Social Effects of a High Divorce Rate

Meanwhile the number of marriages has been falling and the rate of cohabitation is on the rise. However, in most cases, cohabiting couples are parting ways faster than those who are married. There has also been a very great hike in the number of pre marital relations. In short, people are parting too often and too fast. How would society be affected by this? Some of the general possibilities have been given below.

Fragmentation of Families

The concept of ‘family’ has undergone a sea change in the past years. Till the end of the World Wars, a family unit popularly consisted of two generations, with an unmarried or widowed aunt or uncle thrown in. We remember these families from the literature of that time, and there are similar suggestions in films too. The ties of blood were really important, and the wars had a deep impact on the social structure of all European nations, as well as the USA (to a degree). On one hand, the pre war generations wanted to hold on to whoever survived, on the other hand, an insurmountable generation gap was created. By the late sixties, the euphoria was beginning to die down already. The late seventies saw a spurt of divorce. The trend continued through the 1980’s, though at a steady pace. The nineties brought the nuclear family. And in the twenty first century, there are single parent families, cohabiting childless families, and even single person ‘families’.

Effect on Children

There has been a lot of hullabaloo of late over the fact that the condition of children in nations such as the UK, Germany, and Sweden is not too good. In fact, the UK has had the doubtful honour of being labeled by the UN as the worst among all developing nations for a growing child. The loss of childhood is the worst thing that can happen to anyone. After all, these are the golden years of our lives and are meant to form our personalities for the rest of our lives. Childhood is associated with joy, security, innocence and emotional peace. However, this is being robbed from the children of broken families. It may be noted here that homelessness and poverty rates are exceptionally high among children in some Latin American nations such as Brazil and Chile. However, this is due to social and political causes, rather than divorce. One of the best sellers on Amazon is titled ‘Children of Divorce’. It is not a movie, but a documentary cum counseling guide for parents who have undergone divorce. The effect on children cannot be reversed, and they are almost always left scarred for life after divorce.

Loss of Faith in Commitments

The importance of marriage among most European nations and the USA is falling rapidly. The idea of life long conjugal bliss is no longer the greatest wish of young couples. Can it be called a loss of faith in the institution of marriage? It is actually deeper than that. The loss of faith in commitments in general is plaguing the entire world today, and is not confined to Western countries alone. The high divorce rates of Japan and Singapore, and the rising divorce and cohabitation rates of India bear witness to this. Children of a divorced family are more prone to divorces in later life themselves. They are also more likely to switch jobs faster, shift cities, break relations with friends or colleagues. Our parents and our home are synonymous with security when we are young. When that security is broken for no fault of ours, and the two people who are supposed to take care of us seem to need help themselves, the meaning of the world changes for us. After that, it is not easy to believe any person, ideal, or cause anymore.

Emotional Problems

The prevalence of sleeping and eating disorders, loss of concentration in studies and behavioral anomalies are only the tip of the iceberg. The extent and outcomes of the emotional havoc caused by divorce among all concerned have reached medically alarming proportions. It has caused multiple medical complications among parents and children alike. The emotional toll of divorce often finds outlets in the form of drunkenness, drug and substance abuse, petty crimes, serial dating, stalking tendencies, and vandalism. The hike in the rate of crime and addiction among broken families bear painful witness to this.

Article Source: http://www.myaddirectory.com

James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you want to find out more about a solicitor managed divorce see www.managed-divorce.co.uk

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