thesis statement about marriage and divorce

Persuasive & Argumentative Essays about Divorce: Free Tips

A divorce is a life-changing experience that affects spouses and their children (if there are any). Since divorce rates are relatively high in modern society, more and more people face this problem nowadays.

Our specialists will write a custom essay specially for you!

When you are assigned to compose an argumentative essay about divorce, you should be as careful as possible. Remember that the split-up of marriage can be a painful experience for everyone involved.

The article will give you useful advice on how to write an outstanding paper on the topic. Learn the essential features of the following types:

• persuasive essay about divorce,
• for and against essay,
• causes and effects of divorce essay,

Check tips from Custom-writing.org below and write the best paper!

• 💍 How to Write It
• 📂 Essays by Type
• ✒ Causes and Effects

✍️ Divorce Essay Topics

💍 how to write a divorce essay.

The general structure of essays on divorce is quite common:

• introduction;
• conclusion.

Yet, there are some variations of what info to include in the body, depending on the essay type. The following structure is applicable for divorce argumentative essay. To learn about the features of other types, keep on reading our article.

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Argumentative divorce essays are composed according to the standard structure:

1. Thesis Statement about Divorce

A divorce essay introduction isn’t anything extraordinary as you have to introduce your topic and position.

• You should always give broad information about the issue and state the main problems you will discuss in your writing.
• Make a general statement about the consequences of divorce or the common divorce effects on people.
• Then write your thesis statement on divorce. Clearly explain to the audience the topic you’re going to discuss and your position on that topic. In case you find this task difficult, try using a thesis generator for argumentative essay . This will save you some time.

That’s it! Now your divorce essay introduction is ready.

What’s next?

2. Main Body

This section presents all of your ideas and arguments related to the topic of divorce.

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• Here you can write about the adverse effects of divorce on children or the most common reasons people divorce.
• Use compelling arguments and support your ideas with examples.

There are tons of surveys and statistics about divorce on the internet, so it won’t be too challenging to gather the information you need.

3. Conclusion

In the last paragraph, you have to sum up your paper and leave a final expression.

• Summarize every idea presented in your divorce essay.
• Restate your thesis statement on divorce, relying on your reasoning.
• Then list your concluding thoughts on this topic.

Make your sentences clear and easy to follow. Use synonyms to improve your writing style. Such an approach will help you convince the readers and express your thoughts better.

📂 Divorce Essays by Type

The content and reasoning of each paper on divorce depend primarily on the type of essay . See the following sections to understand how to write each of them.

Here are a few types you can consider:

Get an originally-written paper according to your instructions!

Argumentative Essay about Divorce

When it comes to divorce, there are many disputable topics—for example, the reasons people separate or its impact on children. It’s easy to find support and statistics for both issues. And you’ll need them as facts are a crucial part of a divorce argumentative essay.

As a starting point:

Research your idea and choose a side to support. Make sure that among all argumentative essay topics about divorce, you selected the most interesting for yourself. In your thesis statement, concisely express your position, so the reader can quickly get it.

Then, start writing the entire essay. Regardless of what type of paper you are writing—anti or pro divorce argumentative essay—your writing should meet these requirements:

• Base your points on logic;
• Present both sides of the arguments, but support only one;
• Take into consideration counterclaims;
• Support all the arguments by valid evidence;
• Use a calm, informative tone.

Don’t forget to incorporate quotes and figures to convince your readers.

Persuasive Essay about Divorce

What is the goal of writing persuasive essays ? It’s to convince your reader that your position on a particular problem is true.

Therefore, writing this paper means that you should identify an individual problem related to the topic. In the introduction of your persuasive essay about divorce, you should choose your side and deliver it to the reader.

Crucial note:

Similarly to an argumentative essay, you have to provide credible facts to support your position. Yet here, you use them to back up your opinion and persuade your reader.

While composing your persuasive essay about the legalization of divorce, remember its distinctive features:

• Based on emotions;
• Presents only one side of the argument;
• Ignores counterclaims;
• The tone is dynamic, emotionally-charged, and aggressive to some extent.

Cause and Effect Essay on Divorce

Whether it concerns old parents or a young couple, divorce typically has the same causes and effects. You can often see them clearly, even in books or movies.

The essay outline for the causes and effects of divorce essay is quite common:

• Introduction.

In your divorce essay introduction, provide a general background and compose a clear thesis statement. For example, your thesis might look like this:

A divorce, caused by the spouses’ expectations mismatch, results in a lack of communication between children and one of the parents.

In this part of your essay, investigate the cause and effect of divorce, you stated before.

For the given thesis, the main points would be the following:

The primary cause of divorce is the mismatch in the spouses’ expectations from the marriage.

The divorce often results in a lack of children’s interactions with one of the parents.

• Conclusion.

Synthesize all of your arguments and give your audience a space for a further investigation of your issue.

Narrative Essay about Divorce

If your assignment is to write a family essay, you can choose from a wide range of topics. For this purpose, a marriage essay or a divorce essay would be perfect.

In a short paper about your family, it isn’t easy to cover many topics. So choose only one.

Look through some narrative essay topics and select the one you like:

• The story of my divorce: how did I decide to break up with my spouse?
• My life completely changed after my parents divorced.
• How my life looked like before the divorce with my wife/husband and how it looks now.
• The way divorce destroys healthy communication between children and parents in my family.

For and Against Divorce Essay

As you know, both the negative and positive effects of divorce are disputable, making them appealing to discuss. There are many recent studies and relevant statistical data on the topic to help you write such an essay.

This topic would also be great for a speech on divorce.

Wondering what are the for and against divorce arguments? Take a look at the following:

✒ Divorce: Causes and Effects

We have a pleasant bonus for you! Below, you can find useful arguments and insightful ideas that you can use in your papers on divorce. Apply our concepts in any type of essay, adjusting them to your topic.

Divorce essays can cover the following issues:

Generally Known Facts on Divorces

When covering this issue in your persuasive essay on divorce, you will have to cover the problem altogether. Include the common marriage problems that psychologists all over the world study. Use their statistical data on divorces when crafting your argument.

Divorce is quite a broad topic, and you may want to narrow it down. With so much information available, you could write a research paper on divorce without any difficulty.

Statistical Data on Divorces

Good divorce essays should include enough statistical data. It will add more scientific value and reveal your research abilities. Besides, facts and figures present many exciting topics to comment on.

For example:

You can do significant research concerning divorce causes and consequences. Draw a contrast between divorce in several countries, or examine the age and education of people who officially separate more often.

Reasons for Divorces

What does an essay on divorce mean without discussion of its reasons?

Find out different sociologists’ viewpoints on the reasons for divorces. Then underline the cause you consider to be the most truthful one.

You can also provide your own theory on the grounds for divorces in your persuasive essay on divorce. The key point is to prove the accuracy of your statement.

Divorce Prevention Ideas

If there is a problem, there must be some solution. So, think of the possible ways to make a marriage work.

Investigate divorce causes from a scientific point of view. Examine the primary studies that reveal why people actually break up. Also, discuss the precautions that can help married couples avoid significant conflicts.

Effects of Divorce on Children

Parents sometimes forget that their divorce isn’t only about them but also about their children. It causes psychological problems for kids, which you can classify in your paper. Don’t forget to add some statistical data on divorce to support your arguments.

Every child reacts differently to their parents’ breakup. It’s a rare case when divorce consequences are positive, making the effects on kids an urgent topic to discuss.

Positive Effects of Divorce

Sometimes divorce isn’t a catastrophe but rather the only way to heal wounds and begin a new life. Often, people don’t recognize that they need to change their lives for the better. This situation is primarily related to abusive marriages or those with regular cheating.

In these cases, the positive effects of divorce may seem easy to understand. However, psychologists have to make great efforts to persuade people to end their relationships. Write a paper making this same argument.

• Negative outcomes of divorce on children .  
• Connection between divorce and antisocial behavior of children.  
• Family crises and the issue it causes: divorce, remarriage, stepparents, adoption. 
• Effect of divorce on teenagers ’ academic performance.  
• Causes and consequences of divorce . 
• What can be done to decrease divorce rates in America ?  
• Does parental divorce affect the rates of juvenile delinquency ? 
• The most widespread reasons for divorce .  
• Analyze marital success factors and Gottman’s predictors of divorce.  
• Impact of divorce on child’s mental health .  
• Change of divorce law throughout history.  
• Positive and negative changes in children’s behavior after divorce.  
• Divorce : a disaster or a benefit?  
• Is cheating one of the main reasons of divorce?  
• Gender stratification impact on divorce trends.  
• Effect of divorce on family relationship .  
• Do divorced parents change their child-rearing styles ?  
• List of factors typically associated with higher divorce rates .  
• The support required for all the members of divorced and single-parent families . 
• Analyze the reasons for high divorce rates . 
• Does divorce only impact adolescent in a bad way?  
• Effect of poverty on divorce rates.  
• Specifics of divorce in the UAE . 
• Does divorce lead to depression ?  
• Family therapy and its role in decreasing divorce rates.  
• The impact of divorce on children-parents relationship.  
• Evaluation of child custody in divorce proceedings.  
• How to manage the stress of divorce.   
• Effect of divorce on children’s self-esteem.  
• How to minimize the devastating consequences of divorce .  
• Addiction as the reason for divorce.  
• Effective communication in marriage and its role in preventing divorce.  
• Divorce as the only way out of an abusive relationship .  
• Financial issues of divorce and how to overcome them.  
• Parental support is the best way to help children to go through divorce .  
• How do adolescents adjust to parental divorce?  
• Do boys and girls react to the parental divorce the same way?  
• Social media can destroy relationship and lead to divorce. 
• Can Christian counseling help couples to resolve their issues and avoid divorce?  
• Poverty among divorced women.  
• Young marriage has more chances to break-up.  
• Respect is the best way to get marriage satisfaction and avoid divorce.  
• Is interfaith marriage doomed to divorce? 
• Why a successful marriage may end in divorce?  
• Marriage contract will help to facilitate the legal side of divorce process.  
• Reduction of the number of divorces . 
• Personal development after divorce.  
• How family relationships influence future marriage and divorce chances of children. 
•   Child support in case of marriage divorce.  
• Will lack of family and work balance definitely result in divorce?  

If you are stuck on writing, you can always ask us for help! Whether you need a persuasive essay on divorce or any other paper, we are here and ready to assist.

Thanks for reading the article! Share it with friends who may need our tips or assistance.

Further reading:

• Top Ideas for Argumentative or Persuasive Essay Topics
• Best Argumentative Research Paper Topics
• 197 Inspirational & Motivational Argumentative Essay Topics
• Gun Control Essay: How-to Guide + Argumentative Topics
• Proposal Essay Topics and Ideas – Easy and Interesting
• Free Exemplification Essay Examples

🔗 References

• Essay Introductions
• Transitional Words and Phrases
• Argumentative Paper Format
• The Writing Process
• Divorce Argument Essay: Bartleby
• Cause and Effect Essay: The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Roane State Community College and UNC at Chapel Hill Writing Center
• Counterargument: Gordon Harvey, the Writing Center at Harvard University
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Marriage and Divorce Essay Introduction, Tips, and Samples

Table of Contents

Divorce is a common topic for law and social science students to research and write about. The effects of divorce are varied and can be brought on by various factors.

This article provides a comprehensive overview of how to write a marriage and divorce essay. It provides tips, guidelines, topics, and sample introductions to make the writing process as easy as possible.

Let’s dive in!

How to Write an Essay on Marriage and Divorce

Sometimes divorce results from a mutual decision and a clean break with the family. But, more often, it is the culmination of years of tension. For this reason, the law includes numerous safeguards for parents and their offspring in the event of a divorce.

Family circumstances leading up to the divorce are also essential to consider. This is because socioeconomic status can significantly impact a couple’s ability to keep their marriage together. In conclusion, there is a wide range of potential topics for an effective essay on divorce.

Prove that you’ve thought about the bigger picture by discussing the factors contributing to divorce.

Find the root causes of the issue and explain them in a way that will convince the leader of their veracity. Use relevant statistics to support your claims and give your research more weight.

Once you’ve spotted a worrying pattern, you can try to elaborate on it and explain why this particular family issue is so pervasive.

Such concepts can be developed into full-fledged essays with the potential to leave a deep impression on the reader.

Legal Proceedings

It’s important to talk about the various legal proceedings involved in a divorce, regardless of the reason for the split. One of the worst parts of divorce is having to go to court to resolve issues like property division and child custody.

Prenuptial agreements are one example of precautions that can be taken to avoid such problems. However, you should also mention the drawbacks of these agreements.

Finally, you can talk about the societal factors contributing to divorce, such as teen pregnancy leading to early or forced marriages.

Sociological research can help pinpoint the root causes of divorce, which must be addressed to end this social problem.

If you want your essay to have more of an impact, remember to follow these general guidelines:

Points to Note for Marriage and Divorce Essay Introduction

Use interesting and engaging ways to start your divorce essay to keep the reader interested. If the reader loses interest and skims, you’ve failed.

Write an introductory paragraph that presents a high-level summary of the issue without diving into subtopics or specialist language.

Conclude with a clear thesis statement that states the question you will address and the position you will take, if applicable.

Don’t stray too far from the central argument you laid out in your thesis. To better engage your reader, keep your work narrowly focused.

Like how you should begin the paper, your divorce essay should end with a conclusion that summarizes the entire paper. Restate your thesis and add a few fitting closing remarks to your essay.

Separate article sections with titles that identify the themes should be explored in different paragraphs. This method makes the essay easier to read and more organized overall.

15 Topics and Sample Introduction on Marriage and Divorce Essay

What Happens to a Person After a Prolonged Divorce? When one spouse, typically the man, abandons the spouse and their children during a divorce, the surviving spouse may have trouble providing for them.

Young children are especially vulnerable to the adverse outcomes of divorce. Children’s reactions to their parent’s separation and eventual divorce vary depending on their age, gender, and personality.

Based on these issues, here are some topics and introductions to start your essay.

1. Psychological Counseling for Dealing with Divorce

One thing that happens after a divorce is that a person’s emotional and mental state changes. Counseling began in the country in the 1950s, when it was realized how important it was to… Why and how people get divorced.

Many marriages end because one partner cheats on the other. The person who was cheated on feels like all the work and sacrifices made to keep the marriage together was for nothing.

2. What Divorce Does to Children

When a married couple with children gets divorced, the law says that the children’s best interests must be protected. Difficulties that children face and ways to solve the new problems that arise after a divorce.

3. An Overview of the Children of Divorce’s Living Situation

Recent studies show that the number of divorces worldwide has increased a lot. This is primarily due to the shift […]

4. Exegetical Study of Divorce in the Bible

The divine plan for marriage and the right to divorce can be used to understand the passage of marriage and divorce.

5. How divorce affects the children

Scholars pay attention to how the child’s age affects their feelings about their parents’ split. Psychologists say that when parents split up, it’s a big change in how children are raised.

8. Marriage and Divorce in the Bible – Religious Studies

The most important thing is that the Bible says not to do it. Both society and the Church suffer when people get divorced. Infidelity is often a cause of divorce and stress disorder.

Divorces and stress disorders can have different causes. But the idea of cheating is still a bit shocking because people have the right to choose whether or not to do it. […]

9. Rates of Divorce in the United Arab Emirates

Even more worrisome is the fact that Emirates are involved in 30% of divorce cases in the UAE.

10. “How Divorce Affects Children” by Meera Chowdhry

For example, it is said that after the end of the Second World War, there was an increase in divorces.

11. How women are affected by divorce

Both people who believe in religion and those who don’t agree that it has helped bring peace and civilization to the world. On the other hand, divorce…

12. Why and how people get divorced in the UAE

In this case, the rate is the number of divorces compared to the total number of marriages in a year.

13. Deontology and Utilitarianism: The Ethics of Divorce

Before discussing the ethics of divorce, the paper first talks about ethics and then discusses divorce in modern society.

14. Settlement talks for a divorce

The goal of the meeting is to work out Rex’s divorce without going to court. All the people involved in the negotiations should be prepared for the negotiations. The results of divorce are poverty and instability.

Divorce isn’t the answer to problems in a marriage because it leads to poverty, instability, and a bad environment for the kids. Due to this situation, personal analysis shows that some children are usually left to the […]

15. How is coaching different from therapy when it comes to divorce?

Divorce is one situation where parents and children need help from a professional life coach to deal with the changes.

Wrapping Up

An introduction sets up the background, setting, and the immediate questions that need to be answered to determine how the essay will be structured.

We write about problems from the standpoint of the emotional, social, and practical effects that these issues have on people’s lives.

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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How to Create a Strong Thesis on Marriage

Lane cummings.

Your thesis statement is the central focus and main argument of an essay or paper, and it is ideally an organic development from your observations and research, as states the University of Texas. Your thesis should lucidly indicate to the reader how you are going to approach the topic, similar to a map or blueprint. It should be debatable, specific and very narrow. For example, if you are writing a paper or article on the subject of marriage, approaching the task of creating a solid thesis strategically is crucial; as with a subject that is as commonly understood as marriage, it would be easy to fall into the trap of creating a thesis that is not truly arguable.

Write down issues and concerns that directly relate to marriage and that you feel strongly passionate about. The more passionate you are about your thesis, the easier it will be to write the paper.

Examine your list. Circle the issues that interest you most of all. Research these issues thoroughly, try to make connections, and look for patterns so that you can create a strong and interesting thesis. For example, if you are researching the background of spouses who get divorces, an interesting fact to examine might be the history of marriage and divorce of the parents of each spouse.

Write your thesis in simple English, based on your findings. A thesis based on the research you have done will be inherently strong, as you will be able to support it. For example, if you discover that divorce is higher in couples where one person has divorced parents, you could state that couples who have had divorced parents have a higher likelihood of separating.

Revise your thesis. Revising is key to creating a strong thesis. Choose more descriptive words and use a declarative tone. For example, you could revise the thesis in step 3 to: Adults who have experienced the divorce of their own parents during childhood have a higher likelihood of terminating their marriage.

Add one adverb to your thesis to give it more of a punch. For example, to the thesis written above, you could write: "Adults who have experienced the divorce of their own parents during childhood have a drastically/dramatically/radically/severely higher likelihood of terminating their marriage."

About the Author

Lane Cummings is originally from New York City. She attended the High School of Performing Arts in dance before receiving her Bachelor of Arts in literature and her Master of Arts in Russian literature at the University of Chicago. She has lived in St. Petersburg, Russia, where she lectured and studied Russian. She began writing professionally in 2004 for the "St. Petersburg Times."

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141 Divorce Essay Topics

Divorce is a sensitive topic, comprising many sociological, psychological, legal, and other nuances worth exploring. On this page, you’ll find thought-provoking divorce topics on various aspects of this problem, such as its impact on children or its legal and cultural perspectives. Read our divorce essay topics and research questions to understand this issue better.

💔 TOP 7 Divorce Topics

🏆 best divorce essay topics, 🤔 the causes of divorce essay topics, 👍 thought-provoking divorce topics to discuss, 🎓 interesting divorce research topics, ❓ research questions about divorce.

• Divorce and Single-Parent Families
• Negative Effects of Divorce on Children
• Causes and Effects of Divorce
• Juvenile Delinquents and Parental Divorce: What Is the Connection?
• Divorce as a Controversial Topic
• Personal Essay on Sociological Imagination, Divorce, & Marriage
• The Impact of Divorce on Children’s Psychological Wellbeing
• Reasons for High Divorce Rates The significant growth in divorce rates can be associated with multiple factors that become more important today and impact the lives of all people.
• Cheating as the Cause of Divorce Family life is associated with a variety of unique difficulties that can arise throughout the partnership. There are periods in the family called crisis periods.
• Effects of Divorce and Poverty in Families In the event of a divorce children are tremendously affected and in most cases attention is not given to them the way it should.
• The Impact of Divorce and Separation on Family Relationships Divorce and separation has become a tradition in the contemporary world. Spouses barely finish 10 years in marriage before they start having misunderstandings.
• Divorce Among Challenges Facing Families Today This essay shows that divorce has detrimental effects on families and explains the challenges and their potential effect on family members during and after the divorce.
• Parental Divorce and Consequences for Children Divorces are a common occurrence in the modern world, and most people are accustomed to the idea of a separated family.
• The Impacts of Divorce on Family Relationships The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of divorce and separation on family relationships. The researcher will apply qualitative research approach to analyze data.
• Divorce and Its Impact on Children’s Wellbeing Marriage and divorce are distinct events that affect the daily lives of children. This essay aims to review literature sources that discuss the impact of divorce on children.
• Positive and Negative Effects of Divorce After a divorce, couples, and children endure numerous psychological, behavioral, and academic effects that analyses in the article.
• Divorce Law in the United Kingdom There exists dissimilarity between valid, voidable and void marriages under English Act. A valid marriage would be terminated legally.
• Effects of Divorce on Adolescents The reality of divorce leaves the adolescents in an awkward position that negatively affects their development. The following paper explores the impacts of divorce on teenagers.
• Marriage and Divorce Rates Decline in Qatar This paper discusses the decline in the rate of marriages and divorces in Qatar in recent years, analyzes the reasons, explores the cultural and traditional attitudes.
• Discussion of Marriage and Divorce Impact Marriage can provide evidence economic benefits to both parties; divorce, on the other hand, can be costly, that’s why the paper examines the economics of marriage and divorce.
• Perfect Family Myths on Divorce and Parenting This paper discussed four myths about family. These myths target the issue of divorce, family structure, and the responsibilities of parents.
• Effects of Divorce on Children Divorces represent a sensitive topic in the US, and it is scientifically interesting to research how these events affect children.
• Effects of Divorce on Children This paper investigates the causes of divorce and also looks into the adverse effects that a divorce has on children, especially, teenagers.
• Sociological Effects of Divorce on Children Children significantly suffer from the divorce of their parents, and the effects include depression, the feeling of worry, criminal behavior, social isolation, and others.
• Family Issue: Impact of the Divorce on the Children The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of a research article about the topic of divorce and its impact on children.
• Divorce Issues: Causes and Effects on Children Simply put, a divorce is the lawful dissolving of a matrimonial relationship, comprising of any ceremonial breakup between a husband and his wife based on constituted customs.
• Divorce Effects on Children’s Behavior Adults need to study and understand the impact of divorce to help children cope with stress, regulate their behavior, and avoid potential negative consequences.
• Factors Promoting Higher Divorce Rates The paper analyzes reasons that would make couples consider divorce as the only solution whenever the marriage is riddled with challenges.
• Divorce Influence on Children’s Social Development Children with divorced parents perform worse academically than children with married parents. However, not every child reacts the same way to their parents getting divorced.
• Divorce: Rates and Effects on Teenagers This paper aims at investigating the cause of divorce, examining the effects of divorce on teenagers as well as giving recommendations for the action.
• Is Infidelity a Leading Cause of Divorce According to Statistics?
• How Does Poor Communication Contribute to Marital Dissolution?
• The Role of Financial Strain in Divorce.
• Cultural and Religious Differences: The Influence of Divergent Values on Marital Harmony.
• The Consequences of Unrealistic Expectations in Marriage.
• The Link between the Lack of Intimacy and Marital Dissatisfaction.
• Substance Abuse and Addiction: Examining Substance-Related Causes of Divorce.
• The Role of Incompatibility and Personality Clashes in Marriages.
• Work-Life Imbalance: The Impact of Demanding Careers on Marital Stability.
• What Are the Effects of Parenting Styles Clash on Marital Harmony?
• The Challenges and Effects of Long-Distance Relationships on Divorce Rates.
• Cultural Pressure and Arranged Marriages: How Societal Expectations Affect Marital Outcomes.
• The Impact of Psychological Conditions on Marital Dissolution.
• The Shifts in Life Goals and Their Influence on Marriage.
• Social Media and Technology: Investigating the Role of Digital Interactions in Divorce.
• How Does the Absence of Empathy Contribute to Marital Breakdown?
• Early Marriages and Divorce: The Relationship Between Age and Marital Stability.
• The Emotional Strain of Fertility Challenges and Divorce Rates.
• The Influence of Traditional Expectations on Marital Satisfaction.
• Jealousy and Insecurity: The Impact of Trust Issues on Marriage.
• Unrealistic Media Portrayals of Love: How Media Shapes Relationship Expectations.
• The Influence of In-Laws on Marital Harmony.
• The Impact of Different Child-Rearing Beliefs on Children.
• Lack of Conflict Resolution Skills: The Importance of Effective Problem Solving.
• The Consequences of Emotional Disconnection and Neglect.
• The Intersection of Abuse and Marital Dissolution.
• Political and Social Beliefs: How Do Political Differences Affect Marital Relationships.
• External Stressors: The Impact of Work, Health, and Life Events on Marriage.
• How Do Busy Lifestyles od Spouses Contribute to Relationship Strain?
• Educational Disparities: Exploring the Link Between Education Levels and Divorce.
• How Divorce Affects Children Divorce and the years of distress that follow could potentially cause psychological trauma for children that affects their lives for many years to come.
• Divorce in Islam in Contrast with Christianity In contrast with Christianity, Islam permits divorce, as marriage is not considered sacral but rather an earthbound contract between two individuals that can be canceled.
• Divorce from the Biblical Laws’ Point of View The Bible consistently asserts that marriage is an enduring responsibility, however, some of its passages rescue a couple from the lifetime covenant of marriage.
• Adolescent Adjustment to Parental Divorce The primary research question is what factors determine adolescents’ adjustment after they experience divorce and how it affects their socio-emotional skills.
• Divorce as a Family Affair and Its Consequences Divorce is not necessarily the best option to solve problems within a family, but if it is inevitable, one should be ready for it, both mentally and physically.
• Parental Divorce: Influence on Children Divorce may affect a child’s development by making them engage in risk-taking behaviors, experience divorce-related stress, and significantly lower their self-esteem.
• Expansion of Medicaid and Minimum Wage Increment to Alleviate Divorce A breakdown of how two public policies, namely, Medicaid expansion and minimum wage increment, can be used to alleviate divorce forms the basis of the paper.
• Marriage and Divorce in the Modern World Marriage is a social institution and it defines parenthood. Families are often affected by divorce both ideologically and financially.
• The Problem of Divorce Divorce is a reality that affects millions of individuals and families worldwide. In certain situations, it can be a necessary step to escape from an unhealthy or abusive relationship, but some believe that divorce is too easy to obtain and contributes to the breakdown of traditional family structures. This paper…
• Parental Divorce’s Negative Impact on Children Children from divorced families have more behavioral problems, and marital upheavals leading up to parental divorce threaten future learning ability.
• Reasons and Implications of Divorce The institution of marriage is unique to human society, with every race and culture having its unique customs and practices.
• Marriage Issues and Divorce Rates in America One needs to look at the modern institution of marriage in America in order to explain the problem of divorce in the current social situation.
• Divorce and Female Vulnerability in American Society One of the issues to be addressed related to marriage and divorce is enhancing gender equality in marriage exit through introducing new policies.
• Divorce Rates and Causes of Their Rising The purpose of this research was to identify and present the main causes of the increase in divorce rates that have been observed across the US in recent decades.
• Legal Process of Divorce as an Elaborate Legal Process Childless short-term marriages result in a less complex time-consuming divorce than long-term marriages with weighty property entanglements.
• Mediation and Its Role in the Divorce Process As one of the methods of ADL (alternative dispute resolution), mediation allows people to resolve the issue without litigation, so they have more power over the process.
• Marital Success Factors vs. Gottman’s Predictors of Divorce People who are starting a family strive to satisfy a complex of needs—for love, children, experiencing common joys, understanding, and communication.
• Gender Stratification and Divorce Trends Gender stratification can be examined through numerous sociological theories, which explain changes in divorce trends.
• Child Custody Evaluations in Divorce Proceedings The guidelines to be considered are those of visitation and relocation, the children competency to state and choose their preferred parent to stay with upon the divorce procedure.
• Marriage and Divorce: Poverty Among Divorced Women This paper aims at looking into the possible connection between divorce and poverty among women given that many women are employed and are financially independent.
• Divorce and Family Disorganization in the UAE To understand the problems of UAE families well, we need to look at how modernity affects families in these places.
• Six-Year Follow-up of Preventive Interventions for Children of Divorce The article written by a number of researchers deals with the behavior of adolescents whose parents have been divorced.
• Increase of Divorce Rates in America In every developed country, the rate at which couples divorce has climbed, although not necessarily steadily, from whatever point in modern history one may choose.
• Outcomes of Divorce on Children: Infants to Adults Divorce is no doubt a horrifying tragedy for children of whichever age to face. Regardless of the cause for the divorce, may it be an abusive situation, children suffers greatly.
• Reasons of Divorce Analysis The reasons of divorce may be various. Some of them are rather banal, like material troubles or pestering. The others may be shocking and depend only on the fantasy of the spouses.
• Divorce and Child’s Mental Health in the UK The given project is devoted to the investigation of children’s mental health and factors that might impact it, specifically, parents’ divorce.
• Divorce Law History in the USA Many aspects stand for grounds for divorces, but once they emerge, specific laws and regulations should be implemented to help people dissolve their marriages.
• Family Relationships and Divorce Psychology The paper dwells on the problems that may arise throughout the divorce process. The researcher discusses the consequences of divorce and compares the outcomes for boys and girls.
• Divorce Impact on Child-Rearing Styles The impact of divorce or separation on child-rearing styles can be different, depending on sex, age, education level, relationships with the child, and social background.
• Divorce Activities and Family Psychology After reviewing the results of the study, the researcher came up with several recommendations regarding before- and post-divorce activities.
• Cohabitation and Divorce Across Nations and Generations
• Divorce Laws and Divorce Rate in the U.S.
• The Relation Between Premarital Cohabitation and Divorce
• Relationships With Parents and Effects of Divorce
• Does Divorce Cause Low Self-Esteem in Children
• Death and Divorce: The Long-Term Consequences of Parental Loss on Adolescents
• Marriage, Divorce, and Interstate Risk Sharing
• The Divorce and Its Effects on the Family and Women‘s Rights
• Social Psychological Risk Factor for Divorce Is Communication
• Psychological and Emotional Aspects of Divorce
• Divorce Laws and the Structure of the American Family
• Exploring How Parental Divorce Before the Age of Six
• Culture, Ethics, and the Issues of Divorce and Adultery
• Factors Responsible for the Probability of Divorce
• The Divorce Rate Within the Christian Community
• Reasons Behind the High Divorce Rate for African American Women
• Epistemological and Psychological Views of Divorce
• Short and Long-Term Effects of Divorce on Children
• Children, Adolescents, and Divorce Effects
• The Physical and Social Costs of Divorce on a Mother
• Divorce Has Major and Long-Lasting Effects on Children
• Does Divorce Affect Children Negatively?
• Does Divorce Cause Low Self-Esteem in Children?
• Does Divorce Create Long-Term Negative Effects for Children?
• How Does Divorce Affect a Child’s Behaviour?
• Should Reform in Law Make It Harder for a Divorce?
• What Is the True Meaning of Divorce?
• What Are the Causes for Rising Cases of Divorce?
• What Is the Reason for Divorce?
• What Are the Types of Divorce?
• What Are the Five Stages of Divorce?
• Is Divorce an Option in Marriage?
• Who Suffers the Most in a Divorce?
• How Long Does a Divorce Take?
• Is It Okay to Marry a Divorced Man?
• Should Divorce Be Easier or Harder?
• What Can People Do Instead of Divorce?
• Who Decides What You Get in a Divorce?
• What Is the Most Important Stage of Divorce?
• How Do You Tell Your Husband You Want a Divorce?
• How Long Does It Take To Recover From Divorce?
• What Is the Average Length of Marriage Before the Divorce?
• What Are the Disadvantages of Divorce?
• What Are the Positive Effects of Divorce?
• Is It Better to Divorce or Separate?
• Why Does the Wife Get Half in a Divorce?
• What Are Some Common Feelings Experienced by Adults After a Divorce?
• How Should a Woman Prepare for Divorce?
• Why Should People Avoid Divorce?
• Can Divorce Be Positive for Kids?
• How Do You Know if It’s Time for a Divorce?

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Marriage & Divorce A Biblical-Pastoral Perspective

A study of the teachings and ministry of Jesus Christ on marriage and divorce.

Related Papers

Alby Thomas

The last four decades witnessed a tremendous and wide-ranging change in family patterns in Western societies which also has rapidly impacted Indian society. Among these changes are phenomena such as growing rates of divorce, out-of-wedlock births and father absence due to globalization as well as same-sex marriages or civil unions and cohabitation of people without a marriage contract. The central theoretical argument of this seminar is that the biblical perspectives on marriage and family-life are normative for all people in all times in every culture. The biblical perspectives not only offer a clear indication of healthy marriage and family life, but also entail that Christian attitude in marriage and family life can be a remedy to the damage caused by the new patterns.

David C Jones

Published in Presbyterion: Covenant Seminary Review 16 (Spring 1990): 17-40.

Philip D Hill

www.academia.edu

Fermin Lopez

In this paper, I put forward a soteriological interpretation for the two “exception clauses” found in Christ’s teaching on divorce in the Gospel of Matthew. This interpretation, unlike many other interpretations that have been advanced for these clauses, is fully consistent with Christ’s and the Apostle Paul’s teaching on divorce. I will argue that both Jesus and the Apostle Paul taught that references to “divorce” in the scriptures, including Old Testament scriptures, means “separation”, not the dissolution of marriage as is often asserted by evangelical theologians, and that this interpretation is the only way that all the scriptures that reference divorce can be cogently harmonised. The interpretation builds on the work of a minority of theologians who argue that the word “divorce” in scripture, means “separation”: a temporary discontinuation of married life, not its dissolution. This understanding is based fundamentally on a covenantal view of marriage; a relationship that mirrors the permanent and unbreakable marriage covenant between God and His people described in the Old Testament and evidenced by Christ’s marriage like relationship with the Church (Eph. 5:22-32). The interpretation is also consistent with the metaphor illustrating God’s dealings with His “adulterous wife” – Israel, as described throughout the Old Testament, but particularly in the prophets. My thesis is that there is a soteriological reason for the Matthean “exception clauses” which has hitherto been overlooked. The “exception clauses” provide a justification for the temporary separation that God experienced when the Word made flesh (John 1:1-17) was separated from the Father at the crucifixion, and instead of providing a “lawful” reason to terminate marriage, as is often asserted, they in fact reinforce the permanence of the marriage covenant (Jer. 31:31–34) as described in scripture, revealing important truths about God’s plan of salvation for mankind. This paper is divided into two parts. In the first part I demonstrate that Jesus and the Apostle Paul unambiguously taught the indissolubility of the marriage covenant and that this teaching is fully consistent with Old Testament scripture. The second part of this paper describes the implications that flow from this teaching. In particular, I demonstrate that the “exception clauses” both affirm the indissolubility of the marriage covenant and reveal important truths about God’s plan of salvation for mankind.

Anthony DeRosse

Stephen Giles

Building upon the foundational principle laid out in "A Biblical Understanding of Marriage" regarding the true nature of marriage in God's eyes, this companion paper explores the ramifications for the topics of divorce and remarriage. In what cases should a Christian seek a divorce, if ever? Doesn't the "exception clause" in Matthew 19 allow for remarriage of the innocent spouse in the event of adultery? The permanence of the marriage covenant is a recurring theme in God's Word. This is stated explicitly in several passages, but can also be found within the concept of a Biblical covenant itself. Furthermore, a thorough and methodical investigation into the exception clause, its historical roots, and its many proposed interpretations, reveals the only explanation that fits all of the evidence: remarriage (before the death of one's rightful spouse) is just another word for adultery -- except when the marriage in question was illegitimate in the first place.

David Hillary

Updated critique of David Instone-Brewer's divorce and remarriage theory. This paper addresses the historical speculations that underlie Instone-Brewer's theory, showing their deficiencies as well as providing an alternative interpretation and exegesis.

afsoon mehraban

World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic, Business and Industrial Engineering

Petra Horváthová

The article is aimed at bringing information on the scope and the level of use of talent management by organizations in one of the Czech Republic regions, in the Moravian-Silesian Region. On the basis of data acquired by a questionnaire survey it has been found out that organizations in the above-mentioned region are implementing the system of talent management on a small scale: this approach is used by 3.8 % of organizations only that is 9 from 237 (100 %) of the approached respondents. The main reasons why this approach is not used is either that organizations have no knowledge of it or there is lack of financial and personnel resources. In the article recommendations suggested by the author can be found for a wider application of talent management in the Czech practice. Keywords—Talent, talent management, use, mind map of talent management.

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Divorce Research Paper

This sample divorce research paper features: 9000 words (approx. 30 pages), an outline, and a bibliography with 82 sources. Browse other research paper examples for more inspiration. If you need a thorough research paper written according to all the academic standards, you can always turn to our experienced writers for help. This is how your paper can get an A! Feel free to contact our writing service for professional assistance. We offer high-quality assignments for reasonable rates.

Introduction

Public pronouncements and vital social statistics, the social myth surrounding divorce, the marriage and divorce data, conclusion: marriage and divorce in the 21st century.

• Bibliography

More Divorce Research Paper Examples:

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The perpetuity of marriage is enforced by law as a protection for children, for whose education and support society as such makes no other provision than the frequently aborted attempt to compel an efficient guardianship of the parent by penal enactments. (Andrews 1975:12) Academic Writing, Editing, Proofreading, And Problem Solving Services Get 10% OFF with 24START discount code var form_action="https://www.iresearchnet.com/order/"; var partner_id = 3870; var sub_id = "CAL"; (function() { var sc = document.createElement('script'); sc.type = 'text/javascript'; sc.async = true; sc.src = 'https://www.edu-profit.com/orderformph-new3.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(sc, s); })(); The Romans bemoaned their high divorce rates, which they contrasted with an earlier era of family stability. The European settlers in America began lamenting the decline of the family and the disobedience of women and children almost as soon as they stepped off the boats. (Coontz 2005:1) No trend in American life since World War II has received more attention or caused more concern than the rising rate of divorce. (Cherlin 1992:20) (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

As an often-cited U.S. government report indicates, “Current concerns about the condition of the American family, as well as discussion about ‘family values’ indicate a need for timely information about factors contributing to major shifts in family structure” (Norton and Miller 1992:iii). With the emphasis on marriage, divorce, and remarriage, the government is looking closely at well-known sociological facts pertaining to changes in the family, sex and gender roles, and issues relating to human sexuality. As noted by Cherlin (1992), “Although the family undoubtedly has a future, its present form differs from its past form in important aspects, at least in part because of recent changes in patterns of cohabiting, marrying, divorcing, and remarrying” (p. 2).

Although marriage may be a damaged institution (Cherlin 1992) and a marriage crisis is a global concern (Coontz 2005:2–3), social attitudes do not necessarily reflect a consistent assessment of these occurrences. Early alarmists, such as William F. Ogburn (1927) and Ogburn and Nimkoff (1955), who considered the family as a damaged institution and thus as a subject of sociological inquiry, raised important problems concerning marriage and divorce. In addressing family issues, these sociologists recognized that the economic, protective, recreational, and religious functions of the family had shifted since the 1920s. Consequently, functions like as protection, education, economics, religious instruction, and recreation have been outsourced to other institutions (Newman 1950; Zellner 2001:38–39). Indeed, the economic unit functions of the family were replaced by the factory, the restaurant, and the store, while the protective responsibilities were assumed by the courts, the school, and the health department (Ogburn 1927:7).

William Fielding Ogburn wrote in 1927 that marriage is a significant social institution due to its correlation with happiness. Ogburn may have been the first analyst to discover the significant disparity in the mortality rates of married and unmarried men. He acknowledged that divorce is of particular significance to society because, as he notes (p. 7), divorce typically occurs with the expectation that a new family will be created through remarriage.

In 1632, the Grand Assembly of Virginia mandated that all ministers in the commonwealth record all burials, christenings, and marriages. Since then, the United States has maintained a long tradition of recording key occurrences. In 1639, the Massachusetts Bay Colony established a law mandating that all births, funerals, and marriages be recorded by government officials. Other colonies, including Plymouth Colony in 1646 and the Connecticut Court of Elections in 1644 and 1650, quickly ordered town clerks or registrars to record similar birth, marriage, and death information. In Massachusetts, however, a regular registration system and form were not established until 1842, when the Secretary of the Commonwealth assumed responsibility for collecting such data (Jacobson 1959:7–8).

Vital data such as births, deaths, marriages, and divorces were well-recognized declarations of public significance before the mid-1850s, when the collection of vital information became an important part of the official state census gathering. Possibly for this reason alone, the philosophy around marriage and divorce, especially in the United States, has been hampered by social, religious, and political interpretations for a very long time. Further legislation was interrupted by the Civil War, but in 1889, an issue of the Political Science Quarterly lent credence to the fact that issues relating to marriage and divorce were receiving significant exposure. Dike (1889) noted the following:

Twenty years ago President Woolsey’s Divorce and Divorce Legislation contained in a dozen scanty pages about all the existing statistics regarding both this country and Europe. Since then, the collections of their statistics by four or five more states (in a meager way, excepting the excellent work in Massachusetts begun by Mr. Wright, the Commissioner of Labor in 1879 and contained since under provision of statute); [and] the few additions by the National Divorce Reform League. (P. 592) Lobbying for more efficient registration legislation led to important advances at the federal level by the early twentieth century with the creation in 1902 of the Bureau of the Census and, in 1903, a Congressional resolution calling for a cooperative effort between the states and the newly established Bureau to establish a uniform system of birth and death registration for the entire country. At the time, only 15 states and the District of Columbia had established a central filing system; by 1919, all states had legislation that required such registration even if strict enforcement did not occur (Jacobson 1959). Despite these advances in statistical gathering procedures, as late as the mid-twentieth century only three-fourths of the states had a provision for recording marriages and about one-half for divorces (Newman 1950).

In 1877, the first government database on marriage and divorce was formed, and Walter F. Willcox conducted the inaugural examination of the data (1891, 1893, 1897). Since then, there has been a significant deal of public discourse as numerous analysts utilize the vital statistics data to challenge parts of what was to become a complex social matrix including the structure and function of the institution of the family.

In the 1950s, it was hypothesized that divorce was more prevalent among lower socioeconomic levels and that the highly publicized divorces of prominent middle- to upper-class individuals generated an inaccurate impression of the incidence of divorce in the United States (Monahan 1955). In the late 1980s, it was asserted that two-thirds of first marriages would result in divorce (Martin and Bumpass 1989). Following this claim, White (1990), arguing that divorce is a macro-level problem, wrote that “A shift in the lifetime divorce probability from 10% to well over 50% cannot be explained at the micro level” (p. 904).

Such a view of and debate over marriage and divorce issues continues in the contemporary experience, prompted in part by the findings reported and commentary attributed to analysts such as Martin and Bumpass (1989), Riley 1991, and Cherlin (1992). Andrew J. Cherlin wrote (1992:7) that “During the 1980s the divorce rate declined slightly but remained high enough that about half of marriages, at current rates, would end in divorce.” Cherlin (1992) also observed that divorce “rates in the 1980s, although stable, still imply that about half of all the marriages begun in the mid-1970s will end in divorce or separation” (p. 30). Such information is also cited in the most learned of reference publications, as noted by Norton and Miller (1992) and Kurz (2001:3811), for example, who, drawing upon Cherlin (1992), among others, state, “The USA has one of the highest divorce rates—50 percent of all marriages now end in divorce.” Because of the respectable position these analysts hold, other analysts make good use of the information to further perpetuate the myth of a 50 percent divorce rate. For example, Ruggles (1997), in citing Cherlin’s work, stated, “Only about 5% of marriages contracted in 1867 were expected to end in divorce, but over one-half of marriages contracted in 1967 are expected to end in divorce” (p. 455). And of course, publications that champion women’s issues cannot neglect the divorce problem, as noted in Deborah Perry’s discussion on the economy: “with more than half of marriages ending in divorce, many stay-at-home women may not be entitled to the Social Security benefits of their former spouses” (Malveaux and Perry 2003:109).

Due to its seeming veracity, the common perception of a 50 percent divorce rate dominated the later decades of the twentieth century, and the myth continues to persist in the early years of the twenty-first. Despite its legendary quality, the presumed high divorce rate placed the institution of marriage and the event of divorce at the center of a core of societal concerns that confront our sensibilities. Indeed, since the publishing of the first public report of marriage and divorce statistics around one hundred years ago, tales of a more golden past surrounding marriage and the institution of the family have been prevalent (Calhoun 1917, 1919; Coontz 1992, 2000, 2005). However, rigorous analysis of the data demonstrates that the myth of a 50 percent divorce rate is not substantiated by social facts.

A discussion of the incidence and rate of marriage and divorce, as well as the debunking of the myth that the United States has a 50 percent divorce rate, is supported by official government documents. In the following sections, these data are applied to the historical and present marriage and divorce experience in the United States. These official statistics reveal that the prevalent myth of a reduction in the conventional family structure and the continuous exponential expansion of the U.S. divorce rate constitute an unsubstantiated social construct.

Some concerns related to the study of marriage and divorce are discussed in the sections that follow. Newman (1950) noted, however, that these topics cannot be studied in isolation because the study of marriage and divorce is related to vast changes in a complex social order that necessitate an investigation into the cultural, social, political, and economic aspects of the family, as well as changes in the structure and function of the family. If this evaluation was accurate more than fifty years ago, the message may be even more pertinent in the early twenty-first century.

The History of Marriage and Divorce

If civilization is to be founded on family life, then marriage also is essential. The family in its current form emerged during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when the conjugal family developed concomitant with the soon-tobe-discovered concept “childhood.” At that point in time and over the next two centuries, the primary task of the family was to train and nurture children; family life became increasingly oriented toward children. Thus, the modern family developed the concept “home” with its characteristics to include privacy, isolation, and the domestic life (O’Neill 1967:4–6). The history of the marriage institution and the cross-cultural complexity of divorce became well chronicled in an early-twentieth-century three-volume treatise titled A History of Matrimonial Institutions. Written by George Elliott Howard and published in 1904, this grand, scholarly series addressed the vast accumulated knowledge of marriage and divorce within a global context. Published during a period when many interesting questions were being raised about the family institution (see, e.g., Shively’s ([1853, 1889] 1975) edited work Love, Marriage, and Divorce, and the Sovereignty of the Individual: A Discussion between Henry James, Horace Greeley, and Stephen Pearl Andrews ), a previously unpublished work by Stephen Pearl Andrews (1975, edited by Shively) titled Love Marriage, and the Condition of Women, and the references found in the cross-cultural and regional comparative analyses of Willcox (1893), such resources established the import that subsequent research would offer policymakers of the future.

Walter Willcox’s demographic work was the first influential empirical assessment of marriage and divorce and helped to establish the foundation for future population analyses. But the first scholarly American study of the family appears to have been published in 1887 by Charles F. Thwing ([1913] 1887), a minister and later university president, whose analysis of divorce led to the belief that excessive individualism and modern secularism were the root causes of the divorce problem (as cited in O’Neill 1967:170–71). Thirty years later, Arthur W. Calhoun’s three-volume set Social History of the American Family (1917–1919) was to serve social analysts and policymakers well. In the latter instance, the important sociological inquiry into the family institution helped to establish a university-level curriculum for the developing discipline of sociology.

A more limited but no less important inquiry into the history of American divorce is offered by Blake (1962), whose work builds upon the issue of “migratory divorce” raised by Cavers (1937) a generation earlier. Blake’s questions about the conservative New York State’s position on divorce led him to further explore the issue on a national basis, especially as it led to Nevada’s liberal divorce laws. Willcox (1893:90), on the other hand, recognized long before Nevada’s developing reputation that states like Rhode Island offered more liberal opportunities, including divorce, to the residents of New York State.

The rapid expansion of the American frontier as a result of pioneering, the rise of industrialism and urbanization, and the improvement of living conditions in the northern United States had significant effects on the evolution of the American family. This included a greater emphasis on marriage, early marriage for both men and women, and high birth rates to ensure big families (Calhoun 1918:11–25). The following statement illustrates the cultural necessity of these early Americans. Marriage, according to Lowie (1933), is human mating that receives moral appraisal

according to the norms distinctive of each society. Marriage denotes those unequivocally sanctioned unions which persist beyond sensual satisfaction and thus come to underlie family life. It is therefore not coextensive with sex life, which embraces matings of inferior status in the social scheme of values. (P. 146)

As observed by Coontz (1992, 2000, 2005), a single standard definition of marriage is difficult to create due to the wealth of cross-cultural anthropological study literature (see, for example, Lowie 1933). However, marriage is a sort of cooperation between the sexes designed to ensure the perpetuation and ultimate survival of the species (Hankins 1931).

Despite conceptual difficulties, marriage and divorce are two family-related issues that have been the subject of extensive discussion, analysis, and criticism for over 125 years. Arthur W. Calhoun (1917) stated that the American family institution is the outcome of three evolutionary phases: “the complex of medieval tradition . . . on the basis of ancient civilization . . . ; the economic transition from medieval landlordism to modern capitalism; and the influence of environment in an unfolding continent” (p. 13).

Later, in the third volume of a series on the history of the American family, this author indicated that systematic study of the family began in earnest around the same time as the introduction of early inventions (i.e., the telephone, the incandescent lamp, the trolley car, and the typewriter) into American culture, each of which was to have dramatic effects on communications and transportation (Calhoun 1919:7–10). Similarly, Ogburn and Nimkoff (1955:iii) note that changes in the American family and family living from the early 1800s are influenced by what they describe as three clusters of inventions and discoveries: steam and steel, contraceptives, and the numerous scientific discoveries that have influenced religious beliefs. Almost ninety years after the publication of Calhoun’s family treatise, it is acceptable to assert that the American family institution continues to be influenced by a fluid social context, even though the economic forces that thrive today are vastly different from those of the past.

Official records of marriage behavior collected and maintained by states can be traced back to the act of 1842, when Massachusetts began collecting marriage data, including information on age, sex, and place of birth (Monahan 1951). According to Willcox (1893) and Jacobson (1959), the first state censuses to contain information on marital status were those of Michigan in 1854 and New York in 1855. Twenty years later, numerous additional states began collecting comparable census data. However, the national effort to gather and analyze data did not emerge until many decades later, when Willcox (1891, 1893, 1897) applied newly learning methods to a number of demographic analysts’ areas of interest. Interestingly, Willcox (1893) notes the following: “Only in five states, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Ohio, and in the District of Columbia, can the number of marriages be obtained with approximate completeness for each of the twenty years [1867–1886]” (p. 73).

Divorce has long been of interest to sociologists, and the topic has even been cast in importance alongside other social problems. Witness the effort of one eugenics-oriented author, D. George Fournad (1929), who wrote in the Journal of Educational Sociology,

The unfortunate fact . . . remains that the homes of millions of farmers, miners, laboring men, and especially bootblacks are actually cursed by six or more poorly brought up, if not perfectly neglected children, for no other reason than the lack of eugenics or the need of birth-control information. Small wonder that crime, insanity, suicide, homicide, divorce, and physical or mental degeneration are steadily on the increase. (P. 179)

Other observers, however, are more positive, noting that Puritan settlers in the 1600s introduced divorce to the American colonies, where it has a long and venerable tradition (Howard 1909:767). Howard demonstrates that the divorce process has experienced four centuries of liberalization. Long before the twentieth century, moralists, theologians, and statesmen debated the societal implications of a liberal divorce policy. In essence, then, the institution of divorce in the United States was active and expanding well before late-twentieth-century Americans brought it to its present level (Riley 1991:3).

Some of the earliest sociological observers of divorce and its rise lament the decline of the conventional family while describing its demise. However, the incidence of divorce was not the only cause for concern. Rather, divorce was considered at the turn of the twentieth century as “an evil which gravely threatens the social order, which threatens our most profound thought, our most mature wisdom, and our most persistent courage and endeavor” (Howard 1909:767). This is the same complaint that Riley (1991) claims originated in the late 1800s during the Victorian era, which has been designated by some modern alarmists as the model for family life. However, according to Coontz (2005:2–3), each generation over the past 100 years seems dissatisfied with the current arrangement, believing that the marriage connections of their parents and grandparents were significantly more satisfying.

Despite disparities in attitudes regarding divorce across the northern and southern parts of the United States, religious influences were unable to prevent divorce from being regarded as a social safety valve that insures the continuation of marriage (O’Neill 1967:6–10). From this perspective, divorce is not a sign of a failing family system, but rather a characteristic of Victorian patriarchal and industrial households. However, within the postindustrial/postmodernist family, there are still echoes of worry around the proper roles of the husband and wife and their children.

Some contemporary social critics view a high divorce rate as a threat to the institution of marriage, while condemning the liberal legislation that encourages this conduct as weakening traditional family stability. However, the idea that the demise of the patriarchal family is congruent with the movement toward political democracy that shaped American children and young people over the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries has been overlooked (Calhoun 1918:53). The findings presented in the remainder of the research paper tend to support this assertion. However, such lamentations and the image of an ideal, conventional marriage that is constantly in the past are neither new nor have they become so after the passage of the No-Fault Divorce Act. In fact, it has a considerably longer history. Witness the opinion crafted by Justice Thornton in Martin v. Robson, 1872:

The maxims and authorities and adjudications of the past have faded away. The foundations hitherto deemed so essential for the preservation of the nuptial contract, and the maintenance of the marriage relation, are crumbling. The unity of husband and wife has been severed . . . she no longer clings to and depends upon man. (as cited in Vernier 1935:3)

Moreover, Howard (1904:1–160) documents that during the colonial period, it was established that there would exist a free and tolerant divorce policy, and throughout the century following the founding of the United States, divorce legislation was liberalized even further. And during the mid-nineteenth century, social analysts such as Stephen Pearl Andrews (1975:12–13) recognized that despite the need to provide for and succor children, divorce might be a necessary option to maintaining a relationship between two individuals who never loved one another or who may have ceased to love.

As the legal dissolution of marriage, divorce is a cultural problem-solving technique (Honigmann 1953), and it is a normal remedy for those who are in less-than-fortunate family situations (Blake 1962:iii). John J. Honigmann (1953:38) recognized that divorce is a standardized social response that people employ to change their interpersonal relationships, and, as indicated by Hankin (1931:177), divorce is designed to relieve hardships placed upon and experienced by individuals because of customary marriage rules. And like marriage, divorce also

is a product of social evolution, therefore it is normal and to be accepted . . . inasmuch as certain functions of the parent have passed to the state we must begin to reconcile ourselves to the idea of state care of children to the virtual exclusion of home influence. (Calhoun 1919:10)

According to Calhoun (1919:7–10), the National Divorce Reform League, which began in the early 1880s, and in 1897 became the National League for the Protection of the Family, developed its focus on “existing evils relating to marriage and divorce” (p. 8). Although the extent of the poverty and divorce were unknown at the time, some analysts thought of poverty and divorce as important components of the emerging sociological studies of the family. In Volume III of the three-volume treatise Social History of the American Family, Calhoun documents this emerging relationship through the writings of analysts of the late nineteenth century who were looking into the “divorce question” and the “problems of marriage and divorce.” Many questions were raised, including those relating to polygamy, charity, and children as well as education, economics, politics, and religion—each of these issues and related questions was raised within the context of the lack of information pertaining to the 1880s’American family.

A false idea once implanted is hard to dislodge, and the difficulty of dislodging it is proportional to the ignorance of those holding the idea. (George Cantor’s law of the conservation of ignorance)

The mythology surrounding the American divorce rate is supported by individuals who develop what Sears et al. (1988:98) refer to as the “illusory correlation.” Thus, two factors, the “high divorce rate” and the perceived “breakdown of the family” as a viable social institution, are believed to be highly correlated. Both factors may be contrary to commonly shared set of values, but repeated exposure to such illusory correlation stimuli is consistent with Canter’s law of the conservation of ignorance: Myth eventually assumes the character of a social fact. Within this context, the news media and responsible citizens establish a portion of the public agenda that is based on an inappropriate social reality of the U.S. divorce problem. Dissemination of information in which the work of scholars is either misinterpreted or misrepresented serves to perpetuate social myths (see, for instance, Norton and Miller 1992:1; Kurz 2001).

The lack of public information is also important. In quoting a number of prominent analysts of divorce, Hurley (2005) noted the following:

Part of the uncertainty about the most recent trends (in marriage and divorce) derives from the fact that no detailed annual figures have been available since 1996, when the National Center for Health Statistics stopped collecting detailed data from states on the age, income, education and race of people who divorce. (P. D57)

Perhaps because of the more recent paucity of information, some analysts of the past contributed information that continues to receive notoriety (see, for example, Martin and Bumpass 1989; Cherlin 1992). Despite the fact that Cherlin did not have access to actual data to support his contention, he predicted that approximately one-half of the marriages contracted during the 1970s would end in divorce. Further misunderstanding emerges. In assessing the rise of divorce and separation in the United States during the period from 1880 to 1990, for example, Ruggles (1997), citing Cherlin’s work, stated, “Only about 5% of marriages contracted in 1867 ended in divorce, but over one-half of marriages contracted in 1967 are expected to end in divorce” (p. 455).

William L. O’Neill observes that divorce was rare during the eighteenth century, and, according to Jacobson (1959) and Furstenberg (1990:382), during the 1800s formal divorce was difficult to obtain; thus dissolution of some marriages resulting from desertion were undercounted. But as shown in Table 1, during the next century, marriage and divorce were considered important enough to warrant official documentation, an accounting that began under the stewardship of Carroll D. Wright, then Commissioner of Labor (Dike 1889:592).

The first assessment of the American marriage and divorce question was addressed by Walter F. Willcox (1891, 1893, 1897). Portions of the data shown in the tables reported in this section are from these initial reports. These data beg the question as to why the myth of the 50 percent divorce rate prevails. One possible explanation may lie in the salience of attitude toward divorce reported by Peck (1993). Since the passage of the No-Fault Divorce Act in 1972, divorce, a fairly common event during the final decades of the twentieth century, emerged as a subject of considerable debate with important social policy implications. First, divorce is considered problematic when the union dissolution affects children. This is especially true when the quality of family life in terms of social, economic, and health-related factors for women and children, affected by diminished financial resources, is at risk (Furstenberg 1990). Divorce thus remains a salient issue, especially in terms of the conservative public attitude toward so-called traditional family values.

Evaluation of marriage and divorce in the United States is possible based on data from 1867 to the early twentyfirst century. Included in these data are those published in the first statistical study conducted in the United States and the national vital statistics gathered throughout the course of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

Marriage and divorce data for 1887 to 1906 first became available in 1908, and sociologists quickly acknowledged the information as representing a “great report” (Howard 1909:766). The data shown in Table 1 are from this first effort to offer an overall view of marriage and divorce in the United States. The researchers avoided reporting data in Part 1, actually reported in 1909, due to general underreporting/nonreporting jurisdictions. Indeed, Calhoun’s (1919:199) assessment of these initial numbers indicates that few jurisdictions outside New England did anything more than supply some numbers. But it is noteworthy that the period from 1896 to 1905, according to Calhoun (1919), was “distinctly prone to marriage” (p. 199) and divorce, which Howard (1909:776) argued was frequent in the two most enlightened and democratic nations in the world, namely, the United States and Switzerland.

     Table 1

Clifford Kirkpatrick (1968) argues that divorce is an imperfect index of marital and social disorganization. The reason is straightforward: There can be disorganization in the family without divorce. This is one oft-cited reason why the divorce laws have liberalized in Western societies from the early to mid-twentieth century (Kurz 2001). Moreover, when the modern family became the dominant form during the nineteenth century, divorce became much more common (O’Neill 1967). Then, during the Progressive Era from approximately 1880 to 1919, a more liberal interpretation of marriage and divorce arose among the urban, industrial middle class. Indeed, O’Neill (1967:viii) found that as the Victorian family was to represent the ideal throughout the nineteenth century, divorce was to become the first in a series of adjustments that emerged from the clash between ideas surrounding the patriarchal family and the new sexual ethic arising in turn from the new urban, industrial society.

Despite the suggested inaccuracy of the data and ofttimes inconsistent method in recording and reporting procedures through which these data were gathered, at least some data are available. During the 40-year period from 1867 to 1906, a total of 1,274,341 divorces were reported in the then states, the District of Columbia, and the Indian Territory (U.S. Bureau of the Census 1908). As shown in Table 1, there is a steady increase in the number of divorces from 1867 on and in the number of marriages from 1887 to 1906. One would anticipate such a trend, given the growth of the general population during this same period. Yet this did not seem so logical to those analysts who defined divorce in problematic terms. Note the not-uncommon statement of the early twentieth century attributed to William Fielding Ogburn (1927),

In 1924, there was one divorce granted to about every 7 marriages performed indicates that divorce is very common. Moreover, the chances of a marriage entered in 1924 being broken by divorce may perhaps be nearer to 1 to 5 or 6 than 1 to 7. There were in 1924 about 15 to 16 times as many divorces as there were in 1870, and yet the population is only about 3 times as large. (P. 7)

A similar, albeit misguided, statement is even later attributed to Newman (1950:89), who looked at the numeric increases instead of the rates of marriage and divorce.

In Table 2, the divorce “granted to whom”—husband or wife category—for most of the period from 1887 to 1932 isshown.Althoughnotavailableforallyears,thepercentage column for “granted to wife” represents a statistic that is noteworthy. Without exception, for each year two-thirds or more of divorces granted are to the wife. The first data for calculating ratios noting the number of divorces per 1,000 marriages also are shown. With a few exceptions, notably the years 1913, 1918, 1921, and 1922, the number of divorces increases throughout the period from 1887 to 1929. For the period from 1930 to 1932, however, the data show a moderate downward trend toward fewer divorces. With the exception of 1928 and the period from 1930 to 1932, the same observation can be made for marriages in that the trend in the marriage rate is downward.

     Table 2

Perhaps the most important aspect of these rich data is the fact that they were to serve well the needs of an admiring and ever-growing community of scientists, and these analysts began to raise important theoretical and methodological cause-and-effect questions. Prominent among these early sociologists was George Elliott Howard (1909), whose interest in the complexities of sex, marriage, and the family and especially the role education might play in solving social problems led him to focus on the officially recorded cause of divorce. Other less obvious reasons for establishing the importance of causal factors of what became known as a “divorce movement” included the excessive use of liquor and the platform advocated by the Temperance Movement.

The most frequently cited legal ground, as noted by Hankins (1931) and shown in Tables 3a, b, and c, represents the legally recognized grounds for divorce—namely, adultery, cruelty, desertion, drunkenness, and neglect to provide. Each was common during the period from 1887 to 1891 and for some time thereafter, lending support to the contention by Flexner and Fitzpatrick ([1908] 1996), who, in 1908, wrote, “Women were only granted divorces in instances of ‘adultery, desertion, non-support, and extreme cruelty.’” Other grounds for divorce, although less frequently cited, included bigamy, coercion, conviction of a crime, impotence, insanity, incompatibility, misconduct, fraudulent representation, vagrancy, infection with venereal disease (Hankins 1931). But what is perhaps most interesting is that even though the legal reasons for divorce currently cited may be less offensive by virtue of the descriptor employed, the general reasons for dissolving marriages cited in the past continue in the present.

The numbers and causes of divorces granted to a husband and wife for the five-year periods for 1887 to 1906 (Table 3a) and for 1906 to 1932 (Tables 3b and c) are shown. As noted in Table 2, throughout the period 1887 to 1906 a total of 1,274,341 divorces were granted. Of this total, 428,687 divorces were granted to the husband; to the wife the number is almost double, at 845,652, and serves as testimony that the women’s movements of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries worked to gain recognition from the courts to allow the initiation of divorce on behalf of women. As one can ascertain from these data, in the United States this right was granted to women in the nineteenth century (Anderson and Wolchik (2001). The causal factors identified within a legal context seem to hold at least up to the mid-twentieth century, for which period Harmsworth and Minnis (1955:316) reported that the legal functional categories, such as extreme cruelty, desertion, adultery, and nonsupport, represent overt manifestations of the factors leading to divorce but these did not necessarily represent the causes of divorce.

      Table 3a

      Table 3b

      Table 3c

Despite such issues, the position assumed by Howard (1904:Vol. 3, pp. 1–160) appears to be supported by the data reported in Tables 3a, b, and c and Tables 4a and b: Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, divorce legislation became more liberalized, reflecting a social need caused by migratory expansion and social changes in attitudes toward the marital bond. Competing definitions of need and justifiable causes also are reflected in the diversity of state legislation, which led to liberal legislation and thereby an increased number of legally acceptable causes for divorce. By 1891, for example, Washington State’s code included 11 causes, of which at least one cause codified a previous more abstract cause.

      Table 4a

      Table 4b

To this point the data raise interesting issues as to whether the traditional family some contemporary critics argue existed in the past did in fact really exist. Based on these five-year-period data, images of the traditional family may have been just that—images but not necessarily a reality of positive marital bliss. Some interesting findings reported in Tables 3a, b, and c include “adultery” and “desertion.” Although the data for divorces granted to the wife based on allegations of adultery and desertion are most extensive, the divorce data for these same categories granted to the husband also are noteworthy. Other categories include cruelty, a combination of causes granted to the wife. Such historical times hardly seem idyllic. Perhaps it can also be suggested that the reasons cited for divorce have not changed since 1887, albeit the contemporary law allows categories such as irretrievable breakdown of the marriage, incompatibility, or irreconcilable differences to serve as the more general reasons for filing for divorce, reasons allowed even if the divorce being sought is not mutually agreeable (Kurz 2001:3811). But other causes include crimes against nature, impotency, conviction of a felony and imprisonment, pregnancy prior to marriage, and unknown factors.

As with the information reported in Tables 3a, b, and c, the data in Tables 4a and b show the proportion of divorce by cause granted to husband and to wife. These data are broken down into proportions for the periods 1887 to 1927 and 1930 to 1932. Again, the “adultery” cause for divorce granted to husband is noteworthy as is the steady decreasing trend for this specific category. Of course the opposite effect for the “adultery” cause is noted for the “granted to wife” category. Focusing on the “desertion” cause category, the percentages are markedly consistent information pertaining to the sexual behavior of the throughout the entire periods from 1887 to 1927 and from 1930 to 1932 for both the husband and the wife.

Finally, the incompleteness of the data for the early 1930s is attributed to the fact that Congress mandated that the Marriage and Divorce study in progress since the early part of the century cease after publication of the 1932 study phase. By 1959, analysts such as Jacobson (1959) emphatically stated that marriage and divorce statistics represent the least developed branch of American vital statistics even though national data on divorce were available for many years before such information was available for births and deaths (p. 9).

Table 5 shows the 1921 to 1989 three-year average data for marriage and divorce. The three-year average rates increase from 1921 to 1923 up to the 1978 to 1980 period, and then a modest decline throughout the decade of the 1980s is documented. More important perhaps is that these data are from the oft-cited U.S. government report referred to above. It is important to recognize the historical rise and fall in the rate of first marriages. When placed within an historical context to include the relative prosperity of the 1920s, the Depression years, World War II, the tranquil years of the 1950s, and then the more activist years of the 1960s and 1970s, these data provide interesting American people.

      Table 5

Frank F. Furstenberg Jr. (1990) suggests that “Americans have always had a higher propensity to divorce than do Europeans and people of North Atlantic Countries,” a contention that receives empirical support from sources such as the Statistical Office of the European Communities report covering the 1960 to 1988 period. Although the United States is shown to have the highest divorces per 1,000 married women, the same reports indicate that the United States also had the highest marriages per 1,000 persons for this period.

The incidence, rate, and ratio of marriages reported for the United Status during the period from 1887 to 2004 are reported in Table 6. Although the data on the number of marriages are incomplete for the entire period, they are both interesting and suggestive. Ranging from a low of 7.9 for the year 1932 (the heart of the Depression period) and then 7.6 for 2003 and 2004 to a high of 16.4 in 1946 (the end of World War II), the marriage rate had been declining or at a steady state since the peak period from 1980 to 1982. The rates recorded for 2002 through 2004 are the lowest since 1932, at which time the 7.9 rate was the lowest ever recorded for the United States. Trendwise, the highest marriage rate for the entire 118-year period was during 1940 to 1950 or just prior to and immediately after World War II.

      Table 6

Finally, the ratios are important as well. Because of their refinement (but missing for the final decade of the twentieth century and the early twenty-first century), the ratios that are reported in this table may be more representative of the state of marriage.

Calvin L. Beale (1950) recognized the important role separation held as a factor in divorce, especially from the year 1940 onward, a period that includes the years prior to, during, and in the aftermath of World War II. Aside from couple separation as a major factor, as shown in Table 6, an upward trend in the divorce rate can be observed for the period from 1961 to 1981. Since 1981, however, the divorce rate declined, ranging between 5.2 and 4.0. The persistent myth of an increasing U.S. divorce problem may be attributed in part to a focus on the number of marriages and divorces recorded annually, rather than the divorce rate.

In Table 7, the rate of divorce and annulments for the United States during 1887 to 2004 are presented. Most noteworthy is the declining divorce rate since the year 1981, at which time a high of 5.3 per 1,000 population was recorded. The estimates for the years 2003 and 2004, 3.7 and 3.8, respectively, are the lowest since 1972, one year prior to the passage of the California No-Fault Divorce Act legislation.

      Table 7

Use of the ratio for the years from 1920 to 1996 offers a more balanced representation of divorce in the United States. The highest divorce ratio recorded officially is for the year 1979 (22.8). Early ratios offered by the federal government were the number of divorces divided by marriages for a given year; such data are not useful and tend to offer some modest if ill-informed support to the mythical oft-cited 50 percent divorce rate. The empirical facts differ from the myth. Indeed, the data show that after peaking to a high in 1979 (5.3 and 22.8, respectively), the U.S. divorce rate has decreased beginning in 1982 (5.0 and 21.7).

The reaction to divorce data represents an emotional response to social change, and this reaction may be especially noteworthy when the effect of divorce influences the delivery of social services. One example is the national concern that a large number of children from single-parent families are denied the requisite financial support to allow them the opportunity to prepare for the future. This concern has generated policies to make parents, especially males, more financially accountable for the well-being of their children (Anderson and Wolchik 2001). But the traditional view that men were responsible for women throughout their entire life changed with the passage of the no-fault divorce legislation. Women are now expected to provide their own support through employment to be supplemented by child support and an equal distribution of property (Kurz 2001:3811).

Second, as noted by Sears et al. (1988:134–135), the social milieu affects salience. More than a generation of conservative thinking and a changed economy affect social values. The divorce and marriage rates also may be affected by the economic conditions of the late 1980s and early 1990s that prompted people to consider the financial effects of divorce. The reasons for this kind of decision, such as “for the sake of the children,” “the cost of making two housing payments,” and “to keep intact an estate,” are similar to those reported after research carried out by Cuber and Harroff (1966) in a classic study of the attitudes held by upper-middle-class Americans toward maintaining an unhappy marriage. Another salient factor is the emotional desire to bond to one individual and the strong public attitude toward AIDS. Such external constraints, according to Sears et al. (1988:136), are likely to be salient factors that continue to target divorce as a social issue of import. In addition, the experience of growing up in a single-parent home, according to Dickinson and Leming (1990), is the cause of people viewing marriage differently compared with the past.

However, any discussion of the nature and origin of civil laws in debates over divorce remain relatively unexplored. If introduced into such discussions, evaluation of divorce law usually is confined to family law or the no-fault divorce statutes of the 1970s, especially the California Act of 1973. Thus, the argument as to whether the no-fault divorce laws are the cause or an effect of the U.S. divorce rate continues unabated. What is known is that the statutes currently referred to as “no-fault divorce” eliminate the requirement of providing proof in a court of law, as was required under common law, that one of the marital partners had engaged in adultery or some other act unacceptable to the marital relationship. No-fault divorce statutes eliminate the need to enumerate anything derogative as a sufficient ground for divorce. In other words, the no-fault divorce legislation eliminates the requirement to provide potentially damaging evidence by providing for the dissolution of a marriage based on the finding that the relationship is no longer compatible or viable (www.law.cornell.edu—retrieved January 23, 2003). Other acceptable reasons that lie outside the incriminating criteria used under the common law now include irreconcilable differences and incompatibility.

In the sixteenth century, reformists viewed divorce as the medicine for the disease of marriage, while in 1919 Calhoun observed that the American people demonstrate a remarkable inclination toward marriage, a statement that was supported by the census of 1890 and the census Special Reports Marriage and Divorce 1867–1906 (U.S. Bureau of the Census 1908, 1909). In 1933, Robert H. Lowie wrote, “It may be safely predicted . . . that the future of marriage will be shaped not merely by utilitarianism but largely on the basis of pregnant ideologies (p. 154). And in 1931, Hankin observed, “Divorce, a symptom of the liberalizing tendencies of modern culture, seems likely to increase as long as underlying conditions continue their present trends” (p. 184). Such statements hold a general appeal—the ideas are not spatially bound or time bound—so that it may be safe to predict that a similar statement offers to forecast the initial decades of the twenty-first century. Witness the early returns. During the first three years of this century, the marriage rate averaged 8.1 per 1,000 population, while the yearly divorce rate averaged 4.0 per 1,000 population. These figures also characterize the final two decades of the twentieth century in that the marriage and divorce rates were lower than in previous years and both these rates declined throughout the final years of the past millennium. Indeed, the rate of divorce in the United States is at its lowest level since 1971, and this downward trend will probably continue or at least remain steady if only because of yet another trend observed by Norton and Miller (1992). These analysts documented the decline in the percentage of ever-married males and females between 1975 and 1990, thereby providing the evidence essential to understanding more recent marriage and divorce patterns in the United States.

Although some modest efforts to counter the myth of the 50 percent divorce rate do occur (see Hurley 2005), this misconception continues because it is reinforced by the news media, clerics, government officials, and even portions of the academic community. The data simply do not support this public misperception. A doubling of the divorce rate was a trend that occurred between 1940 and 1972. The divorce rate increased to 5.3 per 1,000 by 1981, and the decline in the annual rate has occurred since that time, representing an important trend that suggests a return to what may be identified as the normalcy divorce rate. Still, resistance to this fact and the perpetuation of the myth that a 50 percent divorce rate is undermining the family institution will probably continue because of other unrelated salient social issues. As Carter’s law of the conservation of ignorance suggests, a false idea, once implanted, is difficult to dislodge from the human psyche.

Changing social mores throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and changes in the divorce laws removed the legal constrictions and social taboos pertaining to divorce, in turn providing important new perspectives on divorce (Cherlin 1992). Thus, any explanation of marriage and divorce that is inclusive of an historical perspective is to be valued. Within this context, the historical data and a sociohistorical assessment of these data serve to address two sociological issues: (1) Was historical family life as good as some analysts would have us believe? and (2) Is the present family bond as bad as the common wisdom suggests? In focusing on the marriage and divorce topic in this manner, insights that are essential to challenging a longstanding myth pertaining to the solidarity of the traditional family and the most misleading social myth pertaining to the 50 percent divorce rate can be explored.

The importance of economic factors and marital stability was not recognized until the 1940s (Goode 1951), when employment status, occupation, deviant behavior, and public assistance variables were first taken into consideration. Given the important changes in the role of women during the past one-half century, and the call among some reformers to again relegate women to the domestic role, findings such as those reported by Schoen et al. (2002) serve to enhance our current views of marriage and divorce. Past perceptions that dual careers pose a threat to the family and that a persistently high divorce rate will eventually undermine the very foundations of the family institution do not hold up to long-term scrutiny, and it is this kind of analysis of marriage and divorce that must be undertaken within the context of historical change (Scott 2001). Note, for example, that the wife’s employment status, according to Schoen et al. (2002), may be influenced by their labor force participation to end an unhappy marriage, but the wife’s employment status does not appear to affect happy couples. As these analysts note, “There is an interaction involving wife’s employment and marital happiness with marital disruption . . . [but] wife’s employment is not associated with increased risk of disruption when both partners are happy in their marriage” (p. 569).

Thus, it can be suggested that if the cyclical prediction offered by William Strauss and Neil Howe in The Fourth Turning (1997) has merit, then we can anticipate a continued movement toward an American bonding experience throughout the early decades of the twenty-first century, including interpersonal relationships that emphasize the importance of the family. Thus, the marriage rate should remain stable or increase while the divorce rate will also remain stable or decline. If the past does indeed provide a lesson, this fourth turning crisis may thus reunite society by providing the requisite common purpose to reenergize and regenerate society. One possible result is that families are again strengthened, major public order questions are resolved, and a new order is established (Strauss and Howe 1997:256).

The assessment of the contemporary family system in general and of divorce in particular can emerge from a minority point of view to become a part of the new perspective of what the family represents and how this emerging definition fits into the social structure. As noted by O’Neill (1967), and consistent with the historical context emphasis advocated by Cherlin (1992), the period from 1880 to about 1919 was and continues to be important for understanding why the American rate of divorce increased and for identifying the change in the public attitude toward divorce. Thus, it would be erroneous to argue that divorce was, currently is, and will in the future serve as a sign of decadence that is corrupting the family institution.

Thus, as the American society strives to enter into a new cycle or era in which everything seems to be as it should be, Furstenberg’s (1990:381) view that the rate of divorce during the 1980s reflects the state of role conflict and ambiguity within the marriage system can be used to explain the marriage system of the past 25 years. Referring to what he identifies as a voluntaristic form of marriage in the United States, Furstenberg argues that divorce has become an intrinsic part of the family system. Although it may take up to several decades of the twenty-first century to resolve most if not all of the issues that constitute the current “cultural wars,” the outcome of these wars will determine the overall status of the cohesiveness and social bonding elements of the American society, of which the family system remains the most important. In the past, the most important social issues were related to fairness and justice for women; at the end of the twentieth century (Galston 1996) and as we move well into the twenty-first century, the public and moral issues seem to be related to our commitment toward children, which, as noted by Calhoun (1919), also was the case at the end of the nineteenth century. Perhaps the themes Stephanie Coontz has established are most appropriate for the twenty-first century when exploring family issues involving “the way we never where” and “the way we really are” in books with these titles. Certainly, the move toward legal sanctions for civil marriages among gay and lesbian couples and the questions and problems attendant on such unions or pairings really do not differ significantly from those that we are accustomed to.

Although sociologists have long employed divorce data (see, e.g., Ogburn and Nimkoff 1955) and permanent separation data (Beale 1950) as indicators of instability, the limitations of such census data are severe, as Ruggles (1997) noted. Despite the call by then Chief Statistician of the Marriage and Divorce Analysis Branch of the National Office of Vital Statistics Samuel C. Newman (1950) for better vital statistics, and the declaration by White (1990) that bigger and better data sets were available during the 1980s, currently less information is available on marriage and divorce. In turn, we have less rather than more insights into the complex issues surrounding marriage and divorce (Ruggles 1997). But data-gathering problems and methodological issues certainly are not new, and such problems continue. During the 1800s, formal divorce was difficult to obtain, and, for this reason, dissolution of some marriages resulting from desertion were undercounted (Furstenberg 1990:382). Even so, the published historical data were more comprehensive than those available during the final decades of the twentieth century.

Changes in recording practices occurred during the last two-thirds of the twentieth century, and in 1996, the collection of detailed marriage and divorce data was suspended by the federal government because of limitations in the information collected by and from certain states as well as budgetary considerations. Although the total numbers and rates of marriages and divorces at the national and state levels are available in the National Vital Statistics Reports, the paucity of data available for public and scholarly consumption will undoubtedly continue well into the twentyfirst century. Moreover, the total picture will remain less well defined than in the past because of an increasing number and rate of informal marriages formed by cohabitation that will go unrecorded.

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Home > Family, Home, and Social Sciences > Family Life > Marriage and Family Therapy > Theses and Dissertations

Marriage and Family Therapy Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2019 2019.

Attachment and Relationship Quality: A Longitudinal Cross-Lagged Panel Model Examining the Association of Attachment Styles and Relationship Quality in Married Couples , Meagan Cahoon Alder

Coding Rupture Indicators in Couple Therapy (CRICT): An Observational Coding Scheme , AnnaLisa Ward Carr

We Shall Overcome: The Association Between Family of Origin Adversity, Coming to Terms, and Relationship Quality for African Americans , Kylee Marshall

Sri Lankan Widows' Mental Health: Does Type of Spousal Loss Matter? , Katrina Nicole Nelson

The Role of the Autonomic Nervous System in the Relationship Between Emotion Regulation and Conflict Tactics in Couples , Natalie Gold Orr

A Content Analysis of Ethnic Minorities in the Professional Discipline of Clinical Psychology , Pedro L. Perez Aquino

Sleep, Stress, and Sweat: Implications for Client Physiology Prior to Couple Therapy , Christina Michelle Rosa

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

A Content Analysis of the Journal of Adolescent Health: Using Past Literature to Guide Healthcare Research of US Ethnic Minority Adolescents , Kate Amanda Handy

Stress of Trying Daily Therapy Interventions , Emily Kathryn Hansen

U.S. Racial/Ethnic/Cultural Groups in Counseling Psychology Literature: A Content Analysis , Jared Mark Hawkins

Can Attachment Behaviors Moderate the Influence of Conflict Styles on Relationship Quality? , Cameron W. Hee

Therapist Behaviors That Predict the Therapeutic Alliance in Couple Therapy , Bryan C. Kubricht

Insider Perspectives of Mate Selection in Modern Chinese Society , Szu-Yu Lin

The Development of a Reliable Change Index and Cutoff for the SCORE-15 , Cara Ann Nebeker Adams

Difference in Therapeutic Alliance: High-Conflict Co-Parents vs Regular Couples , Andrea Mae Parady

Effects of Exercise on Clinical Couple Interactions , Samantha Karma-Jean Simpson

The Effect of Common Factor Therapist Behaviors on Change in Marital Satisfaction , Li Ping Su

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Physiological Attunement and Influence in Couples Therapy: Examining the Roots of Therapeutic Presence , Julia Campbell Bernards

Youth Disclosure: Examining Measurement Invariance Across Time and Reporter , Robb E. Clawson

A Pilot Study Examining the Role of Treatment Type and Gender in Cortisol Functioning , Stephanie Young Davis

Longitudinal Relations Between Interparental Conflict and Adolescent Self-Regulation: The Moderating Role of Attachment to Parents , Lisa Tensmeyer Hansen

Cost Outcomes for Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Disorder Across Professional License Types and Modalities , Julia H. Jones

The Relationship Between Relational Aggression and Sexual Satisfaction: Investigating the Mediating Role of Attachment Behaviors , Melece Vida Meservy

The Effects of Family Stressors on Depression in Latino Adolescents as Mediated by Interparental Conflict , Jenny Carolina Mondragon

A Longitudinal Examination of Parental Psychological Control and Externalizing Behavior in Adolescents with Adolescent Internalized Shame as a Mediating Variable , Iesha Renee Nuttall

Multiculturalism and Social Work: A Content Analysis of the Past 25 Years of Research , Lauren Christine Smithee

Implicit Family Process Rules Specific to Eating-Disordered Families , Mallory Rebecca Wolfgramm

The Impact of Timing of Pornography Exposure on Mental Health, Life Satisfaction, and Sexual Behavior , Bonnie Young

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

The Relationship Between the Poor Parenting in Childhood and Current Adult Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression: Attachment as a Mediator , Kayla Lynn Burningham

Longitudinal Examination of Observed Family Hostility and Adolescent Anxiety and Depression as Mediated by Adolescent Perspective Taking and Empathic Concern , Trevor Dennis Dahle

The Influence of Client General Anxiety and Attachment Anxiety onAlliance Development in Couple Therapy , Erica Leigh Delgado

U.S. Ethnic Groups in the Journal of Family Psychology : A Content Analysis , Jessica Croft Gilliland

Passion and Sexuality in Committed Relationships , Emilie Iliff

Does Self-Esteem Mediate the Effect of Attachment on Relationship Quality , Alexis Lee

A Content Analysis and Status Report of Adolescent Development Journals: How Are We Doing in terms of Ethnicity and Diversity? , Jason Bernard Lefrandt

The Effect of Marital Therapy on Physical Affection , Tiffany Ann Migdat

Predicting Externalizing Behaviors in Latino Adolescents Using Parenting and EducationalFactors , Sergio Benjamin Pereyra

Pathways to Marriage: Relationship History and Emotional Health as Individual Predictors of Romantic Relationship Formation , Garret Tyler Roundy

Examining the Link Between Exercise and Marital Arguments in Clinical Couples , Bailey Alexandra Selland

Cost-Effectiveness of Psychotherapy and Dementia: A Comparison by Treatment Modality and Healthcare Provider , Megan Ruth Story

Childhood Abuse Types and Adult Relational Violence Mediated by Adult Attachment Behaviors and Romantic Relational Aggression in Couples , Tabitha Nicole Webster

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

The Effects of Marital Attachment and Family-of-Origin Stressors on Body Mass Index , Merle Natasha Bates

Shame, Relational Aggression, and Sexual Satisfaction: A Longitudinal Study , Austin Ray Beck

Parent and Adolescent Attachment and Adolescent Shame and Hope with Psychological Control as a Mediator , Natasha K. Bell

The Relationship Among Male Pornography Use, Attachment, and Aggression in Romantic Relationships , Andrew P. Brown

The Moderating Effect of Attachment Behaviors on the Association Between Video Game Use, Time Together as a Problem, and Relationship Quality , Stella Christine Dobry

Attachment Behaviors as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Disapproval and Relationship Satisfaction , Lauren Drean

Effects of Interparental Conflict on Taiwanese Adolescents’ Depression and Externalizing Problem Behavior: A Longitudinal Study , Chih Han Hsieh

The Cost Effectiveness of Psychotherapy for Treating Adults with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder , Micah LaVar Ingalls

Effects of Positive and Negative Events on Daily Relationship Effect for Clinical Couples: A Daily Diary Study , Kayla Dawn Mennenga

A Longitudinal Study of Therapist Emotion Focused Therapy Interventions Predicting In-Session Positive Couple Behavior , Josh Novak

Facilitative Implicit Rules and Adolescent Emotional Regulation , Lexie Y. Pfeifer

Avoidant Parental and Self Conflict-Resolution Styles and Marital Relationship Self-Regulation: Do Perceived Partner Attachment BehaviorsPlay a Moderating Role? , Erin L. Rackham

Individual Personality and Emotional Readiness Characteristics Associated with Marriage Preparation Outcomes of Perceived Helpfulness and Change , Megan Ann Rogers

Interactions Between Race, Gender, and Income in Relationship Education Outcomes , Andrew K. Thompson

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Partner Attachment and the Parental Alliance , Ashley B. Bell

A Glimmer of Hope? Assessing Hope as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Parenting and Adolescent Depressive Symptoms , Lisa D. Bishop

Father Influence on Adolescent Sexual Debut , Daniel Joseph Blocker

Stable Conflict Resolution Styles and Commitment: Their Roles in Marital Relationship Self-Regulation , Rebecca Suzanne Boyd

Me, You, and Porn: A Common-Fate Analysis of Pornography Use and Sexual Satisfaction Among Married Couples , Cameron C. Brown

The Relationship Between Partner Perceptions of Marital Power and Sexual Satisfaction as Mediated by Observed Hostile Interaction , Amanda Claire Christenson

The Impact of Parentification on Depression Moderated by Self-Care: A Multiple Group Analysis by Gender for South Korea and the U.S. , Sunnie Giles

Romantic Relational Aggression in Parents and Adolescent Child Outcomes , Jennifer Nicole Hawkley

Cost-Effectiveness of Treating Oppositional Defiant Disorder: A Comparison by Treatment Modality and Mental Health Provider Type , Julie Denise Malloy

Constructive vs. Destructive Anger: A Model and Three Pathways for the Expression of Anger , Kierea Chanelle Meloy

Treatment Outcomes for Mood Disorders with Concurrent Partner Relational Distress: A Comparison by Treatment Modality and Profession , Holly Pack

Cost Effectiveness of Treating Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Adolescence: A Comparison by Provider Type and Therapy Modality , Kathryn Evelyn Reynolds

Commitment, Forgiveness, and Relationship Self-Regulation: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model , Heather Michele Smith

A Comparison of Contemporary Filial Piety in Rural and Non-Rural China and Taiwan , Li Ping Su

A Dyadic Analysis of Couple Attachment Behaviors as Predictors of Dietary Habits and Physical Activity Levels , Stephanie Young

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Cost-Effectiveness of Treating Pervasive Developmental Disorders: A Comparison by Treatment Modality , Jaime Elizabeth Ballard

Couples' Experience of Attachment-Related Change in Context of Couple-Centered, Enactment-Based Therapy Process and Therapist-Centered Therapy Process: A Qualitative Study , James Waid Ballard

Links between High Economic Distress and School Engagement as Mediated through Negative Marital Interaction and Parental Involvement , Lauren Alyssa Bone Barnes

The Relationship Between Frequency of Incest and Relational Outcomes with Family-of-Origin Characteristics as a Potential Moderating Variable , Kathleen Diane Baxter

Parental Involvement, Parent-Child Warmth and School Engagement as Mediated by Self-Regulation , Jeffrey James Bentley

The Effect of Attachment on the Therapeutic Alliance in Couples Therapy , Shawn A. Bills

Intrinsic Religiosity and Adolescent Depression and Anxiety: The Mediating Role of Components of Self-Regulation , Brent Charles Black

The Relationship Between Romantic Relationship Initiation Processes of Single LDS Emerging Adults and Change in Attachment Working Models with Implications for Practice , Matthew Lloyd Call

Attachment and Covert Relational Aggression in Marriagewith Shame as a Potential Moderating Variable: A Two Wave Panel Study , Charity Elaine Clifford

Family Implicit Rules, Shame, and Adolescent Prosocial and Antisocial Behaviors , Jeffrey Paul Crane

Infidelity and Forgiveness: Therapists' Views on Reconciliation and Restoration of Trust Following Disclosure of Infidelity , Miranda Mae Goldie

Power of Shame: The Moderating Effects of Parental and Peer Connection on the Relationship Between Adolescent Shame and Depression, Self-Esteem, and Hope , Alexander L. Hsieh

Couple Attachment and Sexual Desire Discrepancy: A Longitudinal Study of Non-Clinical Married Couples at Mid-Life , Anthony Allen Hughes

Factors Relating to Romantic Relationship Experiences for Emerging Adults , Sabra Elyse Johnson

Attachment Behaviors as Mediators Between Family-of-Origin Quality and Couple Communication Quality in Marriage: Implications for Couples Therapy , Darin Justin Knapp

Division of Labor and Marital Satisfaction in China and Taiwan , Bryan C. Kubricht

Stability and Change in Women's Personality Across the Life Course , Carly D. LeBaron

The Cost Effectiveness of Collaborative Mental Health Services In Outpatient Psychotherapy Care , Ashley Ann Maag

The Relationship Between Insecure Attachment and Premarital Sexual Timing , Carly Ostler

A Longitudinal View of the Association Between Therapist Behaviors and Couples' In-Session Process: An Observational Pilot Study of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy , Lori Kay Schade

Conflict Resolution Styles as Mediators of Female Childhood Sexual Abuse Experience and Couple Relationship Satisfaction and Stability in Adulthood , Ashlee Elizabeth Sloan

The Relationship Between Video Game Use and Couple Attachment Behaviors in Committed Romantic Relationships , Jamie McClellan Smith

Psychological Control, Parental Support, Adolescent Grades and School Engagement , David Brian Thompson

Shame Not the Same for Different Styles of Blame: Shame as a Mediating Variable for Severity of Childhood Sexual Abuse and Trauma Symptoms in Three Attribution of Blame Groups , Tabitha Nicole Webster

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

The Mediating Influence of Child Self-Regulation on the Relationship Between Couple Attachment Security in Parents and Anxiety in Their Children , David P. Adamusko

Couple Communication as a Mediator Between Work-Family Conflict and Marital Satisfaction , Sarah J. Carroll

The Role of Trait Forgiveness in Moderating the Relationship between Materialism and Relationship Instability in Couples , Lance J. Dome

Relationship Between Observed Parental Optimism and Adolescent Optimism with Parental Involvement as a Mediating Variable: Two Wave Panel Study , Allison Ellsworth

Mental Health Treatment for Children and Adolescents: Cost Effectiveness, Dropout, and Recidivism by Presenting Diagnosis and Therapy Modality , David Fawcett

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The Problems of Marriage and Divorce Essay

Marriage is not only a social institution. It is a spiritual alliance between two people who love each other and in which belief and trust are the necessary parts of its development. However, many couples often can face definite difficulties with their marriages because they can deviate from the way on which they should follow the principles of marriage given in the Bible.

There are a lot of issues in marriage which are difficult to solve only according to the social and moral rules and norms. It is significant to remember what the Lord says about marriage in order to complete his will and find the peace in souls and the marriage. The Bible says that man could not be alone. That is why it is necessary to do all possible to find the harmony and light in marriage.

It is known that according to the Christian tradition a couple can be considered as married when a man and a woman have exchanged the vows in the presence of a priest and witnesses. Thus, “marriage is an exclusive relationship. The total unity of persons – physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually – comprehended by the concept “one flesh”. 1

It is important to be married in front of God’s face; this concept differs from the social perception of the marriage. That is why promiscuity is also forbidden according to the Christian tradition. Thus, that marriage which was not honored in church is considered as not holy.

The Bible says that “marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral”. 2 If the marriage is holy, there is no place for adulterer in it.

When a couple wants to marry it is significant to remember about the responsibility. The church rejects the majority of divorces because these two people have vowed to be together in spite of the difficulties and temptations. “Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate”. 3

Moreover, “God instituted marriage so that men and women might complete one another and share in his creative work through the procreation of children”. 4 That is why the problem of divorce in relation to the Word is still discussed by scholars.

There are some visions of the issue according to which divorce and remarriage can be allowed in certain circumstances as it is can be interpreted from the words of New Testament. 5 Nevertheless, the traditional opinion on marriage does not allow divorces.

“Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth”. 6

Today two visions of the divorce issue exist. Many Christians interpret the Word of New Testament and emphasize the problem of adultery as the main reason for the permission of the divorce and for the remarriage. However, we cannot say strictly about the facts because the Bible says clearly about the situation when one of two people is dead and their right to be married again. 7

Marriage is the base for the spiritual development of two people who live in love and have children. Moreover, the family as the result of marriage is the important social cell. To feel safety and harmony in the heart, it is necessary to follow the holy principles described in the Bible and remember that couple is a unity which cannot be separated because it is saved by God.

Bibliography

Elwell, Walter A., ed. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology . USA: Baker Academic, 2001.

The Holy Bible. English Standard Version . USA: Crossway Bibles. Towns, Elmer L. Theology for Today . USA: Cengage Learning, 2008.

1 Walter A. Elwell, ed. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (USA: Baker Academic, 2001), 743.

2 Hebr. 13:4-7.

3 Matt. 19:6.

4 Walter A. Elwell, ed. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (USA: Baker Academic, 2001), 743.

5 Elmer L. Towns. Theology for Today (USA: Cengage Learning, 2008).

6 Mal. 2:15.

7 Elmer L. Towns. Theology for Today (USA: Cengage Learning, 2008).

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IvyPanda. (2019, May 28). The Problems of Marriage and Divorce. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-problems-of-marriage-and-divorce-essay/

"The Problems of Marriage and Divorce." IvyPanda , 28 May 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/the-problems-of-marriage-and-divorce-essay/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'The Problems of Marriage and Divorce'. 28 May.

IvyPanda . 2019. "The Problems of Marriage and Divorce." May 28, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-problems-of-marriage-and-divorce-essay/.

1. IvyPanda . "The Problems of Marriage and Divorce." May 28, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-problems-of-marriage-and-divorce-essay/.

IvyPanda . "The Problems of Marriage and Divorce." May 28, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-problems-of-marriage-and-divorce-essay/.

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What is the thesis statement on marriage and divorce?

There is no standard thesis statement for anything. When you write a thesis statement, you need to state your argument (what ever opinion you have on marriage and divorce), and then use the rest of the essay to back up your position.

Add your answer:

The is where the writer explains to the reader what the essay will be about?

the introduction paragraph and mainly the thesis statement.

How is persuasive thesis statement different from a descriptive thesis statement?

A persuasive thesis statement argues the author's opinion on a topic; a descriptive thesis statement does not.

How is a persuasive thesis statement different from a descriptive thesis statement?

How is a persuasive thesis statement different from an explanatory thesis statement.

A persuasive thesis statement contains the author's opinion on a topic, whereas an explanatory thesis statement does not.

Is there a hook in a thesis statement?

no there is not a hook in a thesis statement.

What does the thesis statement do?

The thesis statement tells what the essay will be about.

How is a persuasive thesis statement different from an explanatory thesis?

Can a question statement be a thesis statement.

No you may not ask any questions in your thesis statement, because the thesis statement basically states your answer to whatever you are doing.

Can you write a question in the thesis statement?

If you did it wouldn't be a thesis "STATEMENT" would it, it would be a thesis "QUESTION".

What is the thesis statement for contrast paper on marriage and dating?

There are several differences/similarities between marriage and dating that can be seen in the display of affection, personal space and money.

What part of speech is thesis statement?

Thesis statement is a noun phrase, consisting of the main noun statement and the noun adjunct thesis.

How do you write a thesis statement about radiology?

What is a great thesis statement about Radiology?

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'Golden Bachelor' couple Gerry and Theresa getting divorced

NEW YORK -- Sad news for Bachelor Nation. Beloved "Golden Bachelor" couple Gerry and Theresa announced that they are getting a divorce.

The first couple of the "Golden" reality series made their announcement Friday on "Good Morning America."

Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist married on live television just three months ago on January 4.

They said they were nervous about how fans would take the news.

"We've had a number of heart-to-heart conversations and we've looked carefully at our situation, our living situation, and so forth, and we've kind of come to the conclusion mutually that it's probably time for us to dissolve our marriage," Gerry said.

The couple struggled with responsibilities to their grown children and grandchildren.

"It's been how dedicated both of us are to our families," Gerry said. "We feel like it's best for the happiness of both of us to live apart."

They had planned to move to South Carolina together, but it never came to fruition.

"So that was the plan. We looked at homes in South Carolina, we considered homes in New Jersey, and we just looked at home after home and we never got to the point where we made that decision," Theresa said.

Throughout the interview, ABC News' Juju Chang noticed they continued to hold hands.

"Did you fall out of love?" she asked.

"No, no. I still love this person," Gerry said. "There's no doubt in my mind. I still am in love with her, I root for her every day."

Theresa agreed.

They hope their divorce doesn't take hope away from other seniors looking for love.

Theresa said that none of the tabloid stories came into play in their decision to divorce.

The former couple said that they are 70 and 72 and they didn't want to waste their time pretending to stay married.

Theresa will have to give the ring back to Neil Lane. "Sad to say, I think that's how it works," she said.

"But we don't have to give the memories back," Gerry said.

The divorce shouldn't take too long to finalize as they did have a pre-nuptial agreement.

They plan to continue to look for love with other people but say they plan to stay best friends. They were both previously wed to their high school sweethearts, each of whom passed away after more than 40 years of marriage.

As for advice for the upcoming, yet-to-be-announced "Golden Bachelorette," Theresa said, "Be authentic and be yourself."

More of Juju Chang's interview with Gerry and Theresa will air on "Nightline" Friday night.

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Comedy Couple to Divorce After 9-Year Marriage: Read the Joint Statement From Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont

The pair said they were going their 'separate ways.'

By Ashley Turner - April 16, 2024 06:23 pm EDT

British comedians Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont are divorcing after nine years of marriage. Since 2020, they have starred in Meet The Richardsons , in which they play "exaggerated versions of themselves" in a fictional portrayal of their marriage. As of April 8, it returned for a fifth season on the UKTV channel Dave.

According to a  joint   statement  on Instagram, the decision was made "jointly and amicably." "After nine years of marriage, we  would like to announce that we have separated ," their posts read. "We have jointly and amicably made the difficult decision to  divorce  and go our separate ways.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lucy Beaumont (@the_one_from_hull)

"As our only priority is managing this difficult transition for our daughter, we would ask that our privacy is respected at this sensitive time to protect her well-being. We will be making no further comment."

In the past Beaumont has made various comments alluding to the state of their marriage. During a recent interview with  OK! Magazine , the pair gave insight into their relationship, in which Beaumont revealed a downside of working with her partner. "Jon and I make a good team. It's a great working environment because it feels like a big group of friends", the stand-up comedian said. "It's a shame that you can't see the crew off-camera because most of them have worked on the show from the beginning. It's like a holiday for them."

A mockumentary-styled sitcom, Meet The Richardsons debuted in late February 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and has enjoyed great success with viewers. As a result of the show's positive reception, Beaumont was nominated for a BAFTA TV award in 2023.

Although the couple may appear to expose their relationship baggage on the show, Beaumont has admitted that the personality she portrays on the show isn't her true self.

Previously, she told  The Sunday Post : "It's been great, but I see comments on social media, and people don't seem to realize it's not real. I don't henpeck we wouldn't have lasted this long if I was as mean to him in real life.

"You don't want to see a smug couple in love, in a nice house, with a stable career and a lovely little child. Who wants to see that? I wasn't doing it if we were going to be like that."

She continued, "We'll show the other side where we're just at each other constantly. It's a more truthful portrayal. The world we've got around us is slightly bizarre, but I think people still feel like they recognise themselves in it, which is good."

Additionally, the TV comedian hinted that the show's current season would be its last. She added: "This will probably be the last one, and we're going out on a high."

Beaumont also joked about the possibility of divorcing during a television show conducted months before the couple announced their split in 2023. While appearing on Channel 4's  Eight Out Of Ten Cats Does Countdown , the 40-year-old actress briefly discussed their relationship.

Jimmy Carr, the host, introduced team captain Richardson to the viewers along with his team, which included Beaumont. Carr said, "Lucy and Jon are married. So I know Lucy, everyone watching at home is dying to know...What made you decide to settle?"

Beaumont then joked: "I don't see this for life. Isn't it a song – just passing through? Is it?" Carr quipped, "Just passing through?" She continued, "You meet in your life old souls, new souls...A—holes."

Beaumont joked that she had never eaten avocados before meeting her husband and that the two "had a lovely life together." She then added, "Who knows what will happen in the future?" After that, Richardson asked, "Are you breaking up now?"

In 2013, Richardson and Beaumont began dating, and two years later, they married. In an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show, Richardson explained how comedian Roisin Conaty set up the couple. He said, "Roisin Conaty set us up, and for months I said 'if you like this girl don't get us involved because I'll ruin her f—ing life'." He later explained his reluctance. "I was very depressed and I thought, why drag someone else down with me."

Although Richardson admitted to saving Beaumont on his phone as "My Wife" before they met, he eventually agreed to date her. A year after getting married, in 2016, the couple welcomed a daughter named Elsie Louise.

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Theresa Nist Addresses Gerry Turner Divorce: ‘Even at the Age of 70, You Don’t Know Everything’

Theresa Nist spoke out after she and Golden Bachelor lead Gerry Turner announced their divorce on Friday, April 12.

“To everyone who has expressed love, support and kindness to me I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are all such wonderful human beings,” Nist, 70 wrote via a lengthy Instagram statement on Monday, April 15. “It means the world to me that you took the time to reach out to me, whether in person, on the phone, by text or by direct message. You are all so kind to do so.”

Nist shared that while she was touched by the warm messages following her heartbreak, she also asked those who are “confused and angry” about her and Turner’s breakup to “try a little kindness.” She also explained that despite her relationship ending quicker than she thought, she wouldn’t trade the memories.

“It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life, something I never expected to happen at this point in my life and I truly thought it was going to last forever,” she continued. “It turns out, even at the age of 70, you don’t know everything. Sometimes things don’t go the way you planned and that’s OK.”

Related: ‘Golden Bachelor’ Contestants Who Addressed Gerry and Theresa’s Split

In addition to finding love on The Golden Bachelor , Nist also acknowledged she found a group of friends that have been by her side.

“I ask you to please stay open to all the experiences, opportunities, and love that may come your way,” she concluded. “Keep smiling, keep laughing … I will. I love you all.”

In addition to the statement, Nist also shared an inspirational quote from Dr. Seuss : “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

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Nist found love with Turner, 72, in the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor . The pair tied the knot earlier this year in a televised special titled, The Golden Wedding , which aired in January. On Friday, Turner and Nist appeared on Good Morning America to announce their decision to divorce after three months of marriage.

Related: Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist's Relationship Timeline

“Theresa and I have had a number of heart-to-heart conversations,” Turner said during the show. “We’ve looked closely at our living situations and we’ve kind of come to the conclusion mutually that it’s time for us to dissolve our marriage.”

That same day, Us Weekly confirmed that Turner filed for divorce and listed April 12 as his and Nist’s date of separation. He cited the “irretrievable breakdown” of their marriage as the cause for the split. The duo have an existing prenuptial agreement . Nist was also spotted out and about on Friday still sporting her Neil Lane diamond ring .

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Gerry turner, theresa nist.

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The Golden Bachelor Runner-Up And More Spurned Contestants Reached Out To Theresa Nist After Divorce News

E ver since The Golden Bachelor ’s first couple Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist announced that they were dissolving their marriage , everyone has been weighing in with their thoughts. Host Jesse Palmer sent words of love to the couple, as fans theorized there must be more to the story. One person we hadn’t heard from, however, was runner-up Leslie Fhima, who went through her own tough breakup with Turner on the show. As Nist made her first solo statement about her impending divorce, Fhima broke her silence to reach out to her friend. 

Days after appearing on Good Morning America with Gerry Turner to announce that they were divorcing, Theresa Nist took to Instagram to thank everyone who had reached out to support her during this difficult time. Amongst those who responded in the comments was Leslie Fhima, who had her heart broken by Turner following a steamy fantasy suite date . She wrote: 

I love you my friend. I'm so happy to call you that.. you're beautiful inside and out ❤️

Theresa Nist and Leslie Fhima may have fallen in love with the same man, but there is seemingly no bad blood between the two women, as the second-place finisher had nothing but support for Nist.

While Maria Trice did not hold back on how she had “dodged a bullet” by being eliminated early in the season, most of The Golden Bachelor 's other spurned women took the same approach as Leslie Fhima in sending love to Theresa Nist and encouraging others to do the same.  Sandra Mason had some stern words for people who were criticizing the couple and digging for more information, saying in a video on Instagram :  

Gerry and Theresa are my friends. They’re in pain, I’m in pain. My phone has been blowing up, people wanting to know what else I know, what’s the rest of the story? I think they’ve shared with us what they want us to know, and we’ll leave it at that. They are parents, and they’re grandparents. Everyone’s hurting for them. Do you know that 50% of marriages in this country end in divorce? Second marriages end in divorce. So before you hit that keyboard with your ‘should have, would have, could have, I knew it wasn’t gonna work, they should have known,’ all the hate, stop and think.

Theresa Nist appreciated the message, as she commented on the video: 

Thank you, Sandra. I am so lucky to call you my friend. You are such a wonderful human being. Love you.

The New Jersey grandmother had a similar message of gratitude for Nancy Hulkower, who also hit up Instagram asking for kindness on Theresa Nist and Gerry Turner’s behalf. Hulkower said: 

We just have to show them support. I think they’re both going through a lot, and I’m so sorry — just like all of you are — that it wasn’t the fairy tale that we all thought it was. But that takes me to what I want to say next, and I think that this is honestly, this life. This is real life. Stuff happens. We know that, and it can’t be easy for them either... And I think all we can do is just show support to them and let them know we’re here for them, and that’s all you can do. Just be kind.

For her part, fan favorite contestant Natascha Hardee encouraged people on Instagram to “say less” if they had nothing nice to contribute, or, “better yet, zip it,” she said in a nod to Kathy Swarts’ famous line from the season. 

Also weighing in was third-place finisher Faith Martin, who was eliminated after she expressed that she would not be willing to relocate for Gerry Turner (an issue that seemingly doomed his and Theresa Nist’s marriage as they continued to live in separate houses ). Martin told People that her heart went out to them, and she emphasized how important it is to “ask the right questions” to gauge if a relationship will work. She said: 

I wish them both all the happiness in the world, and I'm sure this was a traumatic thing to go through for both of them, so my heart goes out to them. I'm sure everything will really be okay in the long run, and someday they'll look back and just smile, hopefully.

That seemed to be the attitude Theresa Nist was moving forward with too, as her first social media post since the divorce announcement suggested she was thankful to have had The Golden Bachelor experience, despite how it ended for her and Gerry Turner: 

It’s lovely to see the women rallying around Theresa Nist at this time, which is proof that something good came out of the reality dating show, even if the marriage only lasted three months. Hopefully whoever is chosen as The Golden Bachelorette — many believe it will be Leslie Fhima — can find lasting love when the new spinoff hits the 2024 TV schedule this fall. 

'RHOM' Star Alexia Nepola's Husband Todd Files for Divorce (EXCLUSIVE)

Todd Nepola is the 'RHOM' star's third husband.

Apr. 15 2024, Updated 4:49 p.m. ET

It looks like Bravo star Alexia Nepola 's time on The Real Housewives of Miami could get a little more messy when the show returns for Season 7.

After a tumultuous season of defending her and her husband Todd Nepola 's lavish lifestyle, she and Todd seemed like they were ready to put their rumors behind them.

However, Todd has other plans in mind for his future — that don't involve his wife. Distractify can exclusively report that Todd has filed for divorce from Alexia after almost three years of marriage.

Here's what we know about the couple's unexpected split.

Todd Nepola filed for divorce from Alexia in April 2024.

Just one month after the RHOM Season 6 reunion, Todd has filed for divorce from the Ay Por Favor podcast host.

According to Miami-Dade County Court records, Todd filed on Thursday, April 11, citing the marriage was "irretrievably broken." His attorney, Michael J. Alman, is also listed in the filing.

Alexia is listed as the respondent on the case, though her attorney's information isn't in the court docs.

Why are Todd and Alexia Nepola getting divorced?

Throughout Season 6 of RHOM , Alexia's co-stars questioned her and Todd's financial situation and the state of their marriage.

In one episode, Adriana de Moura told Julia Lemigova that Alexia and Todd's financial troubles were causing them to consider splitting up, which she said was tea given to her by former RHOM star Ana Quincoces .

Alexia denied the rumors, stating she and Todd were doing great and had to leave their rented Miami condo because the building was sold, forcing her, Todd, and her son Frankie Rosello to move out of the condo.

Alexia continued denying rumors about her and Todd's finances as Season 6 continued. At the reunion, she debunked the rumors she heard about her and her husband, including they don't share a checking account and paid for their apartment month-to-month or in cash "like a drug dealer" as her BFF Marysol Patton said while seated on the same reunion couch.

Alexia also brought her apartment's lease and her payment history to further prove her point.

So far, Todd hasn't addressed his and Alexia's divorce publicly. Alexia seemingly took her estranged husband's lead until she posted a statement on her Instagram Stories. In the April 15 post, Alexia stated she didn't know Todd was intending to file for divorce and said she was hopeful she would heal from her heartbreak.

"I am shocked and heartbroken that Todd has chosen to dissolve our marriage," she wrote. "I will take comfort in the fact that my friends and family will be by my side supporting me during this difficult time."

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