1. Introduction

When couples recite their vows upon marriage, they usually do not anticipate that their “tying the knot” might be a Gordian one, severed by the divorce court. Indeed, immediately after walking down the aisle, couples are filled with joy and happiness and many promises of a good life together and assumptions that their relationship will last. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, divorce rates are 3.2 per 1000 people (“National”). Divorce rates in the United Statesremain high. What many people are unaware of is that married life is not an extended honeymoon of bliss. Rather, a life together is a tough journey in which the couple are expected to cope with the ups and downs—the “for better, for worse” phrase that they promise to see each other through. However, what the couple probably do not anticipate are long series of fights and makeups, emotional and financial stress, child care issues, and other facets that make up the “irreconcilable differences” that are noted in divorce papers. Indeed, divorce have been on the rise in the modern world, especially in the United States (Goldstein 409). The rise in the rate of divorce in the US has been attributed to infidelity, communication breakdown, abuse, lack of intimacy, and many other issues (Scott et al 131). Traditionally, divorce is viewed in a negative light, with a focus on the devastating effects on the family units that dissolve in court. This research paper addresses the effects that the rise in divorce cases in the U.S. have on the family, especially the children born from the marriage, parent-child relationship, financial constraints, and the society in general.By looking at several qualitative and quantitative case studies that examine the psychological and social impacts of divorce, this paper argues that divorce has positive effects on participants, as it enables them to cope with hardship and empower themselves as they move on with their lives.

2. Research Question

The main research question that guides the research is “What are the effects of the rise of divorce cases in America?”

3. Theoretical Framework

The theoretical framework that will be used in answering the research question is family stress theory, divorce-stress-adjustment theory, selection perspective, the parental loss perspective, and the economic hardship theory. The family stress theory asserts that divorce has a potential impact on children. Divorce crisis falls on to the children and custodial parents (Peterson, Leigh and Day 1). In divorced relationships, children have experiences with custodial and non-custodial parents after a divorce occurs in their families. The family stress theory also argues that individuals and the relationship are critical variables that explain the need for adequately accommodating the situation after divorce and the impact on children. The family must be able to accommodate the relationship and the individual. Anderson (379) states that divorce causes parental separation and this is damaging to children, the economy, society, and families. Even though not all children and parents will experience the negative effects of divorce, the seriousness of the separation should be prevented by couples promoting the sustenance of the child’s biological family.

The divorce-stress-adjustment theory or perspective and the selection theory are two approaches to understanding the causes of divorce and the reasons behind their rise in American society. The divorce-stress-adjustment theory asserts that divorce is as a result of a partner feeling estrangement from the partner (Rosenberg 47).  The spouses later make the decision to separate and then they adjust after the divorce. Divorce is seen as a stressor with which people learn to adjust by altering the flexibility levels and depending on the economic and social implications of the discard.  The selection perspective of divorce denotes that cohabitation is a major contribution to the rise of divorce cases. Relationship stress varies for married and cohabited families with the stress functioning affected by the family type (Williams and Jacob 78). People who cohabit in marriage tend to enter into irreconcilable differences that increase the likelihood of poor marital quality and divorce. These people have a greater tendency of marital interaction, increased marital disagreements, proneness to divorce and increased divorce. Individuals in cohabitation and grew up in divorced parents, have low education, hold non-traditional attitudes towards marriage and non-religious have a likeliness of divorcing than their counterparts.

The parental loss perspective is also a theory that explains the effects of divorce on children. This theory assumes that a family with two parents is a superior environment for the growth of a child when compared to a single parent family. Therefore, both parents make significant resources for their children in terms of practical support, general management and emotional maintenance. Both parents are the role models of a child to learn social competence including negotiation, compromise, and co-operation. Based on these assumptions, the theory concludes that the absence of one of the parents causes a socialization problem in the life of the child. Therefore, divorce makes children to experience a decreased contact with the non-custodial parent (Anderson 381). The custodial parents are also working and do not get the quality time and required energy to dedicate to the children. The child experiences loss of parental assistance that causes many of their problems such as achievement in academics, misconduct and little self-esteem. Single parenthood is also associated with the weaker parental organization of authority leading to children misbehaving and problems of premarital pregnancy, truancy, and felony.

The economic hardship theory helps in explaining the financial difficulties for the custodial parent as a result of the rising of divorce in America including poor housing and inability to pay bills (Williams and Jacob 76). The perspective holds that marital dissolution leads to economic hardship which is highly accountable to the problems that children face after divorce. Especially mothers who remain with these children after marriage dissolution, their patterns of living are disoriented before they adjust to families headed by mothers. The reduction of relentlessness in the pattern of living amplifies the many problems that the children experience after divorce including poor diet, health and compromised academic success. The economic hardship theory compliments the family stress approach that describes the financial strain felt by parents affects their mental health and child adjustment (Scaramella, Sohr-Preston, Callahan and Mirabile 530). The economic hardship theory also explains the effect of divorce on society. Children growing in low socio-economic status such as low-income families are a likely reason for them to leave school, engage in irresponsible behaviors and increased crime rates in society. Therefore, divorce is a major cause of disorder in society.

4. Nature and Significance of the Topic

Divorce is a sensitive subject that many would not wish to go through or experience in their life after entering marriage. There are different reasons that lead to people getting a divorce including desertion, adultery, and frustration among others (Scott et al. 131). Divorce cases are on the rise in America today when compared to earlier times. The topic of divorce cases and its rise in America is important in understanding why divorce is occurring presently at an increasing rate. The subject is also important in learning the effects of divorce at a wider perspective including the impact on children, the relationship to the parent, the society, and the financial difficulties.

5. Hypothesis

H₀ – There are no significant effects on the rise of divorce cases in America

H₁ – There are significant effects of the rise in divorce cases in America

Definition of Key Terms and Concepts

Divorce – it is the legal termination of marriage

Divorce rate – it is the measure at which the present marriages are ending in divorce on a yearly basis. Specifically, the divorce rate is the number of separations that are occurring out of every one thousand married women.

Co-parenting – it is a shared parenting even though the parents to the child are already divorced with the aim of protecting the rights of the children to receive care and love from the two parents.

The sleeper effect – the child who goes through divorce develops guilt, anxiety, anger and fear that goes to adulthood and affects their ability to make important decisions in life.

Feminization of poverty – women are becoming poor after divorce due to lack of money to support themselves and their families.

6. The Intellectual Conversation for the Argument

The intellectual conversation within which the argument of the essay is intervening is through examination of the rise in divorce rates in American and its effects.

Effects of Rising Number of Divorce Cases in America

Children

Divorce has a significant impact on children. According to research, 50% of children have witnessed the cases of breakdown of their parents’ marriage (Smart et al. 244). Many of these children become victims of abuse as they are more likely to develop emotional, behavioral, and health problems. It is also evident that when parents end their marriage most of the single parents spend a lot of time at work but very little time with their children. What follows is that the children spend most of their time alone, and with lack of parental guidance, they engage in sexual activities especially during their teenage period. Nonetheless, daughters from divorced marriages experience difficulties when it comes to believing whether they are lovable and how their femininity is valued.  On the other hand, the sons show weaknesses in relating with women either romantically, at schools or workplaces. Such kind of children may demonstrate the unwillingness to bear children, and they are more likely to experience higher rates of divorce in their later life. These confirm Amato and Sobolewski (900) findings that children exposed to parental divorce as they grow up experience high levels of psychological distress in their adulthood. Relationship stability during their adulthood is highly affected due to the subsequent psychological distress the children developed as they grow up. It shows that both parent-child relationships are important for the children’s well-being and at their early adulthood.

The Relationship between Child and the Parent

The relationship between the child and the parent is weakenedbecause divorce comes as a result of the negative feelings and emotions developed from the whole process. Amato and Afifi (231) state that the divorce of parents causes another separation of the children from their parents. There is a parental conflict with the children immediately after the divorce and these cause a decline in the relationship between the parent and the kids. Sometimes it becomes difficult for a parent to recognize how their children may be struggling with the issue because they are so much into the incident wondering how and why it happened. The set of problems that parents undergo immediately after divorce is stressing and this weakens the parent-child relationship and especially for the divorced mothers (Kalmijn 1187). In this case, the children may feel abandoned and inadequate if the parent fails to comfort them. Many cases of divorce trigger unwanted pregnancies as the cheating partner may engage in extramarital affairs resulting in more incidences of children born out of wedlock. This brings another problem between the stepchildren and the step parents. The bonding may seem low because parents may have fewer feelings towards these children.

Financial Difficulties

The whole process of divorce is a financial hurdle since the whole processes involved for it to go through requires a lot of money. It is difficult to predict how much it would cost but the fact of the matter remains that families suffer from the spending. Divorce causes a reduction in the household income as half of the parents’ financial boost is no longer available to cover for the expenses required at home. Edwards (7) state that children raised up in a single parent family is more likely to experience poverty than those living with both parents. This leads to low living standards as opposed to when the couple lived together which affects children regarding clothing, proper nutrition, and school choices. Also, the single parents left behind with the children may result in looking for better jobs to care for their families. This forces the parents to leave their children in daycares that also charge some fee for the service. It means that children raised by single parents do not have a likeliness of experiencing an increase in financial mobility (Anderson 381). According to Goldstein, a single parent who recently divorced, specifically a woman, may experience feelings of unhappiness, loneliness, and depression while trying to juggle between making ends meet to support her life and that of the children (411). When the divorce process completes, the assets are divided equally between the spouses meaning that now a single parent will no longer enjoy the same privileges they were exposedto. This forces them to cut on costs to try and balance the survival tactics.

Effects on Society

Nevertheless, the rates of divorce have some effects on society as marriage is perceived to be the foundation of a family (Anderson 379). The family, on the other hand, is a building block for the society today. The founding seems to be crumbling with more adults divorcing while a few of them are entering into marriage. With regards to the high divorce rate in the US, there is an increase in crime in the society. According to the Amato and Sobolewski (900), children with no biological fathers are three times more likely to engage in crime as compared to those living with intact families. There is also a worrying trend which suggests the destruction of social harmony coupled with the cases of children from divorced parents who fail to marry and build families.

7. Counterargument

On the contrary, divorce has been seen by others as having positive impacts on the partners. Sever et al (7) state that divorce gives parents and children a better atmosphere to adjust and cope with their new lifestyle. The parent and the children receive reciprocal support or act in a way to come up with a two-way-support system that yields the best outcomes in the family (Mohi 50).   The give-and-take structure in the single-parent family helps in a better communication between children and the parent. That way, the children can overcome their insecurities in a better way and are aware of their needs and that of their parents. Children from divorced parents tend to seek ways of achieving support in the family as they get empowered by the new lifestyle, empathy, and status in the family. The children can acknowledge the complexity of the situation with parents and form a better relationship with the custodial parent that will ultimately give them realistic expectations of a better life without violence or fighting parents. The children’s and parent’s self-confidence, inner strength and a greater sense of responsibility are developed as a result of divorce. Children are also able to accept the choices of their parents, strengths, and weaknesses as well as make peace with them after the divorce. The custodial parent also gives the children the motivation to have a sense of commitment to their relationships in the future (Mohi 50).

Divorce makes parents independent and results in an improved sense of responsibility for the children. Bernstein (711) states that parental divorce does not necessarily lead to the insecurity of the children and the custodial parent. The fear of abandonment is the main influence of insecurity. The ability of a spouse to undergo the divorce process through a positive interpretation and experience will influence better outcomes. The parent possesses more sympathy as part of the supportive coping style during the divorce process (Mohi 51). The experience of divorce also gives the custodial parent enthusiasm resulting from the motivation gained through the stressful time of the divorce process. A person realizes the importance of appreciating relationships and a greater sense of gratitude towards those who love them. Their perspective toward young people changes, and they develop a less judgmental approach to life.

8. Conclusion

In conclusion, divorce remains a fact of life in the United States. The research shows that the cases of divorce in the U.S. remains high due to incidences of infidelity, communication breakdown, abuse, and other differences that lead to couples splitting up. The rise of divorce cases in the U.S. has affected children, parent-child relationship, the society, and has resulted in financial difficulties for the custodial parent, as parents must pay for court costs as well as rebuilding their lives. Single parents are more prone to file for bankruptcy or enter a lower standard of living, including poverty. Divorce has weakened relationships between parent and children, and the institution of family has been undermined in the society.

Despite these hardships, however, there are signs that divorce offers positive benefits. Divorce is often a last resort for failed marriages, and the they offer a source of comfort and new beginnings for couples, albeit not easy ones.In addition, even though divorce strains family relationships, it can also strengthen them as children and parents turn to each other for emotional support as they cope. The custodial parents and their children also develop a greater sense of responsibility towards each other and toward life. These positive aspects suggest that the blanket condemnation of divorce is unwarranted. Rather, it is necessary to adopt a new outlook on the subject as some divorce cases are inevitable and spouses must split to get on with their lives and, at times, for the safety and well-being of the children. Future research should focus on developing the positive outcomes of divorce from the perspective of both the parents and the children. This approach will be useful to stop holding on the one-sided understanding of the negative effects of divorce on children, parent-child relationship, financial difficulties to the custodial parent and the society at large.

Works Cited

Anderson, Jane. “The Impact of Family Structure on the Health of Children: Effects of Divorce” Linacre Quarterly vol. 81, no.4, 2014, pp. 378-387.

Amato, Paul R., and Sobolewski Juliana. “The Effects of Divorce and Marital Discord on Adult Children’s Psychological Well-Being” American Sociological Review, 2001, pp. 900-921.

Amato, Paul. and Afifi Tamara. “Feeling Caught Between Parents: Adult Children’s Relations with Parents and Subjective Well-Being.” Journal of Marriage and Family, vol. 68, no. 1, 2006, p.231.

Bernstein, Rosemary, Dacher Keltner, and Heidemarie Laurent. “Parental Divorce and Romantic Attachment in Young Adulthood.” Marriage and Family Review, vol.48, 2012, pp.711-731.

Edwards, Ashley. “Dynamics of Economic Well-being: Poverty, 2009–2001” Household Economic Studies, 2014. United States Census Bureau.

Goldstein, Joshua R. “The Leveling of Divorce in the United States.” Demography, vol. 36, no. 3, 1999, pp. 409-414.

Kalmijn, Matthijs. “Adult Children’s Relationships With Married Parents, Divorced Parents, and Stepparents: Biology, Marriage, or Residence?” Journal of Marriage & Family, vol. 75, no. 5, 2013, p.1187.

Mohi, Grant. “Positive Outcomes of Divorce: A Multi-Method Study on the Effects of Parental Divorce on Children.” The University of Central Florida Undergraduate Research Journal, vol.7, no.2, 2015, pp.49-62.

Peterson, Gary, Geoffrey Leigh, and Randal Day. “Family Stress Theory and the Impact of Divorce on Children.” Journal of Divorce, 2008, pp. 1-20.

“National Center for Health Statistics.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/marriage-divorce.htm. Accessed 15 Dec. 2018.

Rosenberg, Amy. Divorce-Stress-Adjustment Perspective. Springer, 2011.

Scaramella Laura, Sohr-Preston Sara, Callahan Kristin, and Mirabile Scott. “A Test of the Family Stress Model on toddler-aged children’s adjustment among Hurricane Katrina impacted and non-impacted low-income families” Journal of clinical child and adolescent psychology: the official journal for the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division 53 vol. 37, no.3, 2008, pp.530-541.

Sever, Ilana, Joseph Guttmann, and Amnon Lazar. “Positive Consequences of Parental Divorce Among Israeli Young Adults: A Long-Term Effect Model” Marriage and Family Review, vol.42, 2007, pp.7-28.

Smart, Carol, Bren Neale, and Amanda Wade. The Changing Experience of Childhood: Families and Divorce. Polity Press, 2001.

Scott, Shelby, Rhoades Galena, Stanley Scott, Allen Elizabeth, and Markman Howard. “Reasons for Divorce and Recollections of Premarital Intervention: Implications for Improving Relationship Education.” Couple & family psychology, vol.2, no.2, 2013, pp.131-145.

Williams, Deadric T. and Jacob E. Cheadle. “Economic Hardship, Parents’ Depression, and Relationship Distress among Couples with Young Children.” Society and Mental Health, vol. 6, no. 2, 2016, pp. 73-89.

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