COMM227 Chapter Notes - Chapter 12: Child Custody, Socioeconomic Status
1 Jun 2018
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CH 12: Divorce
● Divorce is commonly regarded as one of the most serious stressors a person can
experience
● Divorce is best understood as a process
Demography of Divorce
● Demography: the statistical study of human population characteristics, particularly as
they are influenced by such phenomena as fertility, marriages, and mortality
● 50% of all first marriages with experience a disruption within the first 20 years of the
relationship
● Of those who separate, 75% divorce in two years and 90% divorce in five years
Societal Factors
● Changes in American society that have clearly impacted the divorce rate
○ Women obtaining college degrees and entering the workforce (1960-1970s)
○ Growing emphasis on individualism and self-fulfillment that is still influential today
(baby boomer)
○ Cultural attitudes towards divorce
○ Societal views towards divorce, “normalization”
○ Less stringent divorce laws
○ Changing societal attitudes towards divorce
● Currently about ⅔ of all divorces are initiated by women
○ Societal norms that improved women’s welfare and agency also removed some
of their barriers to leaving an undesirable marriage
● Society has become more accepting of divorce as a legitimate course of action for
individuals who are dissatisfied with their marriage
Individual Risk Factors
● A negative association between age at marriage and probability of divorce
○ The younger people are when they marry, the more likely they will get divorced
○ Holds up to about age 35, after which divorce rates for first marriages begin to
increase
● Divorce rates vary by race and ethnicity
○ Blacks have a higher divorce rate than whites or hispanics
○ Asians and pacific islanders have lower divorce rate
● Parental divorce
○ People whose parents divorced are themselves more likely to divorce than
people whose parents never divorced
● Socioeconomic status
○ People who are better off financially typically have higher education levels, and
perhaps better interpersonal skills learned in educational and business settings
that contribute positively to the success of their marriages
● Many people enter marriages with unrealistic and idealized notions of what marriage will
entail
○ Marital stability becomes undermined
● Religion can influence the likelihood of divorce
○ Because most religions discourage divorce, the effect of religiosity on marital
stability may stem in part from greater perceived barrier sto divorce in addition to
a value of traditional family roles
● The inability to experience intimacy
○ Especially among young women
Premarital Relationship Factors
● Two premarital relationship issues that are associated with a greater likelihood of
eventual divorce
○ Premarital pregnancy
■ Stops mate selection process
■ Limits educational and career opportunities
○ Premarital cohabitation
■ Less traditional view of marriage, and are more approving of divorce,
more likely to be involved in drug and alcohol abuse
■ Increases the risk of subsequent divorce only when it occurs before
engagement
Risk Factors in the Structure of Marriage
● Two issues inherent in the structure of some marriages that can influence the likelihood
of divorce
○ Married couples with children
■ Slightly less likely to divorce
■ Raising children in dual parent household
○ Remarriage
Marital Interaction Patterns that Predict Divorce
● Marital satisfaction is not a strong predictor of later divorce
● Conflicts and disagreements harm marriages and move them towards divorce is a
misconception
● The nature of a couple’s interactions better predicts marital outcomes than just the total
number of their marital problems
● It is not only the presence of dysfunctional negative communication, but the absence of
positive communication that predicts divorce
The Behavioral Cascade Toward Divorce
● Complain/criticize -> defensiveness -> contempt -> stonewalling
○ “The four horsemen of the apocalypse”
The Distance and Isolation Cascade Toward Divorce
Document Summary
Divorce is commonly regarded as one of the most serious stressors a person can experience. Divorce is best understood as a process. Demography: the statistical study of human population characteristics, particularly as they are influenced by such phenomena as fertility, marriages, and mortality. 50% of all first marriages with experience a disruption within the first 20 years of the relationship. Of those who separate, 75% divorce in two years and 90% divorce in five years. Changes in american society that have clearly impacted the divorce rate. Women obtaining college degrees and entering the workforce (1960-1970s) Growing emphasis on individualism and self-fulfillment that is still influential today (baby boomer) Currently about of all divorces are initiated by women. Societal norms that improved women"s welfare and agency also removed some of their barriers to leaving an undesirable marriage. Society has become more accepting of divorce as a legitimate course of action for individuals who are dissatisfied with their marriage.
