“Till death do us part” is an extremely familiar phrase that is commonly associated with marriage. It is a phrase that comes from the marriage liturgy in the Book of Common Prayer. Despite that many couples agree to remain with their partner until death when they say the words “I do”, many marriages will end with divorce instead of death. It appears that as time is progressing, divorce is becoming a more and more frequent occurrence, especially in the United States. As divorce is becoming more common, it is becoming a greater social issue in America. I want to discuss exactly why divorce is a social issue, particularly because it only appears to affect two people, and how sociology helps society to understand it.
The effects of divorce reach beyond just the two individuals directly involved.
It was in 1969 that the governor of California enacted what was essentially the “no-fault divorce bill” that basically allowed any couple within the borders of California to get a divorce for realistically no reason at all (Wilcox, 2009). Within the next 10 to 15 years, every other state in the U.S. adopted a bill that was similar to the one in California. Since then, divorce rates have obviously been on the rise. According to Centers for Disease Control and Protection, in 2009 there were about 6.8 marriages per 1,000 of the total population and there were 3.4 divorces per 1,000 of the total population. Even though these numbers only account for 0.68 percent and 0.34 percent of the population respectively, this still entails that approximately 50 percent of marriages ended in divorce in 2009 (Centers, 2012). Divorce affects beyond the two individuals that are married, even more so when children are involved. According to National Affairs, around 1 million children have witnessed their parents go through a divorce. This affects society more deeply than perhaps a lot of people realize. Sociologist Paul Amato estimated that if there was the same level of family stability as there was in the 1960’s, the United States would have “750,000 fewer children repeating grades, 1.2 million fewer school suspensions, approximately 500,000 fewer acts of teenage delinquency, about 600,000 fewer kids receiving therapy, and approximately 70,000 fewer suicide attempts every year” (Wilcox, 2009). It is apparent that this is, in fact, a social issue.
It is through sociology that we can better understand why divorce is such a common occurrence particularly in the United States. In the textbook, Sociology: The Essentials, it explains that there are multiple factors that can contribute. Typically, when thinking of the causes of divorces, I and perhaps many other people, imagine that there are problems between the husband and wife that can’t seemed to be resolved. Therefore, divorce appears to be the only viable solution. Yet, Sociology: The Essentials offers a lot more insight to really why the divorce rate is so high in America. Demographic alterations are actually legitimate causes for the increase of divorces. This is because, as the textbook explained perfectly, “in earlier eras, people died younger…Some marriages that earlier would have ended with death of a spouse may now be dissolved with divorce” (Anderson, 2009). When looking at more cultural-based factors, individualism has become a cultural norm in society. With individualism in marriage, it puts a stronger emphasis on an individual’s personal satisfaction instead of their spouse’s. This social norm results in individuals breaking the bonds of marriage solely out of unhappiness. One final reason for the growing number of divorces in America that is given in Sociology: The Essentials is that as time has progressed, women’s roles have changed. As the roles of women have altered over time, women have become less financially dependent on men whereas in earlier years, marriage was necessary for some women to achieve financial stability (Anderson, 2009). When examining societal changes and norms, it makes it easier to understand and visualize why, exactly, divorce has gradually become more common over the years.
To conclude, it is apparent that divorce is more frequent in society today. Divorce is a social issue and can potential impact many people, especially children. Perhaps what is most intriguing about this is that societal norms and ideals influence marriages/divorces, which in turn, affects society. Sociology is able to identify this and even explain certain aspects of this cycle which is what makes sociology such an interesting and valuable study.
This article is from Web M.D. and it discusses how divorce negatively affects children’s academic performance and social skills: http://children.webmd.com/news/20110602/divorce-affects-kids-academic-social-skills
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