divorce

CAUSES OF DIVORCE

Divorce and separation have become a standard feature of the American family landscape . It is currently estimated that about one-quarter to one-half of all marriages in the United States will eventually end up in divorce . In addition , separations and desertions are multiplying so rapidly they are difficult to count (Anthony , 1974

Nine out of ten Americans get married at least once , but many of these couples do not live together happily ever after . Current trends suggest that close to two-thirds of new marriages will end in divorce . When

asked why they sought divorce , Americans most often cite alcoholism and drug abuse , infidelity , physical and emotional abuse , disagreements about gender roles , financial problems and sexual incompatibility (Anthony , 1974

Statistics indicate a 35 percent increase in the number of divorces since 1962 , as well as a steady rise in the divorce rate from 2 .2 per 1 ,000 population in 1962 to 4 .6 per 1 ,000 population in 1974 , with no evidence of a diminishing trend (Kelly and Wallerstein , 1976 ,

. 19 However , of the nearly one million people who get divorced in the United States every year , four out of five are remarrying (Kalter , 1977

Another recent cause is the entry of millions of women into the labor force . There is no evidence that the mere fact that a woman has a job causes divorce . But a woman who can support herself is less likely to remain in a troubled marriage than is one who has never worked or has not worked for many years (Kalter , 1977

Others have seen divorce as a regrettable but inevitable by-product of the search for individual self-fulfillment , one that is worth its price being paid in the long run . Such professionals often emphasize the resulting poverty of wife and children as a major negative consequence and call for financial protection in this area

WORKS CITED

Anthony , J (ed . Children at risk from divorce : A review ' The child in his family

Children at psychiatric risk . New York : Wiley , 1974

Kalter , N . Children of divorce in an outpatient psychiatric population ' American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 1977 47 (1 , 40-51 ...