Divorce: Before and After

1
Chapter 16

• Divorce Before and After

2
Chapter Outline

• Todays High Divorce Rate
• Why Are Couples Divorcing
• Thinking About Divorce Weighing the Alternatives
• Getting the Divorce
• The Economic Consequences of Divorce

3
Chapter Outline

• Divorce and Children
• His and Her Divorce
• Forming Families the Next Generation
• Should Divorce Be Harder to Get?
• Surviving Divorce

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Divorce Rate
5
Divorce Rate
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Difficulties in Reporting Divorces

• Number of divorces per year - There may be more
  divorces because there are more people.
• Ratio of current marriages to current divorces -
  Marriages took place in the current year, but
  divorces are from earlier marriages.
• Crude divorce rate - Includes those, such as
  children and unmarried, not at risk for divorce.

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How Divorces Are Reported

• Lifetime records of marriage and divorce -
  doesnt apply to younger couples because
  socio-historical conditions change over time.
• Refined divorce rate - does not predict whether
  ones marriage will end in divorce.

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Living Arrangements of Children Under 18 by
Race/ethnicity, 2000
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Why Are Couples Divorcing

• Loss of income increases the risk of divorce.
• Marriage has been redefined as a nonpermanent
  union.
• Spouses may enter the union with reservations and
  behave as if their marriage could end.

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Why Are Couples Divorcing

• Fewer social, legal and moral constraints.
• Having divorced parents increases the likelihood
  of divorce.

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Demographic and Behavioral Factors Related to
Divorce Rates

• Remarried mates are more likely to divorce.
• Premarital sex and cohabitation before marriage
  increase the likelihood of divorce, but only when
  these take place with someone other than the
  future marital partner.
• Premarital pregnancy and childbearing increase
  the risk of divorce in a subsequent marriage.

12
Demographic and Behavioral Factors Related to
Divorce Rates

• Young children stabilize a marriage.
• A government survey reported that as of 1996
  blacks had the highest cumulative divorce
  percentage (48) with non-Hispanic whites and
  Hispanics at about 40 and Asian/Pacific
  Islanders at 24.

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Depression Levels and Relationships
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Of Families With Incomes Below the Poverty Level
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Perspectives Negative Effects of Divorce on
Children

• Life stress - accumulation of stressors results
  in problems for children of divorce.
• Parental loss - assumes both parents in the same
  house is best for children.
• Parental adjustment - quality of parenting is
  important in childrens adjustment to divorce.

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Reasons for Negative Effectsof Divorce on
Children

• Economic hardship - assumes the economic hardship
  caused is responsible for problems faced by
  children with divorced parents.
• Interparental conflict - conflict between parents
  is responsible for the lowered well-being of
  children of divorce.

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His and Her Divorce

• Both ex-spouses are victims.
• The first year after divorce is stressful for
  both ex-spouses.
• If economic discrimination faced by women and
  gender role expectations faced by men were
  eliminated, the difficulties could be alleviated.

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Her Divorce

• Women who were married a long time lose the
  identity associated with their husbands status.
• Older women have few opportunities for career
  development.
• Divorced mothers must provide financial and day
  to day support for their children.
• Custodial mothers struggle with money, scheduling
  and discipline problems.

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His Divorce

• Anger, grief and loneliness may be aggravated by
  the male gender role which discourages them from
  sharing feelings with other men.
• Noncustodial fathers retain the financial
  obligations of fatherhood while experiencing
  fewer of its joys.
• Visitation is often awkward and superficial.

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Quick Quiz
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• 1. One model discussed in the text argues that
  spouses weigh their marital happiness against
  alternatives to the marriage as well as barriers
  to divorce. This design is derived from which
  theoretical perspective?
• functionalist
• exchange
• conflict
• interactionist

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Answer b

• One model discussed in the text argues that
  spouses weigh their marital happiness against
  alternatives to the marriage as well as barriers
  to divorce. This design is derived from the
  exchange theoretical perspective.

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• 2. Remaining child-free is associated with a
  higher likelihood of divorce.
• True
• False

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Answer True

• Remaining child-free is associated with a higher
  likelihood of divorce.

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• 3. Having parents who divorced does not increase
  the likelihood of divorcing.
• True
• False

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Answer F

• Having parents who divorced does increase the
  likelihood of divorcing

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• 4. Experts agree that adjusting to divorce is
  easier for children and parents when former
  spouses
• recognize the inevitability of conflict.
• cooperate.
• are business partners.
• are affiliated with some organized religion.

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Answer b

• Experts agree that adjusting to divorce is
  easier for children and parents when former
  spouses cooperate.