The Effects of Divorce on Children - Research Paper Example

The Effects of Divorce on Children Introduction Family is the smallest unit of a society; but it plays a huge and crucial role in determining various social constructs. Also it plays significant role in shaping a child’s mind during its earliest years. A child’s socialization that determines the future identity initiates from this smallest unit. But inevitably this smallest organization of a society essentially hinges on the nuptial tie between a man and a woman for its continuation in modern society (Charon 47-56). In ancient societies, the family tie between a man and a woman was present as a response to the necessity of satisfying men and women’s sexual appetite as well as economic needs. Although the realization of individual’s sexual appetite lies in the heart of the institution of marriage, the accessorial requirements and expectations from marriage essentially takes the form of a social contract in the complex background of modern society in which a family is entwined with other social institutions directly or indirectly (Parsons & Bales 97-100). But since marriage emerges as a form of a social contract in modern society, it inevitably needs a formal process of break-up that is known to be divorce. Therefore, divorce is accepted as a necessary but harmful legality in modern society. Because of the complexity of modern individuals’ lives, the inevitability of ‘divorce’ cannot completely be ignored. Yet divorce is entailed with a set of overwhelming impacts on both the society and individual life, whereas the impacts may be both positive and negative (Phillips 38). A close investigation of the effects of divorce will expose the truth that it appears to be more of a blessing only for the two parties of marriage than for the members of the family and the society in which they reside. A range of researches in this field reveals that it has terrific effects especially on the children of the divorced couples. In this paper I will look into the causes and effects of divorce on family life as well as children. Marriage and Family’s Role in Social Construction A comprehensive investigation of the role of marriage and family will be helpful for the readers of this paper to be aware of how divorce affects children’s lives in society. Marriage as a social institution has existed from the beginning of human civilization. In pre-modern societies marriage existed in a form of social contract because of its own importance. Marriage has been considered as a means of preventing the social chaos and disorder that could arise from licentious sexual actions of the members of a society (Phillips 138-149). Meanwhile, it works as a society-recognized sexual-emotional outlet of individuals. It also offers protection and support to both parties of a marriage. In the long run marriage as a society-acknowledged contract between a husband and a wife results in the concept of family that is a child’s first effective learning center in which he or she learns the morals, rules, laws and regulations of the existing society (Kreppner & Lerner 36). In a family a child receive the basic behavioural patterns that are further moulded by other social institutions such as religion, political systems, educational institutions, etc. (Lerner 26). Strong Marital Relationship and Children’s Well-being Children’s well-being and strong nuptial bond are entwined with each other. Ontologically a child’s welfare refers to an all-inclusive excellence and development of a child such as its psychological development, social development, socialization, political socialization, moralization, etc. Academically, the study of child development considers family as a producer of developmental outcomes of a child as well as other members. It works as a miniature of the real society that shapes and determines an individual’s entry into other social institutions. Also a family can be considered as a factor that includes both shared and non-shared components of the development of a child (Kreppner and Lerner 34). Numerous investigations in this field demonstrate that a child’s personality, behavioural pattern, attitude, belief, etc are enormously influenced first by a child’s interactions with its surroundings in a family, as Marian et al says, “The family is seen as a dynamic context in which the child is both transformer and transformed” (23). Subsequently, ‘parenting’ exerts massive influence both directly and indirectly on a child’s growth. Regarding the effect of parenting on the growth of a child, Belsky and Bronfenbrenner puts emphasis on two issues, husband-wife relationship and parent-child relationship, as most influential. Explicating the reasons of child-abuse, Belsky says, Specifically, marital relations, social networks, and jobs influence individual personality and general psychological well-being of parents and, thereby, parental functioning and, in turn, child development. (84) Effects of Divorce on Family and Children Whereas marriage functions as the sexual-emotional outlet for people, divorce is to be considered as the formal and socially-acknowledged outlet from acrimony and the harrowing situation in which the antagonistic husbands and wife get stuck. But while it works as a means of relief from antagonism for the spouses, various studies on the results of divorce commonly demonstrate that its negative effects on the children outweighs the positive ones. The one and only possible positive effect is that children become safe the violence and abuse of quarrelling parents. On the contrary, divorce’s negative impacts on the children are quite devastating, as Fagan and Rector say, “The effects of divorce are immense. The research shows not only that it permanently weakens the relationship between a child and his or her parents, but also that it leads to destructive ways of handling conflict and a poorer self-image” (3). Again they further tell about the perpetuating aftermaths of divorce in the following sentence: “Children of divorce demonstrate an earlier loss of virginity, more cohabitation, higher expectations of divorce, higher divorce rates later in life, and less desire to have children. These effects on future family life perpetuate the downward spiral of family breakdown.” (3) Divorce dismantles a family and forces its members to move out of houses, sometimes change cities or schools, and split into two separate families. For the family members and especially for the children divorce is a severe and traumatic situation that affects a child’s mental and physical situation (Berlin). The spouses are not the only people who are vulnerable to the effects of divorce. Rather the people around the divorced couples as well as the whole marital institution get affected with the events of divorce. Effects of Divorce Especially on Children Indeed divorce demolishes the first and the most crucial learning phase of a child. At the earlier years, children are susceptible and highly sensitive to the world around them. Reflectively a child’s psychology is patterned according to what it receives from its surrounding. Although a child may not directly perceive the huge complications of social rules, regulations and norm, they nonetheless have a subconscious inkling of how are world is structured and determined. Divorce seriously affects a child’s learning and behavioural pattern. A number of researches demonstrate that divorce has a remarkable relationship with a wide range of social problems. Children of divorced parents are significantly attached to these social problems. The following is a list of problems that are found to be deteriorated by the events of divorce: Divorce: Child-Abuse and Delinquency Children from divorced families increasingly become the victims of social negligence and abuse. In a study Professor Robert Sampson proves that in any given locality the divorce rate is proportionately related to the rate of crime. He also shows that when the divorce rate in an area is low, crime rate in that area is also low (280). Also Wisconsin statistics show that the rates of juvenile crimes are 12 times higher for the children of the divorced family than for children of non-divorced parents (34). Again a comprehensive analysis of a British and a US longitudinal report on divorce shows that children living with their stepparents are approximately three times more vulnerable to commit a crime than those living in intact families (Farrington 103). Furthermore, a research, conducted by the Australian Government, demonstrates that divorce extremely contributes to the growth of a child’s hostile behavior. Such hostility and rejection of a divorced family as well as of stepparents also increase the possibility of the home-broken children to join delinquent gangs (Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs). It is noteworthy that the effects of divorce are not confined to boys. Rather, there is a strong connection between family structure, misbehavior, hostility, school-skipping, larceny, and alcohol abuse among adolescent girls (Diana 26). Divorce and Psycho-physical Problem They are susceptible to a range of psychological and physical health problems. Also they increasingly become the victims of emotional and behavioural problems. In 1985 study that was led on 1,000 families reveals that children living in intact families show the least criminal behaviour, while children living with stepparents show the most anarchic behaviours. In a study Wilson and Daly show that children of divorced parents are seventy to hundred times more susceptible to be murdered by their stepparents before these children reach the third year of life (Wilson & Daly 230). Sexual abuse of children is pretty higher in their stepparents’ family than in the home of their biological parents. The rate of sexual abuse of girls of divorced parents appears to be forty times higher than the rate of sexual abuse of daughters in their biological parents’ household (Diana 20). Children from a divorced family more frequently get involved in crime and drug abuse. Also these children have higher rates of suicide. Effects of Divorce on Children’s Education Divorce direly affects the learning capacity of children, because the psychophysical growth of a child gets tremendously damaged by the aftermaths of divorce, as Fagan and Rector say, “Divorce impedes learning by disrupting productive study patterns as children are forced to move between domiciles, and by increasing anxiety and depression in both parents and children.” (3). Children of divorced parents show a weaker learning capacity. These children generally have a higher drop-out rate and a low graduation rate in colleges. In a survey, "Impact of Divorce Project," conducted by Kent State University in Ohio, it is revealed that children of divorced parents are less competent in reading, spelling, and math than the children from intact two-parent families are (Fagan & Rector 224). Scholars find the frequent relocation and traumatic disturbance of the psychological growth of these children as the primary cause of their incompetence, as Fagan and Rector say, “Frequent relocation of these children appears to play a large role in their poorer performance….children of broken families…move about much more frequently. Such moves tend to increase the incidence of behavioral, emotional, and academic problems.” (6) Younger children are more vulnerable, since they are generally more emotionally involved with their home than the older are. Divorce normally decreases the child's primary financial resource. The economic resource of the separated parents gets divided and seriously weakens the prospect of the members of the family to accumulate wealth. Divorced parents as well as their children are generally plunged into debt and financial crisis. In this regard, Fagan and Rector say, “For families that were not poor before the divorce, the drop in income can be as much as 50 percent” (6). Effects of Divorce on Children’s Education in High School The prospect of high-school student’s future success is great influenced by parental divorce. It affects negatively the learning aptitude of children because a child’s psychophysical growth tremendously becomes damaged by the repercussions of divorce. In this regard, Fagan and Rector (2000) say, “Divorce impedes learning by disrupting productive study patterns as children are forced to move between domiciles, and by increasing anxiety and depression in both parents and children.” (p. 3). The frequent relocation and disturbing changes in the family environment cause traumatic disturbance to the psychological growth of the children of divorced families, as Fagan and Rector (2000) say in this regard, Frequent relocation of these children appears to play a large role in their poorer performance….children of broken families…move about much more frequently. Such moves tend to increase the incidence of behavioral, emotional, and academic problems. (p. 6) Younger children are more vulnerable, since they are generally more emotionally involved with their home than the older are. Children of divorced parents demonstrate a low learning performance. These children commonly have a higher drop-out rate and a low graduation rate in colleges. In a research article, Marian et al (1995) says that “children whose parents divorce have lower rates of graduation from high school and college and also complete fewer college courses” (p. 38). In a survey that was conducted by Kent State University in Ohio, it is reported that children from divorced parents are less skilled in reading, spelling, and math than the children of intact families are (Hill & O’Neil, 1994, p. 1070). Economic and Psychological Effects of Divorce and High-school Dropout Rate Scholars assume that both economic and psychological factors are responsible behind the drop-out of the high-school students. As to the psychological factors, scholars suggest that high-school students from divorced families show reverence level for institutional learning. Also these students become easily diverted from study by factors such as drug abuse, adolescent sex, and other juvenile delinquencies. Again as for the economic factors, scholars shows that divorce generally play a significant role to reduce the students’ primary financial resource (Heath, 1992, p. 311). The financial resource of a student gets divided by the divorce of their parents and it seriously weakens the prospect of either parent to accumulate wealth. In an article, Marry Corcoran (1997) reports that “During the years children lived with two parents, their family incomes averaged $43,600, and when these same children lived with one parent, their family incomes averaged $25,300” (p. 47). Divorced parents are also plunged into debt and financial crisis. So it often becomes impossible to afford the cost of higher education. Consequently a student, whether he or she stays with their divorced father or mother, suffers from financial crisis that contribute to their drop-out from the high school. In this regard, Fagan and Rector (2000) say, “For families that were not poor before the divorce, the drop in income can be as much as 50 percent” (p. 6). Conclusion In the context of our modern society there is a growing trend to undermine the marital system as a mere social construct that is reminiscent of the patriarchal dominance. It is viewed traditionally marriage-induced “fatherhood” and “motherhood” as the stereotypes of man’s superiority over woman’s inferiority. But because of importance of the role that a family play in the socialization of children, this traditional family system is pushing forward along the passage of time in modern society. Yet it is “the natural framework for the emotional, financial, and material support essential to the growth and development of its members, particularly infants and children . . . The family remains a vital means of preserving and transmitting cultural values” (International Year of the Family). The family created around a marriage is where children are first brought up with a sense of the world’s morality, the rules and laws, by which we live within our polity. This is all explained so cogently by both Plato and Augustine. Family and marriage are central. But when marriage is uprooted and destroyed, there are serious consequences. In modern society divorce is one of the most serious problems we must deal with. It is a phenomenon that drains our economy and threatens to ruin the building blocks of our way of life. Works Cited Belsky, John. "The Determinants of Parenting: A Process Model." Child Development. 55: 83-96: 1984. Berlin, Gordon. “The Effects of Marriage and Divorce on Families and Children”, MDRC. 28 October, 2010, Charon, Joel. The Meaning of Sociology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. 2002. Diana, E. H. Russell, "The Prevalence and Seriousness of Incestuous Abuse: Stepfathers vs. Biological Fathers," Child Abuse and Neglect, Vol. 8 (1984), pp. 15-22. Fagan, F. Patrick and Rector, Robert. “The Effects of Divorce on America”, Domestic Policy Studies Department. 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Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992, pp. 271-301. Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, House of Representatives, Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, To Have and To Hold. Canberra: Parliament of Australia, 1998, p. 36. Swanson, Margaret. “Marriage and Modern Society: Lagging Evolution toward Egalitarianism”, 8 October, 2010, Wisconsin Department of Health and Social Services, "Family Status of Delinquents in Juvenile Correctional Facilities in Wisconsin," Division of Youth Services, April 1994. from http://www.dadsnow.org/studies/heritage1.htm Read More