Relationships, Marriage, and Family - Divorce and Remarriage (SOCI 1306 Sociology)

Relationships, Marriage, and Family SOCI 1306 Divorce and Remarriage Even though they are now quite popular and acceptable in American society, divorce used to be a term that was only said in whispers and was often met with looks of disgust. Divorce was quite rare in 1960, impacting only 9.1% of married individuals. By 1975, the figure had more than doubled (to 20.3), and it reached its peak in 1980 at 22.6. Divorce rates have gradually decreased over the past 25 years and are currently comparable to those of 1970 (Wang 2020). The liberalisation of divorce laws and the changing demographics of society brought about by more women joining the workforce after the 1960s have been linked to the sharp rise in divorce rates (Michael 1978). Three likely reasons account for the decline in divorce rates: Two factors that have been found to support higher marital stability are first, an increase in the average age at which individuals marry, and second, an increase in the educational attainment of those who do marry. The decline in both the marriage and divorce rates is the third contributing element. The number of new marriages per 1,000 women aged 15 and older in the US decreased to 16.3 in 2019 from 17.6 in 2009 (Anderson 2020). In the United States, divorce is not equally common among all individuals; certain groups of people are more prone to divorce than others. The American Community Survey (ACS) indicates that the Northeast and Midwest have the lowest divorce rates for both men and women. Divorce rates are greatest in the South generally. The South probably has higher divorce rates than other regions since marriage rates are greater there and marriages there often take place at younger ages. The divorce rate is lower in the Northeast because there is a lower marriage rate there and a tendency for first marriages to be postponed (Reynolds 2020). Remember that these are broad generalisations. For instance, according to Anderson (2020), the District of Columbia has one of the lowest divorce rates while having a high marriage rate. What then leads to divorce? Even though a growing number of young people are delaying or forgoing marriage, those who do so do so with the hope that it will endure. Stress, particularly financial stress, is a major contributor to many marital issues. Researchers involved in the University of Virginia's National Marriage Project have found that after three years, couples without a substantial asset base—such as a home, savings, or retirement plan—have a 70% higher chance of divorcing than those with at least $10,000 in assets. This is related to variables that are correlated with low wages, such as age and educational attainment. A marriage experiences more emotional and financial strain when children are introduced. Studies have shown that the birth of the first child marks the beginning of the most stressful phase of a marriage (Popenoe and Whitehead 2007). This especially applies to couples with multiples (twins, triplets, etc.). Compared to single-birth families, married couples with twins or triplets had a 17% higher divorce rate (McKay 2010). A general downward trend in marital happiness over time is another factor that increases the chance of divorce. People may discover that as they age, their values and aspirations in life diverge from those of their partner (Popenoe and Whitehead 2004). It is believed that divorce follows a cyclical pattern. Compared to children of married parents, children of divorced parents had a 40% higher divorce rate. Furthermore, the chance of a child's own divorce increases to 91% when we take into account parents who divorced and subsequently remarried (Wolfinger 2005). This might be the outcome of socialisation to the idea that a failed marriage is something that can be replaced rather than worked out (Wolfinger 2005). This opinion is also supported by the research, which shows that a married couple's chances of divorcing are ninety percent higher when one or both of them had previously been divorced (Wolfinger 2005). In around 15% of married couples, one spouse is in their second marriage while the other is in their first. A little over 9% of married couples are in their second marriage together. 2015 U.S. Census Bureau. Just 9% of remarriages take place following a spouse's death; the bulk, or 91%, follow a divorce (Kreider 2006). Within five years following a divorce, the majority of men and women remarry; however, the median duration for males is shorter—three years—than it is for women (4.4 years). This duration has remained relatively constant since the 1950s. According to Kreider (2006), most people who remarry are in the twenty-five to forty-four age range. Remarrying is more common among White people than Black people, according to the overall remarriage trend. The procedure of getting married a second, third, or fourth time around might differ greatly from being married a first time. Many of the traditional wooing customs of a first marriage are absent from remarriage. People are less likely to struggle with premarital sex, intended family size, and parental acceptance in a second marriage (Elliot 2010). Just 8% of the homes created through remarriage were made up of the remarried couple's biological offspring, according to a poll. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2006), of the 49 percent of houses with children, 24 percent had just the woman's biological children, 3 percent contained only the man's biological children, and 9 percent contained a combination of the children from both spouses.