The Reasons and Consequences of Divorce - Essay Example

According to sociologists, the main conditions predetermining divorce are urbanization, migration, industrialization of the country, the emancipation of women. These factors reduce the level of social control, make the life of people substantially anonymous, atrophy the sense of responsibility, attachment, mutual care about each other. But it is only a background: each divorce has its own main and accompanying reasons and motives.
Divorce doesn't happen unexpectedly. As a rule, it is preceded by the period of conflict relations in a family. The thoughts about the divorce reflect the degree of satisfaction with the relationships in a family (Simons, 1996).

Till the 1980s sociologists believed that women suffer from divorce more than men (material difficulties, looking for a job, taking care of children, limited opportunities to get a new family, etc.). Since the 1980s psychologists came to the conclusion that men need marriage even more than women. “Nearly all people enter marriage with the hope and expectation that their marriage will be a lifelong, mutually rewarding relationship. So it’s not surprising that divorce is a painful experience for almost everyone” (What are the possible

consequences of divorce for adults?). Their dissatisfaction with loneliness is sharper and longer. Men have more opportunities to find a new partner, but many divorced men stay alone. After divorce, the budget of a man is reduced. Moral damage is connected with the restriction of opportunities to see the children. Divorced women strongly suffer from the feeling that they are not needed anymore. They perceive emotional difficulties of divorce more intensively but come to psychological balance rather quickly (Bianchi, Subaiya, & Kahn, 1999).

The strength of suffering of the divorced spouses depends on the unexpectedness of divorce. The one who was offered divorce suffers more. Aged people get a bigger trauma than young because for them it is more difficult to adapt to new life. Among newly divorced men and women, the level of alcoholism, physical diseases, and depressions are higher than often is a direct result of a change of life after divorce. However, for some people divorce is the desired relief, which brings freedom from restrictions, duties, and sincere confusion. The majority of the divorced cope with the problems in 2-3 years after separation.

Divorce has negative consequences not only for the spouses but for the whole society, thus the prevention of divorces is an issue that should be paid special attention to.