Assignment 7: Divorce

Divorce is something that has become a very common thing within our society. Many people automatically assume the rising divorce rates over the past few decades are a result of more unhappy marriages. There seems to be the belief that the happy, thriving, perfect, lifelong image of the American nuclear family of the past is simply fading away, which is upsetting to some. The statistics surround divorce can be unsettling for couples who are thinking about entering into a lifelong partnership or are already in one. Infact, in this day in age "about 23% of marriage not to mention 55% of cohabitations end in divorce or separation within the first five years . The figure jumps to 33% after 10 years and 43% after 15 years (Newman 223)." However, there are many overlooked variables that have contributed to the drastic change in our societies acceptance and availability of divorce including changes in law, growing independence of women, and the overall changing attitudes toward marriage and divorce.  

Here is a brief history of divorce laws in the United States:
One of the biggest factors contributing to the higher divorce rates of today's world is the fact laws have changed that have made divorce a more accessible. Up until the late 20th century divorce was something that was relatively taboo and unheard of. A law in 1857 called Matrimonial Causes Act made it legal for "ordinary" people to divorce (whatever that means). Before this, divorce was not really an option for women, and was incredibly expensive, making open only to higher class men. Under this new law women who wanted a divorce from their husbands not only had to prove adultery, but also had to additional faults such as rape, incest, or cruelty. In order to get a divorce, adultery had to be proved up until 1937 when a law passed allowing divorce under circumstances of drunkenness, insanity, and desertion. This presented to be a daunting task, and many women simply put up with their broken marraiges instead of having to go through the complicated divorce process.The Divorce Reform Act of 1969 brought on huge social change, allowing couples to divorce if they had been separated for two years (or five if only one wanted a divorce. This made divorce much less complicated, since women no longer had to prove the wrongdoing of their husbands. The marriage simply had to be "broken" in order to terminate it. After the passing of this law, divorce rates skyrocketed. It was a revolutionary period in the history of the United States and has had a great influence on our societal norms we have today surrounding relationships, marriage, family, etc. 

Along with the passing of these laws, women's liberation acts  have given women the opportunity to be independent and support themselves without a husband. During the late 1900's the feminist movement was in full swing. Women were being accepted more into the working world, and finally had access to the tools they needed to support themselves financially. Previously, women simply did not have the option to get an education, get a job, and live independently. Husbands were relied upon to be the breadwinners, and the financial support for the family, while women were constrained to household duties and child care. The conditions of these times for women were extremely restricting making it difficult for women to leave unhappy or abusive relationships, since they really did not have much of an option to live independently from their husbands and survive on their own. Nowadays, these roles are much less prevalent and women have the options and freedoms to live independently and support themselves and children on their own. 

Overall, the stigma surrounding divorce has been reduced over time. People's values have shifted and marriage no longer holds the same importance to many. Tolerance for a greater variation of families has also increased, and our norms around family are changing. As result of these changes, societal views and availability of divorce have been transformed. It is very common for a child to grow up with divorced parents, for children to have step parents and step siblings, and for people to even get multiple divorces. As it says in the book, "In the past, when economic needs—not to mention constraints such as parental expectations or religious norms—held couples together, people “made do” with loveless, unsatisfying marriages because they had to. But when these constraints do not exist, people are less willing to make do (Newman 224-225)." I do not think that the actual relationships have changed much at all, instead the normalization of divorce is the product of structural, societal and historical processes. On a personal level,or micro level,  people tend to look at personality differences, and personal flaws for being the reason for divorce. But from a sociological standpoint, we can look at how divorce is a reflection of societal events such as changes in law, and values, a reduced stigma around divorce and the emancipation of women.  


Works Cited:
Newman, David (2012). Sociology:Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life: 9th Edition. SAGE Publications.