural changes. The initial structure of the family considered in our study is the nuclear family which represents the ideal type in the United States and to sociological approaches like functionalism and New Right.
In recent years there has been a rise in variations of nuclear family with an increase in the divorce rate. According to the data from Wilcox (2009), the main events that contributed to that increase were industrialization, the great depression, and World War II; after that, the divorce rate dropped sharply in the 1950s, before rising sharply again around the 1960s and 1970s. Today the divorce rate has declined but it is slightly higher than its peak during World War II.
The reasons for divorce in those days could be the economic distress people were going through at that time and the family disruption caused by the war, the change in the divorce law resulting in more people applying to legally end their marriage example: The Divorce Reform Act 1969 with a new ground for divorce: irretrievable breakdown, the Matrimonial Family Proceedings Act in 1984 that reduced the amount of time couples have to be married before applying for divorce from 3 to 1 year).
The increase in divorce rate as well as the rise in several never-married women have contributed to the rise in single-parent families consisting of single parenthood (Allan and Crow, 2001 cited Waugh et al, 2008). According to the National Statistics (2007), the percentage of children living in lone-parent families in Great Britain more than tripled to 24% between 1972 and 2006. The death of a partner is included among the factors leading to single-parenthood. It is important to state that the children living in single parenthood are often in contact with their other parent not living with them and the other partner who remarried or cohabit with the parent whom they live with.
Cohabitation is when a couple is in a relationship without being married. In 2005 the proportion of people aged under 60 years old cohabiting in the United Kingdom doubled the one recorded in 1986. Some of the reason triggering cohabitation is the decline in the live in sin stigma that existed in the past as well as the decline in the influence of religion.
The last factor of change in family structure in our studies is the legalization of gay and lesbian families. In the past being gay or lesbian was considered a shame, although some people were living in same-sex relationships; nowadays gays and lesbians people can marry legally and adopt children and the research has proven their parenting not to be less effective than what is expected from normal parenthood, in gay and lesbian families, commitment is more negotiated than other types because they have what he terms “chosen family” (Week et al, 1999 cited by Waugh et al, 2008).
In summary, we can say that despite the structural changes and the cultural differences in the concept of family, the family still exists and takes its meaning according to the different contexts where it is placed. This matches with the symbolic interactionism view in which family is a concept that is subject to the flow of social norms and ever-changing meanings.
According to the American Psychological Association, 40% to 50% of married couples in America go through a divorce. (USA Today, 2019) Divorce is common in America and is constantly increasing, with six out of ten divorces having children involved. (Freebackgroundchecks.com, 2006) As stated by multiple sources this action has been known to affect a child’s behavior. Society tends to blame the child’s attitude on the child just acting out phase when the cause or background to the child’s act out is not being analyzed. Being able to identify the effects that divorce has on a child’s behavior brings awareness to many parents on why their child behaves the way that they do. Identifying whether it has a bigger effect on younger or older children. This research is meant not only to educate parents on the effect of their actions but also to help educators and the education system understand how to approach children with this issue. Providing the child with the support they need. Through quantitative applied analysis this research will lead to uncovering whether divorce affects children at a young age. In an attempt to identify if the percentage of a younger child affected negatively is higher than the one of an older child.
Literature Review
In 2008, Shannon E. Cavanagh and C. Huston discussed in their article the findings of the NICHD SECCYD study. A longitudinal study was done to evaluate early childcare and youth development, that followed selected families from when the mother gave birth to mid-childhood. (Wiley.com, 2008) They found that divorce can bring stress to the family as a whole and cause that stress to transfer to the child. “This stress, in turn, can disrupt children’s sense of security and feelings of connectedness with parents and create ambiguity in family relationships, household rules, and parental expectations.” (Wiley.com, 2008) One of the main effects that are found throughout many of the research that has been conducted within other studies relates to stress particularly. This study was done in 2008, and recent statistic from 2018 still correlates with the findings of this study. According to Sophia Wright children, that experience divorce present long-term impacts as well as short-term impacts. This once again not only causes stress, but also causes aggression, trouble concentrating, and academic grades. (Freebackgroundchecks.com, 2006) Both of these findings mention the way that the child is negatively affected not only mentally but emotionally and physically. It is statistically proven that 35% of children living with both biological parents are healthier than those who live in a split household. (Freebackgroundchecks.com, 2006) Something not mentioned by current studies is the age at which a child is more vulnerable to feeling this change in their family, nor the way that a divorce can cause a personality change in the child. Being in a split household would mean that the child would have to stay with both parents separately. This can also cause a change in the child’s personality as they will switch personalities depending on the parent that they are with.
Research Question
What is the impact of a divorce on a child’s behavior at a young age?
Data Collection
The study will consist of an observational study with interviews, the observational study will be two weeks for each group individually. I selected this method because by doing an observational experiment I will get to see the child’s true behavior play out. An observational experiment is the best way to view someone’s true behavior in their “natural habitat” If I do an experiment in which the child is aware, that I am watching their behavior it is more likely that they won’t reflect their true behavior. The cons of doing this method would mean that I have to be careful with this method and the extra data that I collect since observational studies are not always the best way to determine cause and effect. Notes will be reordered on a notepad, in which I record how the child goes on with their day and jot down the child’s behavior to a certain encounter. I want to be able to do the study on children at a young age because I want to identify if age also plays a role in how it affects a child. I will have to receive consent from the parents to observe their kids. Informed consent letters will be sent home to allow parents to be aware that an observational study will be done to observe their child’s behavior daily for two weeks. This part might be an obstacle to the study since I will not be able to proceed without the consent of all parents. The interview portion of the experiment will be done through a tape recorder, in which the parent’s answers to questions will be recorded. By interviewing the parents I will not only be able to see their facial expressions to their answers to certain questions, but it will also help me identify the child’s household status. Most adult’s facial expression gives away their feelings towards their partners feeling which will be something that I will also record. I will also request access to the participant’s transcript record of behavioral conduct from the school, but I will only request this access for participants that I am observing. The point of the transcript record of a child’s behavior is to not only observe the child’s behavior but also have an extra evidence record of the child’s already known behavior. My intentions are also to see if there is a present change of behavior on the child’s record if changes in their behavior were seen at some point. For the safety of my participants, their records will only be viewed by me, along with the recorded data of the observational study. Participants will all be assigned a number to keep their names anonymous when gathering, analyzing, and presenting the data. Since I will focus on two schools and within two classrooms of 25 students, I expect to have 100 participants who will be assigned a number 00-99 to replace their names. This will prevent the child from being exposed, which is also why I have chosen not to record the observational study section. Eligibility for the participants would be that they are in 1st or 3rd grade.
I will gather participants that are 1st and 3rd-grade children from two different elementary schools only focusing on one classroom for each grade in each school. My independent variable is divorce and the dependent variable is the child’s behavior. Being able to run the study on two elementary schools will raise the number of participants, I am uncertain that all children with bad behavior will have a history of a divorce. This may lead to some participants being eliminated from the study. I also chose two different grade levels, because I want to compare the difference in the children’s ages. Their behavior will be observed to view the way that they act, which will then be compared to their transcript, transcript records of which contain write-ups of missed conduct that the student has received. Those participants who present negative behavior and a transcript of a record of misconduct will be analyzed further by having their parents interviewed. Participants who present good behavior and a transcript with a clean record of misconduct will also be analyzed further by having their parents interviewed. Looking at both good and bad behavior within a child will help compare if the household status of the child shows a relationship with the way that the child is acting. Interviewing the parents will be a form of identifying whether the child has both parental figures at home. The interview that I conduct will be very basic with only two main questions asking; How many people live in the household? Does the child have both parental and maternal figures? Depending on the answer to the second question will determine whether the interview with the parents will proceed. Elevating to questions such as; Whether both parents have split custody? How many days/hours are both parents allowed to have the child with them at separate times? These questions will help me determine the child’s background story history, behavior transcript record, and notes recorded on observation.
Data Analyzes
I am trying to identify if there is a correlation between misbehavior and a divorce between parents. After gathering the information from all 100 participants, I will consider doing a table. I want to split the results into two groups, one grouping being the ones who showed bad behavior and whose parents also admitted having had a divorce and the other group being participants who reflected good behavior and whose parents admitted to still being together. Through a segment bar graph, I will be able to spot the difference in both groups and determine if a divorce does hurt the child’s behavior. This analysis will be done for each grade but will combine the classes from both schools based on a grade to see if the younger children have a higher percentage of negative effects due to the divorce or if an older child has a higher percentage of being negatively affected by the divorce. In other words, there will be two groups of 3rd graders good behavior and bad behavior and there will be 1st grader’s good behavior and bad behavior.
Implication/Significance
I expect that this study can reflect on society and the way a divorce can hurt a child at a younger age. As shown in the literature review these studies have reflected the way that a divorce can stress a child and have effects on them in the long run. Through the research prompt that I am proposing, I expect to prove that this impact is heavier on children of a younger age compared to children of an older age. Something that has not been shown in other studies. Not only will this research bring awareness to a parent and guide them towards trying to keep their child out of their divorce situation, but it will also educate society on how to approach these children. These studies should be one of the most attention-drawing because they shine a light on an extremely important topic that is harming children at a young age. Which has been causing not only mental but also physical effects on a child that can harm them as they continue to grow. With the constant increase in divorce, society should be alarmed about the way that this is going to affect many children. Being able to expand and proceed with this prompt in the future only provides more support to the current studies on how big this issue can become.
When couples get married they start their marriages happily with great love and high expectations of good lives. However, not all marriages continue in this manner as some of them end disastrously. Couples begin going through undesirable changes in their marriages after living together for some time.
Their once happy moments turn into unending conflicts and disagreements. This makes it difficult for them to tolerate one another as they stay in the same house and end up in divorce. The sources chosen in this bibliography are relevant in the research since they explain the factors behind increased divorce rates.
Articlebase. Common Causes that Make Divorce Rate Increase. 2011. Web.03 Oct 2011.
This article explains the factors that promote higher divorce rates. The factors explained include changes that have taken place in the world increasing individuals’ knowledge that every person has the right to independence, knowledge that has caused problems in marriages leading to divorce. Exposure to stressful situations is also another factor cited in the article contributing towards high divorce rates. This information is directly related to the topic and will be useful in writing the essay.
Meyer, Cathy. Why Is The Divorce Rate So High? 2008. Web.
Cathy Meyer argues that the increase in divorce rates is a result of people not acting with immediacy when confronted by problems. She says that many people do not admit that they lack the skills to solve their problems. Instead of asking for assistance, they go ahead and attempt to solve their problems but end up failing. The result is that conflicts emerge in families and lead to divorce. This information is relevant and useful in carrying out research on the topic.
Johnson, Harry. Sociology: a systematic introduction. New York: Allied Publishers, 1960.
Johnson Harry provides important information by highlighting factors increasing divorce rates. He starts by saying that prolonged alienation between married couples increases the divorce rates. He also adds that when there are conditions making married couples incompatible and the presence of alternatives to unhappy marriage, divorce rates go higher. This information is relevant and will be useful in preparing the essay.
Akpan, Sonny. Bringing Back Glamour Into Marriage. New York: Xlibris Corporation, 2011.
Akpan Sonny classifies factors increasing divorce rates into two categories. The first category consists of static risk factors such as getting married at a young age and marrying a person without knowing them well. The second category of factors causing higher divorce rates is dynamic risk factors. Such factors include poor communication between couples when problems arise, external influence and hatred between couples. The categories given by Akpan are relevant and will be useful in handling the topic.
Jacobsen, Joyce. The economics of gender. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2007.
Jacobsen argues that there are four main factors that lead to higher divorce rates. The first factor is changes in the rules that govern divorce. The second one is ability of women to support themselves and their children. The third factor is the adjustments in the social roles of women where they actively take part in the labor market while the fourth factor is the increased access to contraceptives. These factors are important in explaining the higher divorce rates the essay.
Conclusion
When people get married, they expect their marriages to work and live happily. However, this is not always the case since many marriages end up breaking. Divorce cases have been increasing in the recent past and different explanations have been given. The sources discussed in this paper explain some of the factors leading to increased divorce rates. The sources are relevant and important in conducting research on this topic.
Works Cited
Akpan, Sonny. Bringing Back Glamour Into Marriage. New York: Xlibris Corporation, 2011.
Articlebase. Common Causes That Make Divorce Rate Increase.”2011. Web.03 Oct 2011.
Jacobsen, Joyce. he economics of gender. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2007.
Johnson, Harry. Sociology: a systematic introduction. New York: Allied Publishers, 1960.
Meyer, Cathy. Why Is The Divorce Rate So High? 2008. Web.
Family is considered a significant unit of any community. When it is broken, the effects are tough on parents, friends and mostly importantly, the children. As Stewart-Clarke and Cornelia explain, “it is hard to imagine a more difficult transition for a child than to be a party to his or her parent’s divorce” (106).
When going through a divorce, most parents are concerned about the children and how it will affect them as they grow up. Worries over whether the children will grow up happy and healthy are common among divorcees. It is not until recently that psychologists and sociologists began to provide reliable information about how children are affected when their parents divorce. The effects spread across their emotional, social and academic lives.
Harmful effects
Divorce affects children in different ways. The effects are dependent on different factors such as age, gender and support accorded to them. The first negative effect is that parent-child bond is broken. Depending with age, a separation with one of the parents will affect children differently.
As Douglas explains, “infants may not understand conflict, but may react to changes in parents’ energy level and mood by losing appetite, having upset stomach and spitting up more” (1). Preschool children may deny that any changes took place, or may suffer depression and become uncooperative.
School-aged children may suffer grief when the child-parent bond is broken. Adolescents may suffer anger and loneliness when one parent is no longer there, and may feel pushed to adulthood too early, especially if they have to take up a responsibility to take care of younger siblings. They may also doubt their ability to have a stable family in future.
Divorce affects children’s academic lives negatively. Psychologists have argued that the effects are more detrimental for elementary children. While the older children may be old enough to understand the pain they are going through, and ask for help or find positive ways of dealing with it, it is not so with elementary school children.
Since they are not old enough to understand their pain, they are not able to control or deal with it. A majority of these children will experience resentment and grief, a reaction which makes it impossible for them to be actively involved in their school work. Depending with the amount of help accorded to them, even older children will have a problem focusing and performing well in class.
Divorce further affects children’s social life and the way they handle relationships. According to Douglas, “researchers are now finding that boys raised by fathers and girls raised by mothers may do better than children raised by the parent of opposite sex” (1).
The same author explains that children in a family setting seem to be less aggressive and are able to have healthy relationships from an early age. They have fewer emotional problems and tend to be more responsible. They are more open with their problems since they have had people they can trust all their lives. Children from divorced parents may live with a feeling of rejection and may have trust issues.
Conclusion
In conclusion, divorce is harmful to children. As Stewart-Clarke and Cornelia warn, the effects are so immense such that “even through attempts at reconciliation through family counseling, the children still suffer” (106). In the midst of all the reactions and feelings, many children blame themselves for the mess. If they are not supported to deal with the above mentioned effects, most of them may grow up in shame and guilt, a reaction which results in low self esteem and prolonged anger.
Although children want the security offered by an adult, the anger may result in them acting aggressively or disobediently. Quoting Douglas, “adults, friends and family members can provide emotional warmth, reassurance and comfort to children and minimize the effects, as well as help them deal with those which they are already going through” (3).
Works Cited
Douglas, Emily. The Effects of Divorce on Children, 2006. Web.
Stewart-Clarke, Alison and Cornelia Brenatano. Divorce: Causes and Consequences. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2007. Print.
Divorce has become a common practice within the contemporary society. In particular, this practice is dominant in developed nations (Cornia 10).
Governments have taken transformative legal considerations. The considerations aim at keeping up with the high rates of divorce. These measures are undertaken to ensure all people are acquainted with the legal implications in divorce. Majorly, family and civil laws have the largest dominance in solving divorce-related suits. In developing world, the customary laws are used to solve certain issues of divorce.
However, there are debates concerning issues of equality and gender discrimination in the practice of these customary laws. Therefore, the predominant contemporary legal frameworks within these nations are frequently applied to solve problems associated with divorce.
Cases of divorce are eminent within all populations. Notably, most studies indicate the disparities in the occurrence of divorce within different segments of population. For instance, it is true that cases of divorce are more rampant amongst people with low income. This trend is also notable amongst couples with low levels of education (Cohen & Wright 18).
Generally, these categories of people are more likely to undertake divorce as compared to the individuals with high income. On the other hand, there are minimal cases of divorce within populations of married people that have high levels of economic income and quality education. These patterns are evident in the developing countries as much as developed nations.
Various theories and explanative models have been advanced to explain these disparities (Benson & Marshall 21). Theorists and marriage sociologists continue to expound on this matter. The lack of quality and empirical processes includes some of the potential hurdles that hinder comprehensive explanations on this matter.
The poor and less educated families have limited access to basic psychosocial support services within the society. Scholars indicate that proper counseling before marriage is critical. This is for all partners intending to indulge in the institution. Professional marriage counselors offer these services at high rates.
Religious leaders are also involved in counseling processes (Wolfinger 34). Nonetheless, adequate counseling knowledge is derived from trained professionals. Most poor and less educated people are not even aware of the existence of these services within their immediate environments. In the contrast, the rich and well-educated people have this information. They appreciate the significance of utilization of marriage counseling services.
Apart from this, they also have the financial and material capacity to access these services from the best professionals (Cornia 23). These observable gaps make the poor and less educated individuals engage in marriage blindly. Their marriages are blemished with fierce fights and disagreements. These have led to high cases and rates of divorce. Principally, this is because of incompatible partners.
Psychologists indicate that most social systems compromise the wellbeing of the poor people. As a result, they live in fear and anxiety. They are susceptible to making irrational decisions and choices in life. This factor increases their vulnerability to divorce (Wolfinger 55). Economists argue that financial satisfaction is a key indicator for harmonious and peaceful co-existence with others.
It is evident that an economically stable and well-educated family remains united. In addition, such a family has a peaceful life in the society. This is the direct opposite of any poor and less educated family. In this context, there is a lot of instability. The couples always engage in wrangles. Blame game is the order of the day. In addition, persistent faultfinding leads to the loss of trust and love between the couples.
Children with poor backgrounds are not mentored in a proper manner. They grow up to be irresponsible and ill-mannered mature adults. This propagates the cycle of sustained divorces and family problems. Stress and depression may make people indulge in negative activities in the society (Giddens & Philip 39).
The poor and less educated families may suffer from stress and depression. This state of mental discomfort is more likely to affect the entire family. Consequently, the emergence of deviant behaviors, such as drug and substance abuse, becomes notable within these families. According to various public health statistics, drug and substance abuse is a leading cause of chaotic and abusive families.
Once couples engage in drug abuse, several other challenges emanate in their families. These are mostly social and violence related. Their judgment and reasoning capacities are also tampered severely (Cohen & Wright 23). They engage in violent activities within their families as much as in the external environment. Indicatively, the result is always the case of broken marriage and lethal divorce.
Rich and properly educated people are not likely to suffer from the severe consequences of drug and alcohol abuse. They have adequate information regarding these deviant practices. Therefore, they are more competent to control these influences and maintain responsible social and marital relationships. Their constructive practices enable them to lead successful family lives and nurture their children to be responsible personalities in the future.
Some poor and less informed people involve themselves in devious activities to increase daily income (Cornia 45). Certain empirical investigations indicate that poor people are more likely to engage in dangerous and life threatening occupations. They are driven by the urge to satisfy their most basic demands.
Perhaps, this explains the reason for rapid emergence of sex work. Presently, many married people are involved in commercial sex work. This trend is mostly noted within urban settlements. The poor people are more susceptible to this practice for reasons of economic benefits.
Sex work has detrimental implications and effects on family life. Those who practice prostitution are more prone to divorce and family problems. The adequately informed people rarely engage in such heinous social practices. This tendency happens because such people are financially stable and they can afford daily meals as well as other luxuries. Therefore, there is no need for additional pocket money.
Poor couples grapple to meet the basic and standard needs of everyday life. These may include food, shelter, adequate protection, good health and access to proper education. From these examples, it is evident that there is a lot of financial pressure. Moreover, there is also an urgent need to prioritize these basic demands in a proper way. Conflicts usually arise in the division or delegation of responsibilities.
This may be partly due to limited resources (Cohen & Wright 45). Couples usually feel overburdened in relation to the definition of gender roles in the different societies. They tend to create unnecessary conflicts and resort to divorce. These groups of couples also consider divorce as a fundamental way of escaping their weighty marriage responsibilities.
Children from broken families lack the privilege to stay with their parents. Thus, they lead most of their lives in blatant hardship. This contributes a lot to the welfare of their future family life. Conflict resolution is a crucial initiative within all social areas. Ideally, it is the benchmark for effective and successful social relationships (Benson & Marshall 44). This is also inclusive of marriages as respected human institutions.
However, not all people have adequate access to services geared towards conflict resolution. The rich and well-educated individuals have access to various conflict resolution and arbitration services. This may also include services aimed at solving marriage conflicts. Perhaps, this explains why they are able to resolve their family differences in a constructive and sustainable way. Interestingly, this may not be the case for the poor people.
Normally, poor and ignorant people apply physical tactics to resolve their conflicts and differences (Strong, Christine & Theodore 62). Normally, these efforts lead to fights and broken marriages. Various civil bills related to inheritance of property and asset suits are associated with poor people.
Poor families have many legal tussles involving claim of property and assets. These may include physical properties, such as buildings and cars. Additionally, finances are also heavily involved. In such cases, divorce is usually used as the main tool to initiate peace and separate involved parties. Particularly, this is evident in situations where couples are the mostly affected. These observations are rarely notable amongst the rich and properly educated people.
The rich individuals have resources to compensate their losses (Strong, Christine & Theodore 81). The process occurs in an open and voluntary manner compared to the case of the poor individuals. This empowers their capability to surrender on most civil bills and legal suits that are likely to have negative impacts on their marriages.
Researchers emphasize on the important role of family welfare and lifestyle in nurturing children into responsible adults. An effective child bearing and care require a lot of resources and time dedication. The rich people have the financial and material power to fend for their children.
The economically stable families are able to bring up and nurture the children in more contemporary and rational manner. Consequently, these children develop proper self-esteem, maturity and logic compared to their counterparts from poor families (Giddens & Philip 79). The rich couples also are able to provide their children with quality education. This is vital for effective growth and development of a normal human being.
Hence, these children have a possibility to initiate healthy associations with their peers. They grow into adults with respectable life and social orientation. This minimizes their vulnerability to marriage or family conflicts and divorce. However, these indications are not true for the poor families (Cohen & Wright 73). Their children suffer from the obvious effects of poor upbringing and child mentoring.
The poor people cannot access transformative and formal education systems. They also suffer from low self-actualization and lack the sense of individuality. They fail to develop and establish successful relationships. This happens due to the fact that they are at trouble with themselves.
These negative characteristics extend into their marriage life. They make irresponsible parents, husbands and wives. The ultimate fate usually consists of chaotic marriages and a series of divorces (Benson & Marshall 87). The lack of adequate knowledge is a recipe for a life full of disasters. Along with extreme poverty, people under this category depict negative social trends. It is important to indicate that ignorance plays a very significant role in increasing the rates of divorce.
Ignorance causes low self-esteem and lack of confidence. Ignorant and less educated people are not likely to engage in a constructive dialogue. Most of their relationships are based on material grounds. These are always overtaken with time, leading to broken relationships and divorce (Wolfinger 97).
Psychological implications of extreme poverty may be hazardous to many people. The lack of proper education and knowledge worsens this condition. Poor people are deprived of the initiative to engage in innovative projects. Therefore, their daily lives become routine. This creates boredom in their marriage life.
The different detrimental factors interact to create a powerful synergy. This has negative consequences in the marriage lives of the poor couples. In addition, dietary limitations within poor families may also lead to severe family conflicts and cases of divorce (Strong, Christine & Theodore 112).
Clinical nutritionists correlate poor dietary practices to increased level of family conflicts and divorce. The main causes of dietary limitations include poverty and ignorance or lack of sufficient education. All these are evident within poor and inadequately educated families.
In conclusion, it is fair to state that the impacts of divorce are usually dangerous to victims. Particularly, the younger population is grossly affected. Social and individual factors lead to divorce. It is evident that there are more cases of divorce amongst poor and less educated families.
Additional empirical investigations are necessary to help in the prevention of this dangerous trend. There is a need for establishment of awareness campaigns and advocacy initiatives. These should be focused specifically on the vulnerable people. Knowledge empowerment is a critical tool for enhancing individual roles in prevention of divorce. Consequently, there is an urgent need for comprehensive action against divorce.
Works Cited
Benson, Janette B. and Marshall M. Haith. Social and Emotional Development in Infancy and Early Childhood. Amsterdam: Academic, 2009. Print.
Cohen, Lloyd R. and Wright, Joshua D. Research Handbook on the Economics of Family Law. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2011. Print.
Cornia, Giovanni A. Child Poverty and Deprivation in the Industrialized Countries: 1945-1995. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997. Print.
Giddens, Anthony and Philip W. Sutton. Sociology: Introductory Readings. Cambridge: Polity, 2010. Print.
Strong, Bryan, Christine, DeVault and Theodore F. Cohen. The Marriage and Family Experience: Intimate Relationships in a Changing Society. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.
Wolfinger, Nicholas H. Understanding the Divorce Cycle: The Children of Divorce in Their Own Marriages. New York, NY: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2005. Print.
Recent decades have been characterized by an increase in divorce rates. In the past 150 years, there have been increasingly many cases of broken marriages in the U.S. followed by the increased divorce rates. Divorce has become extremely common in today’s society. Researchers have described divorce as the end to a marriage.
It is a consequent of a failure by both couples to continue in the commitment to both marital and family roles. Divorce dates from the ancient Mesopotamia, where Athenian fore-fathers liberally allowed divorce if the person filing for it had presented sufficient reasons to the magistrate. There are various types of divorces, including at-fault, no-fault and summary divorces. Statistics show that many marriages are destined to divorce (Gordon, 2007).
The social and economic hardships young families go through to raise their status to that of the middle class and ensure that children born in the families have a bright future all depend on how stable such a family is. Marriage is no longer a private agreement between two individuals but a core social institution which participates in ensuring socio-economic stability of a nation.
There exists substantial controversy and uncertainty about the effect of divorce on children and the parties themselves. Research indicates that children from separated families are more prone to socio-economic challenges that can affect their further life. Little research has been done on the overall impact that divorce poses to the society (Stevenson & Wolfers, 2007).
This paper will delineate the impact divorce has on a nation’s economy. A nation’s economy is impacted since divorces have some effects on the future of a labor force of a nation. Divorce has an impact on children and determines how they contribute to the economy. This paper will aim at establishing whether divorce is really necessary to end family disputes and whether the economy of a nation would be likely improved if fewer cases of divorce are witnessed.
Hypothesis
Marriage contributes to the social and human capital. Research has shown that intact family structures reduce government expenditures incurred through costly social programs. It has been estimated that divorce and children born out of wed lock use taxpayers money to a tune of approximately $112 billion annually and more than one trillion every decade.
This paper studies the constraints the government undergoes to meet the needs of the separated families assuming that separation results in the additional negative effects on children and grownups being served under the tax payer funded social programs.
Literature Review
Divorce rates are said to have been doubled between 1960s and 1970s. This was the period which witnessed the rise of women’s liberation movements, the sexual revolution and the abolition of laws that restricted marriage between races. Today’s society experiences extremely high numbers of divorce cases.
Divorce is often due to failure by both couples to continue being committed to their marital and family roles. Divorce dates from the ancient Mesopotamia, where Athenian’s fore-fathers liberally allowed couples to divorce if the party filing for divorce had presented sufficient reasons to the magistrate (Coontz, 2005).
According to Stevenson and Wolfers (2007), couples decide to marry or live together if the gains of a marriage exceed those of being single. The gains can be in the form of group benefits such as rearing of children and the pooling of benefits, among others. The technological advances, changes in tastes, institutional and legal environments, and definition of sexual relations have really altered gains from marriages. These have been identified as the main forces behind the separation of marriages (Stevenson & Wolfers, 2007).
With the introduction of family pills into the society, sex outside marriage with little or no fear of unwanted pregnancy progressed rapidly. One of the many effects of birth control methods increased blinded marriages with increased divorce rates. Introduction of household technology reduced the productivity of marriage.
This made men and women have little to gain from marriages. Another important force was the reduction of the gender wage gap. This force was due to the declined occupational segregation and de-unionization. These trends declined the comparative advantages of wives at home. More so, it increased the share of men in home production and reduced the value of specialization within marriages (Blau & Kahn, 2000).
Governments have set regulations that define family as a legal institution. It defines clearly who is to granted divorces, parental obligations and other subsequent rights.
In the 1960s, a new wave of large-scale deregulation of family was embraced in the U.S. More so, the government’s role of establishing who is to marry or divorce has declined. The several legal changes have altered the basis of the marriage contract. This has been done by removing the ability to make inter temporal contracts within marriages and with the shift to right to divorce.
Many empirical studies investigating the increase of divorce rates have reached conflicting views. The most recent test has indicated a sharp increase in divorce cases in two years that followed unilateral divorce laws. There are also other findings by investigators owing that the reduction in female suicides and domestic violence indicated that the unilateral divorce laws had shifted bargaining power to women (Stevenson & Wolfers, 2007).
Another attributed force to increased divorce cases is the ease with which potential partners would meet. According to Mckinnish, sexually- integrated workplaces can increasingly create greater opportunities for opposite sex to meet.
From her 1990 data analysis, she showed how occupation comprised of greater share for two individuals was likely to cause a marriage end. Another related shock in the future marital patterns showed how gender ratios had changed in colleges. Whilst in 1960s women were the minority, they now make up a clear majority (Goldin, Katz & Kuziemko, 2006).
The potential of internet increased efficiency in matching have provided another shock. Internet Tracking Poll in 2005 indicated that 3% of internet users’ couples met online. The advantage of online search is that it expands the set of potential partners and has higher degrees of anonymity. These forces have reduced the attractiveness of marriage (Stevenson & Wolfers, 2007).
Divorces have caused great impact on the children development. Children attain several development tasks related to psychological maturation. Divorce separation of parents impacts on the child’s cognitive development. Some of these impacts include the decreased terms of dependency, reduced sense of security and trust.
Research showed kids go through huge trauma during a divorce. They develop depression, which can be felt through adolescence even into adulthood. Kids from separated families were found to have early maturation and sexual relations described by shorter unstable relationships.
The impact was also shown to be huge on the partners themselves with others even undergoing depression and economic instability as well other constraints, which might affect the society at large. More so, divorces have been very costly on the nation’s economy. Studies have shown that $112 billion taxpayers’ money is spent annually to fund social programs. This will amount to one trillion in a decade.
Other sectors adversely affected include high infant mortality, drug addiction and trouble with law or even teenage pregnancy. Some researchers have proposed the ways to curb divorces including combined parent education offering modules for reconciliation. Others propose delayed divorce processes to give couples time to reconsider reconciliation options (Doherty & Sears, 2011).
Design model
This study will involve the examining of data which is both abstract and tangible. The variables involved in the study are also both abstract and tangible. The study can be defined as a correlation research as opposed to being a descriptive research.
A descriptive research will only portray what is existent while a correlation research goes ahead to find out the relationship in the variables involved in the study (Cherry, 2011). The design model best fitting this study should, therefore, be comprehensive enough to capture all the elements involved in the study.
As such, both quantitative and qualitative methods will be employed towards determining whether the hypothesis formulated holds any truth. As Weinreich (2011) pointed out, combining both the quantitative and qualitative methods in undertaking a research will result in gaining the best results. By using the quantitative methods, one is guaranteed of achieving “objectivity, generalizability and reliability” (Weinreich, 2011, p. 1).
Weinreich further noted that, “techniques cover the ways research participants are selected randomly from the study population in an unbiased manner, the standardized questionnaire or intervention they receive and the statistical methods used to test predetermined hypotheses regarding the relationships between specific variables” (Weinreich, 2011, p. 1).
Some of the data will be analyzed by the quantitative methods including the estimates of the funds directed to divorce related set ups. The study will use calculations to estimate costs borne by tax payers due to divorce. The study will use available literature and information on estimated expenditure cost, and those provided by the government to compare and estimate the impact of divorce on the society.
This will involve drawing up of various mathematical figures to make the analysis of this information possible. Data will be divided into appropriate different periods to make a chronological comparison a possibility.
The study will also comprehensively employ the qualitative techniques to ensure that the study is wholesome. Information on the psychology says that children under due to divorces may be useful in the aspect of pointing out how the productivity is affected by the children.
In conclusion, generally it can be argued that divorce cases have many consequences on the society as well as on the government. As noted above, families are building blocks for a society and therefore if families are broken all over the indication acquired is that that society is a broken one.
The impact of divorce on the nations is a very general study topic and thus an attempt will be made to ensure that all the information collected is tied down to the research question. Some changes are likely to be made in the course of undertaking the study to ensure that the activity yields information that is significant.
References
Blau, D., & Kahn, L. (2000). Gender differences in play. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 14(4), 75-99.
In their article, Gustavsen, Nayga, and Wu (2016) use the results of the Add Health survey to study potential links between the experience of parental divorce and the likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors. The results of their analysis suggest that teenagers aged 12-18 become more likely to practice health-threatening behaviors if they have experienced parents’ divorce. Among such behaviors are smoking tobacco and marijuana, drinking alcohol, and taking highly addictive drugs. The adverse effects of divorce are more pronounced when it comes to both types of smoking, and they are roughly the same in male and female teenagers.
The article by Haimi and Lerner (2016) reviews credible academic studies devoted to the way that divorce affects children’s health and behaviors. In one study by Hetherington, the adolescent daughters of divorced parents were at least three times more likely to develop psychological problems requiring professional assistance than their peers from full families. The difference was a bit lower in males; thus, boys from divorced families experienced such problems in 26% of cases, and the children of married parents needed professional help in 10% of cases. The review article also cites multiple sources that present parental divorce as a risk factor for propensity to crime (in male participants), depression, and behavioral abnormalities.
Interviews with College Students
For this assignment, three college students (A – male, 20; B – female, 19; C – female, 20) were interviewed about the way that parental divorce had impacted them. The interviewees had experienced divorce when they were between 13 and 17 years old, and each of them reported links between that event and the degree of their well-being. As for the most important trends, all students regarded parental divorce as an extremely harmful event and claimed that it had affected their mental health and caused a lot of stress.
When asked to provide specific examples of how parental divorce impacted their well-being, students A and B mentioned developing pernicious habits, such as smoking cigarettes on a regular basis. The response given by student C was focused on changes to her behavior and social skills as she mentioned becoming more avoidant and distracted at school right after her parents’ separation. The question about changes in the mood and the emergence of any alarming mental health symptoms also revealed some interesting trends. Students A and C reported negative changes in self-esteem and experiencing bad mood more frequently than before, whereas student B mentioned increased aggression towards peers.
Interview Findings in the Context of Scholarly Research
There are many common trends between the findings summarized above and the results reported by Gustavsen et al. (2016) and Haimi and Lerner (2016). To begin with, two out of three students mentioned developing an addiction to tobacco products as the consequence of stress caused by parental divorce. Interestingly, as Gustavsen et al. (2016) conclude, divorce increases the risks of health-threatening habits in teenagers, with smoking being one of the most frequent outcomes.
Additionally, Haimi and Lerner (2016) cite findings, according to which parents’ divorce increases the risks of depressive disorders in adolescents. Concerning disorders, although no actual medical diagnoses were mentioned, two out of three interviewees reported having frequent episodes of low mood after the event.
At the same time, not all of the trends reported by modern researchers find reflection in the conducted interviews. For instance, as Haimi and Lerner (2016) state, male adolescents whose parents have divorced may exhibit an increased propensity to crime. The interviews did not reveal trends peculiar to the explicit desire to commit inappropriate and illegal acts. One participant mentioned becoming more aggressive towards peers, but it was a female student. Another way of how trends from the interviews and the articles are disconnected refers to the higher risks of mental health issues after parental divorce for females reported by Haimi and Lerner (2016). These differences do not find reflection in the students’ responses, which is probably the result of limitations peculiar to the sample size.
References
Gustavsen, G. W., Nayga, R. M., & Wu, X. (2016). Effects of parental divorce on teenage children’s risk behaviors: Incidence and persistence. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 37(3), 474-487.
Haimi, M., & Lerner, A. (2016). The impact of parental separation and divorce on the health status of children, and the ways to improve it. Journal of Clinical & Medical Genomics, 4(1), 1-7.
Children who are born and brought up in a family setup develop a special relationship with their parents. Each member of the family plays a critical role and a gap is recognized any time a certain member of the family is absent.
Depending on the relationship agreements, the parents divide roles amongst themselves and children learn to live within the social class of their parents. Obviously, each of the family members would wish that the life trend continues forever, but sometimes, that may not be the case. A time may come when the behaviors of either of the parents change completely.
The father, for example, may decide to become depressive and abscond from his duties. In such a case, the mother takes on the burden of caring for the whole family. If the father continues with the unimpressive behaviors, the mother would become tired and seek for a divorce. Some cases have happened where the mother turns to live a reckless life that forces the man to resolve to divorce. The later is a rare occurrence; however, regardless of the cause of divorce, the children are the immensely affected victims.
Children, especially those in their tender ages fail to understand why they can no longer live with both parents (Eisenhard, 2012). In this case, we have an interviewee who was a victim of divorced parents at the age of sixteen. The teenager was in denial since she could not believe or understand how she could just stop seeing her beloved dad. This paper will base its discussion on the interviewee’s answers to address the issue of divorce through the child’s eye.
First impression of divorce in a child’s eye
When life begins taking the other side of the coin, there is a lot of confusion. The interviewee started experiencing many unexplainable ill signs. The parents began trash talking each other, and each side of the family despised the other. The family members from the mothers said ill things about their father and the father’s family that despised her mother.
The teenager was caught in confusion; she could not understand what was going on, neither could she tell whom to believe. At one point, the child watches his father sleeping with a cigarette in his mouth. This is a clear sign that her father was extremely depressed. On reporting the incidence to the mother, the innocent child gets blows the following morning.
Her father is extremely mad such that he throws his shoe on her. This is a very disgusting scene and the interviewee indicates that the confusion affected her grades. Her grades dropped drastically during this period, and her emotions changed instantly. She could get mad at people easily and start quarrels with her siblings for no tangible reason. Form this point of view, it is evident that divorce is a scenario that brings in a lot of confusion, disbelieve and denial of the whole truth.
Family system theory and divorce
The family system theory tries to bring out the exact relationship that exists between the family members. Each of the family members develops an interdependent relationship with the other. The relationships formed are so strong such that breaking the bonds proves to be very difficult (Bell, 2010).
The interviewee indicates that she could have her mother’s family members talking ill of her father. Whether whatever the family members said was true or not, she could not believe them. The interviewee started seeing her father less often, and they could only meet in special places for some limited time.
The divorce robbed the teenager of her beloved father. She really hoped that things would work out for her parents and they would get along. The innocent teenager could not comprehend the fact that divorce meant total splitting of the family. However, despite the immerse interaction patterns that had formed between the family members, the mother could not settle for less. She could not get along with the infidelity of her partner, and she opted for a split family rather than a family of distress and agony.
The interviewee mentioned that immediately after knowing that her parents were divorcing, she could not absorb the fact, and she kept on pushing the thought at the back of her mind. Her parents would fight at her sight and she kept on disbelieving what she saw. Although the interviewee found it difficult at first, she understood everything later on. After the divorce, each of the parents owned the teenager an explanation.
The father had a story that defended him, and the mother had her side of the story. Finally, she had to settle on one truth, infidelity is what made her parents divorce. She is currently twenty years, and she can understand the agony that her mother underwent to seek refuge in divorce. Despite the fact that her parents divorced, she is happy for them because there is a lot of calmness and everyone is happy.
Attachment theory and divorce
As a family develops, strong emotional attachments form between the family members. Healthy emotional attachments between the family members enable the family to live happily. Parents who have a strong attachment to their families will work tirelessly to ensure they offer the best for the family.
The children develop strong attachments with their parents, and as they grow, strong emotional relationships occur (Mercer, 2006). After the age of six months, children are able to identify and sensitively respond to their caregivers. As children grow, they seek protection from the people around them and thus build a special attachment with their caretakers. The children grow up believing in their parents, thinking about them, and expecting a lot from them.
The divorce scenario caught the teenager in surprise. Throughout her life, she had developed a strong attachment with both parents. The teenager developed a separation anxiety because she actually lost a special attachment figure. At first, the interviewee could not believe that she could be a victim of divorced parents, but it really happened. With disbelieve, the interviewee’s grades dropped at first as her mind was preoccupied with the thought of her divorced parents.
The interviewee had to develop an adaptive response, and she slowly gained back her confidence and developed increased strength that enabled her to score higher grades than before. The social life slowly changed and the interviewee felt like she would address her issues to her pals. As she grew, she developed a different perspective of life. She grew up knowing that a marriage commitment ought to be taken seriously.
From experience, the interviewee testified that individuals should understand that family splitting affects the entire life of the children. The interviewee was sixteen when the fateful incident happened, and four years down the line, she could comprehend everything. However, for her siblings who were very young when her parents divorced, it could take quite some time to comprehend everything that happened.
Divorce and the social exchange theory
The social exchange theory is very interesting as it explains the individuals’ interest in a family. The exchange theory states that individuals enter into relationships to reap maximum benefit and minimize the costs (Miller, 2005). In a family setup, the exchanges between the parties involved ought to be fair and balanced, thus enabling the involved parties to reap mutual benefits. The individuals in a family express behaviors that generate the greatest reward.
According to behavioral psychologists, family members will repeat the gainful behaviors provided they reap the required fruits. The Unitarian economists state that human beings will research on the necessary information, and employ all behaviors needed to make rational decisions that would reap maximum benefit. However, in some cases, the more the individuals in a family receive the reward, the more the reward loses its value, and that is when relationships start becoming sour.
The interviewee’s parents stated losing value of their relationship benefits when she was sixteen years old. The father could no longer find value in the intimate relationship with his wife, and thus he decided to become unfaithful. On the other hand, the mother weighed the benefits and costs associated with an unfaithful marriage, and of course, the costs outweighed the benefits.
Probably, the father could no longer provide for the family as he did before. The attachment between the father, children, and his wife was lessened as compared to the early days when the father did not have a third party to attend. The woman could also encounter the risks and costs associated with contacting sexually transmitted infections if she continued to cling to the marriage.
There being no more benefits of confiding in the marriage, she opted for divorce. It took the teenager some time to comprehend the cost benefit analysis that made her mother settle for a divorce. It is after she reached her twenties that she understood the emotional sufferings that her mother underwent during those tough family moments. She is now contended and happy because regardless of the split family, everybody is living happily.
Conclusion
From the discussions, it is evident that children are greatly affected by their parents’ decision to divorce. However, it is necessary for people to take a stringent analysis of the underlying issue that forced one to seek for divorce before making judgments. Clinging to an unfaithful marriage would pave way to many life problems than resolving for a divorce.
However, if possible, parents should always try as much as possible to keep their marriages. They should try to apply the utilitarian theory that requires couples to find out the necessary information of the behaviors that reap maximum benefits in the family union. Each of the family members should take actions that benefit the entire union.
Divorce should be the last thing couples should settle for as it adversely affects the children as well as the parent who will be separated from their kids. As the interviewee stated, people who make marriage commitments should stick with the commitments since bridging the commitments affects the children as well as the entire community.
References
Bell, D.C. (2010). The dynamics of connection: How evolution and biology create care giving and attachment. Lanham, MD: Lexington.
Eisenhard, T. (2012). The D-Word: Divorce through a child’s eyes. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse.
Mercer, J. (2006). Understanding attachment: Parenting, childcare, and emotional development. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.
Miller, K. (2005). Communication theories. New York: McGraw Hill.
The divorce is the issue, which goes beyond the boundaries of the problem of a single family. It is the issue, which touches upon the whole society and the future of the young generation. Undoubtedly, divorce makes an impact on children.
However, it is arguable whether it is better for them to live in the family, in which parents always conflict with each other, or to live with one parent but in the calm atmosphere. The aim of this essay is to analyze the effect of divorce on children.
The Opinions of Psychologists
The problem of the effect of divorce on children is the sphere of interest of many scholars. The results of the recent research show that the boys are much more vulnerable to divorce than the girls. The scholars pay attention to the relationship between the age of the child and their perception of the parents’ divorce. It has been found that the girls in the age of 6 to 13 tend to perceive it most acutely (Palosaari & Aro n.pag.).
The research indicates to the depression as the consequence of parental divorce, which the children of this age group suffer most often. Also, this age group is prone to undertaking suicide attempts (Palosaari & Aro, n.pag.).
The scholars say that the boys tend to perceive the divorce much more acutely than the girls. They feel unhappy and despairing. At the same time, the scholars argue that the timing of the divorce is not the primary determinant of the children’s psychological problems. All of them experience moral trauma, regardless of age.
However, the continuous conflict situations in the family also influence the children negatively. Many psychologists stress that divorce can be the way to make the life of both the parents and the children more harmonious and stable. That is why it may be much better for the children to live in a single parent family and do not experience the continuous emotional pressure.
It is argued that the “children of parents who engage in overt, unresolved conflict are at risk for a variety of developmental and emotional problems” (Yu et al. n.pag.). Some other scholars argue that the reasons for the divorce of parents are also important for the future of the children.
“The most startling finding was that children of “low-conflict” divorces are four times more likely to divorce than children who have seen their parents separate after a hostile and very possibly abusive or violent relationship” (Amato & Taylor n.pag.). It is emotionally difficult and painful for children to realize that their parents have fallen out of love.
It is this reason for the divorce, which makes the hardest moral pressure on them and their future romantic relationships. Besides, quarrels between the parents and the negative expressions of one of them about another one undermine the family values.
If one of the parents tries to incite the child against another parent, they facilitate the development of the cynical attitude of the child towards the relationships between the man and the woman. As a result, the children are often unwilling to create their own families when they grow up.
The divorce of parents is the hard emotional burden for the children because they are used to see their mother and father together. They need them both. The world of the child is built with the support of their parents, and when they announce the divorce, the small world of the child ruins.
The separation of family changes the life perception of children. It makes them rethink life and ethical values. Unfortunately, not all of them can find the right way and make the right choices in their lives.
The relationships between the children and their parents after the divorce are a distinct topic for the discussion. If it has been decided to leave the children with the mother, all their feelings are addressed to her. Sometimes, their relationships become even warmer and sometimes they worsen, because the children may feel themselves hurt by her.
The results of the research show that the children of divorce have worse results at school, behave themselves aggressively towards their coevals, and are inclinable to run away from home.
The psychologists and medical specialists have undertaken a series of research projects to find out whether the divorce of parents affects the infants. According to the results of their research, the infants are vulnerable to divorce as the elder children are. Even the infants in arms experience the psychological trauma caused by the separation of parents. At this period, they are very close to their mother and tend to be affected by her emotional stance.
The infant in arms continues to be, so to say, the part of the body of their mother. If she suffers from the depression, the infant suffers it too. Such kind of psychological and emotional stance may lead even to the death of the infant. Also, the stressful situation may cause the loss of breast milk, which is so important for the children’s health and development.
The psychologists claim that the divorce of parents is the sharp change in the way of life of both the adults and the children. The interruption of the ordinary family routine is, essentially, the reason for a shock in children (“Why Divorce Is So Hard” n.pag.). Furthermore, the decrease in economic welfare after the divorce is one of its consequences, which not only represents the budget constraints but also creates a difficult moral environment.
It should be noted that the divorce worsens the economic situation of the separated families very often. This means that the children get fewer opportunities to gain good education, to attend the lobby groups, and, ultimately, to realize themselves and to become successful.
The scholars argue that parental quarrels, distress, and the stressful environment in the family increase the risk of the antisocial actions of children. In particular, they claim that the children of divorce are more inclined to drug taking, smoking, and alcohol drinking (Butler et al. 19).
The Ways to Overcome the Consequences of the Divorce
The divorce is the frequent social phenomenon nowadays. Undoubtedly, the Institute of divorce is important for people’s well-being. It gives them the opportunity to be the architects of their fortune. I guess the opportunity to get the divorce strengthens the institute of marriage. People have freedom in their choices and try to build strong relationships. However, sometimes, divorce is the way to solve the continuous conflict.
Taking into account that it makes a significant influence on children, it is vital to know how to overcome its consequences. To make the “life journey” of children of divorce easier and happier, the society, the court, and the parents should take the responsibilities for mitigating its effects (“Divorce. American Style” n.pag.).
There are plenty of examples of the divorced couples, which have managed to reorganize their relationships in such a way that allows both parents to become involved in the process of their children upbringing, to remain friends to them, and to provide them the necessary parental support (Isaacs, Montalvo, Abelson 265).
The divorce is the conscious step of the adults, and they should think about not only themselves but about their children as well. The parents must help them to cope with the consequences of their separation. The adults should talk to their children and to find the words to say, which will make them perceive this situation adequately.
If the parents avoid the quarrels in the presence of their children, they already make a substantial contribution to the children’s emotional stability and help them to perceive the separation more easily. Also, the adults can find a lot of books developed for children of divorce. The reading of these stories to them will help them comprehend the situation and to realize that their parents still love them and take care of them.
The additional difficulties arise when one of the parents starts new relationships or gets married once again. It is very hard for children to understand that their mother and father have the right to create a new family and to become happy in their personal life. Many feels deprived of their love and care.
The feelings of jealousy and soreness create conflict situations. That is why the parents must remain attentive to their children and to show that nothing can interfere with their relationships. Besides, the child may think that it is their fault that their parents are separated. In that case, the adults should show that the divorce has not made them enemies and that they will always be close to their child.
The biggest mistake, which the parents make, is that they do not talk to their children. They mistakenly think that they are small enough to comprehend the situation. However, it is not so. In spite of the small age and insufficient life experience, they comprehend the situation intuitively and tend to make their judgments. The parents must be friends to them and try to discuss the problem, to ask their opinion, and to explain theirs.
Conclusion
To sum up, all the above mentioned, it should be said that divorce affects the children substantially. It puts the emotional and moral pressure on them, making them rethink the family values, to which they adhered before. The children tend to be prone to depression, apathy, or aggression. The children of divorce tend to run away from home. The attempts at committing suicide may also become the consequences of family separation.
The boys are more vulnerable to divorce than girls. The most critical period is between 6 and 13 years old, but the divorce affects even the infants in arms. However, the separation of parents may be the only way to provide a calm environment for children. The divorced couples must be conscientious and help their children to perceive the divorce easily. There are several ways to overcome the consequences of separation.
Works Cited
Amato, Paul and Susanna Taylor. ” Mummy, Daddy, Please Stop Being So Nice to Each Other ; How Do You Minimise the Effect of Divorce on Children? by Letting Rip in Front of Them. Angela Neustatter on Why It’s Better to Have Rows.” The Independent. (2001):n.pag. Questia. Web..
Butler, Ian, Lesley Scanlan, Margaret Robinson, Gillian Douglas and Mervyn Murch. Divorcing Children: Children’s Experience of Their Parents’ Divorce. London: Jessica Kingsley, 2003. Print.
“Divorce. American Style”. The Nation 271.18 (2000): n.pag. Questia. Web..
Isaacs, Marla Beth, Braulio Montalvo and D. Abelson. The Difficult Divorce: Therapy for Children and Families, New York: Basic Books, 1986. Print.
Palosaari, Ulla and Hillevi Aro. ” Effect of Timing of Parental Divorce on the Vulnerability of Children to Depression in Young Adulthood.” Adolescence 29.115 (1994): n.pag. Questia. Web..
“Why Divorce Is So Hard on the Children.” Daily Mail. (1996):n.pag. Questia. Web..
Yu, Tianyi, Pettit, Greggory S., Lansford, Jennifer E., Dedge, Kenneth A. and John E. Bates. “The Interactive Effects of Marital Conflict and Divorce on Parent – Adult Children’s Relationships.” Journal of Marriage and Family 72.2 (2010): n.pag. Questia. Web.-11-19.
Divorce has been on the rise in China for the last decade. According to Walton (2014, p. 280), the increasing affluence of many families and westernization of the Chinese culture has reduced stigma that was always associated with divorce. In the past, women divorcees were stigmatized as per the traditional culture of the people in this country.
They were considered a disgrace not only to their parents but also their entire society. It was a sign that such a woman was not taught about family life. Getting a second chance to marry men of their dreams with such a negative reputation would not be easy. However, this stigma has been eliminated, and most of the divorces which happen in this country are initiated by women.
According to Kaplan and Langdon (2012, p. 21), there are over 10,000 families in China who go to the Supreme Court daily to get a divorce. Over 70 percent of these cases are initiated by women who mostly cite infidelity as their main reason for the divorce. This research seeks to confirm that women in China have been empowered and can now divorce their husbands without being stigmatized.
Laws on Divorce
Chinese tradition formed the basis of the marriage law in this country. For a long time, women have viewed a subordinate to men in this society. They were expected to respect their husbands, and any woman who rose complains about the fidelity of their husbands was considered uncultured. Men had the full command of their marriages, and they would make all the crucial decisions concerning their marriage.
On the other hand, women were only expected to care about giving birth, taking care of the children, and their husbands (Chen 2012, 845). This is what was reflected in the marriage law in this country. However, the law of divorce has been reviewed severally as the society comes to accept that woman also have a right enjoyed by men.
The law of this land allows any of the two partners to initiate the divorce process in the Supreme Court. In the past, the law required the partner initiating the divorce process to give a convincing reason why he or she wants the divorce. The law demanded that in case the reason given was not good enough, then the divorce would not be granted.
However, this law was reviewed by several panels, and currently, the law on divorce has been made very flexible. The partners are now allowed to divorce as long as they have irreconcilable differences. There are cases where the partners may be sent to tribunals to try and settle their differences in case this is acceptable to both parties.
However, when either of the parties rejects the idea of seeking the services of the marriage tribunals to discuss the difference, the case may be brought before the court. The judge is expected to make a judgment on the case, and the biggest issue that they are expected to address is on how to plan for the wealth of the family.
Cultural Attitudes
According to Yao (2014, p. 11), a cultural attitude towards divorce in the past was the main reason why many families remained intact. In a country where culture favors men over women, there was a general expectation that women were supposed to withstand any marital abuses as long as their lives were not under threat.
Men were the heads of families, and culturally, it was not considered an issue if they were unfaithful to their wives. Divorce was the last thing that a woman would consider because of the stigmatization she would be subjected to by society (Ryan 2003, p. 96).
The parents of a woman who was a divorcee would be ridiculed because they never taught their daughter about the need to stay in marriage whether or not she was happy about it. The friends of such a woman would try to dissociate themselves from her for fear of being labeled accomplices of such outcasts.
This negative cultural attitude towards woman divorcee is slowly changing as society gets more educated. The number of middle class in this country is on the rise, and this affluence is redefining the culture of the society. China is home to the largest number of people in the middle class.
The Western culture has also influenced this society massively as people come to appreciate that both men and women have the right to remain happy and to make choices in their marriages.
The society has accepted the fact that woman has the right to divorce their partners when there is a moral ground to do this. The stigma that existed before is no longer there, and woman who have divorced their husbands. Although Fincher (2013, p. 40) argues that the stigma still exists, the current rate of divorce shows otherwise.
Effects on Children
According to Yao (2014, p. 8), divorce has a serious negative impact on children, especially if it happens when they are very young. Both the mother and the father play an important role in the normal development of a child. While the child looks up to the mother to offer comfort, the father is always the symbol of security within a family. In schools, children feel proud when they have the support of both parents. At teenage, both boys and girls will need both parents to understand how they can relate to society (Kuhn 2011, p. 58).
Absence of any of the parents always affects the normal development of teenagers into adults. When parents divorce, children are always subjected to a life without the full support of both parents. Although the parents have the right to care for their children even after divorce, the moral right to direct these children on how to manage these families is always gone.
According to the research by Ross (2010, p. 348), children always undergo serious emotional torture when they realize that their parents have irreconcilable differences. They are torn between the two parents, not knowing who to support in such scenarios. Some may need serious counseling to overcome this effect.
Legal Aspect of Children
The law allows both parents custodianship of the children in case of a divorce. According to Walton (2014, p. 274), the law allows both the mother and the father to find a working formula on how to take care of the children until they become adults. The law favors cases where children who are below the age of five years are to stay with the mother. The mother knows how to handle the infants better than the father, especially the suckling kids.
For children who are above five years, the law allows both parents to decide who stay with the child. However, in case one partner has a good reason why the other partner should not be allowed to stay with the child, such as cases of drunkenness, physical or emotional abuse on children, or any other legally valid reason, then the partner will be allowed full guardianship of the children (Hinsch 2002, p. 45).
There are also cases where the child is asked to choose who it wants to stay with in order to ensure that it is comfortable after the divorce. Irrespective of whoever takes the guardianship of the children, the law requires both parents to participate in providing for them till they reach the age of majority.
Economic Aspect
According to Fincher (2013, p. 39), although China is experiencing a break-up boom that is initiated by women, it is men who always come out as winners when it comes to economic aspect. The law states that in case of such break-ups, the residence shall remain with the person who is legally recognized as the owner. This society is patriarchal, and therefore, even in cases where both partners contributed equally to the purchase of the property, it is the man who will be registered as the owner.
There are also cases where the woman would finance the purchase of such property, but consider registering the names of their husbands as to the legal owners. The law will consider the man as the sole owner, and the woman will be expected to look for an alternative residence away from the original home.
According to Yao (2014, p. 5), many women would be left in economic woes, especially if they do not have steady sources of income. This explains why many women are always reluctant to consider divorce as an option in case of disagreements within their families.
Divorce Control within the Last 50 Years
Chinese society highly valued families and women were considered to be complete when they were with their husband. Single women would be accepted in case their husbands had met untimely deaths. Divorce was a taboo word, especially among women. According to Kaplan and Langdon (2012, p. 20), women were expected to make compromises in their marriage to make it work in their marriages. The society was intolerant of women who were divorced.
Till 1964, the rates of divorce were rare. China remained closed to the outside world until the late 1990s, and the rates of divorce were rare. Things started changing in the twenty-first century when the stigmatization of divorcee women stated changing. Within the last ten years, there has been a drastic increase in the number of cases of divorce.
According to Walton (2014, p. 265), China recorded 3.1 million divorces in the year 2012. Hou (2014, p. 65) says, “Urbanites in their 20s and 30s “lack the patience to adapt to each other or make the necessary compromises, so their marriages are often in a fragile state.” It is currently estimated that there are 10,000 divorces taking place in China every day.
Conclusion
It is clear from the discussion above that the rate of divorce in China is on the rise. With about 10,000 divorces being registered in this country in a day, this country experiences the highest rates of divorce in the world. This is a clear indication that divorced women are no longer stigmatized in the current Chinese society.
List of References
Chen, W 2012, The Changing Pattern of Educational Differentials in Divorce in the Context of Gender Egalitarianization, Population Research and Policy Review, vol. 31. no. 6, pp. 831-853
Fincher, H 2013, ‘Women’s rights at Risk’, Dissent, vol. 60. no. 2, pp. 36-40, viewed 7 October 2014, via EbscoHost Academic Search Premier.
Hinsch, B 2002, Women in early imperial China, Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham.
Hou, X, 2014, ‘Dissecting China’s Rise: Controversies over the China Model’, China Perspectives, vol. 5. no. 2, pp. 61-67, viewed 7 October 2014, via EbscoHost Academic Search Premier.
Kaplan, S & Langdon, S 2012, ‘Chinese fandom and potential marketing strategies for expanding the market for American professional sports into China’, International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, vol. 5. no. 11, pp. 7-21, viewed 7 October 2014, via EbscoHost Academic Search Premier.
Kuhn, R 2011, How China’s leaders think: The inside story of China’s past, current, and future leaders, John Wiley & Sons, Singapore.
Ross, K 2010, ‘An army of bachelors? China’s Male Population as a World Threat’, Journal of Asia Pacific Studies, vol. 1. no. 2, pp. 338-363, viewed 7 October 2014, via EbscoHost Academic Search Premier.
Ryan, J 2003, Chinese women and the global village: An Australian site, University of Queensland Press, St. Lucia.
Walton, J 2014, ‘Old time religion in new China: Alternative movements in the post-Mao era’, Cross Currents, vol. 64. no. 2, pp. 262-281, viewed 7 October 2014, via EbscoHost Academic Search Premier.
Yao, W 2014, ‘The New Middle Kingdom: The Symbolic Power of the Confucius Institute’s Pedagogical Approach’, China Media Research, vol. 10. no. 1, pp. 4-12, viewed 7 October 2014, via EbscoHost Academic Search Premier.
Notes
Chen, W 2012, The Changing Pattern of Educational Differentials in Divorce in the Context of Gender Egalitarianization, Population Research and Policy Review, vol. 31. no. 6, pp. 831-853
The perception of women as weak partners in marriage is changing because the are increasingly getting empowered through education
Gender-based discrimination has been eliminated in China and other neighboring countries.
Fincher, H 2013, ‘Women’s rights at Risk’, Dissent, vol. 60. no. 2, pp. 36-40, viewed 7 October 2014, via EbscoHost Academic Search Premier.
The society is yet to consider women as equal partners in marriage.
Court rulings in China still favour men in many ways
Hinsch, B 2002, Women in early imperial China, Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham.
Women as caretakers and bearers of children
Women as subordinate to men in a marriage context
Hou, X, 2014, ‘Dissecting China’s Rise: Controversies over the China Model’, China Perspectives, vol. 5. No. 2, pp. 61-67, viewed 7 October 2014, via EbscoHost Academic Search Premier.
Cases of divorce in China are at all time high
Women are becoming more intolerant to mistreatment in families
Kaplan, S & Langdon, S 2012, ‘Chinese fandom and potential marketing strategies for expanding the market for American professional sports into China’, International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, vol. 5. no. 11, pp. 7-21, viewed 7 October 2014, via EbscoHost Academic Search Premier.
China’s emerging rising middle class
The increasing economic role of women in China’s economy
Kuhn, R 2011, How China’s leaders think: The inside story of China’s past, current, and future leaders, John Wiley & Sons, Singapore.
The Chinese male chauvinist leadership
The struggle of women to gain political power
Ross, K 2010, ‘An army of bachelors? China’s Male Population as a World Threat’, Journal of Asia Pacific Studies, vol. 1. No. 2, pp. 338-363, viewed 7 October 2014, via EbscoHost Academic Search Premier.
Increasing number of divorce cases in China
Most of the divorce cases are initiated by women.
Ryan, J 2003, Chinese women and the global village: An Australian site, University of Queensland Press, St. Lucia.
The level of education among Chinese women is on the rise
The Chinese society is open to the global world
Walton, J 2014, ‘Old time religion in new China: Alternative movements in the post-Mao era’, Cross Currents, vol. 64. No. 2, pp. 262-281, viewed 7 October 2014, via EbscoHost Academic Search Premier.
The changing culture in China
Exposure of Chinese women to the Western culture
Yao, W 2014, ‘The New Middle Kingdom: The Symbolic Power of the Confucius Institute’s Pedagogical Approach’, China Media Research, vol. 10. no. 1, pp. 4-12, viewed 7 October 2014, via EbscoHost Academic Search Premier.