Assignment #6: "Trend essay" (first draft)

Take a second to think about how many people you know who have been through a divorce. I'm willing to bet that everybody at least knows one person who has gotten a divorce. Divorce seems so common now a days. Usually when I hear that somebody is getting married, I don't think about if it will last, I think about how long it will last. Why has the divorce rate increased? Why has it become such a trend?

“According to the current divorce rate statistics, 50% of marriages end in divorce.” Divorce rate in America after the first marriage is from 41% to 50%. Divorce rate after the second marriage is from 60% to 67%. The divorce rate actually goes about from the first marriage to the second marriage. It only rises higher after the third marriage were 73% to 74% of marriages end in divorce. American marriages also last longer if the women grew up with both parents: “White women who were raised by a two-parent family have a 29 percent chance that their marriage will end after 10 years of marriage. But a white women who was raised without an intact family has a 41 percent chance that her marriage will end in the same period” (Bramlett and Mosher). Black women who grew up with both parents in the household decreases the chances that the women will get a divorce.

Statistics show that it is very common for couples without children to get a divorce: “Sociologists believe that childlessness is also a common cause of divorce. The absence of children leads to loneliness and weariness and even in the United States, at least 66 percent of all divorced couples are childless.”

Kids seem to keep a marriage intact. More often then not couples are less likely to divorce if they have children: “Which is particularly interesting because study show that happiness in a marriage decreases once children are born” (Faust). But having children is no reason to stay in a marriage. Sometimes in order to fix a marriage, people have children. Divorce on children often has a negative effect: “Adjustment to the changes in the family is affected by the degree to which parents are able to continue positive relationship with their children despite conflict with the other parent” (Raab). After a divorce, one of the worst things you could do is ask children to carry information between parents. Don't get the children involved with your arguments and problems: "The lesson here is simple. Destructive comments about your ex can impact your children in many negative ways. It creats anxiety and insecurity. It raises their level of fear. It makes them question how much they can trust you and your opinions --or trust themselves. And it adds a level of unhappiness into their lives that they do not need...or deserve" (Sedacca). Also tell your child or children that it is not your fault. So many young kids come to the conclusion that their parents splitting up is their fault.

The financial troubles in American are causing rifts in people's marriages. More so then usual. Financial issues have been a top cause for divorce for a while now. But many people are losing their jobs and are having trouble brining in money and it is causing marriages to become strained:

“The need of the hour is for the couples who think that
credit crunch is making their life worse , money worries
is causing more clash , and the only thing that can rescue
them is a divorce! Unfortunately that's really not the wise
way out, in fact divorce can provoke much more financial
qualms and it's not at all an easy ride! A bad economy got
its pro's and cons on marriages. What actually determines
the chance of a marriage's triumph is the determination and
strength of will of the people involved in it!" (Kalid).

So even though people are having trouble in their marriages they can't afford to get a divorce. Many people are staying together because they don't have the money to go through a long divorce or pay child support. In many cases it is just easier to stay together.

Divorce affects everyone. It effects the couple and their relationships in the future. And it especially effects the children. Although staying in an unhappy marriage for your kids is never good, its just as bad seperating the kids from one of their parents.


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"After Divorce: Bashing Your Ex Is Bad News For Your Children." Basilandspice.com 29 Nov. 2009. General OneFile. Web. 7 Dec. 2009. .