Effects of Divorce, How to Reduce Divorce Rates - Essay Example

Divorce is stressful, and it has a major impact on the lives of the parties involved; both parents and children.
This essay will outline the causes of divorce, how it has affected the community, the society’s perception of divorce, and describe a few ways of improving the current situation as far as divorce is concerned.

Causes of divorce
The leading cause of problems in relationships is usually lack of communication. This manifests itself in the absence of ‘together time’ in a marriage. With the current world demanding maximum output from employees, most persons find themselves so engrossed in delivering at the workplace that they forget the importance of the family unit to their well-being. These persons arrive at home late, with little or no time at all to bond with their partners. The partners may feel neglected. Over a period of time, resentment seeps in due to inadequate communication. While some spouses may sit down and talk their things through, others opt to seek to divorce rather than be stuck with a person who they feel doesn’t care at all (Graff 2004).

Infidelity is another factor that is pushing spouses to divorce. With the current pressures of life, the distance between married partners, breakdown in communication and mass media that glamorize infidelity, cheating is becoming common in today’s family units. This has led to the loss of trust, the cementing factor in any relationship. As a result, persons are opting to file for divorce rather than live with an unfaithful partner. They prefer this rather than living with the emotional hurt of being cheated on and the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases especially HIV (Human Immuno-deficiency Virus) (Thomas 2000).
Other causes include boredom in a marriage, where a partner feels that the other has become dull and un-adventurous. Disagreements in issues such as money, in-laws, sex and children can also lead to divorce. Drug abuse especially chronic alcoholism has also led to divorce (Thomas 2004).

Effects of divorce
Divorce has profound effects on children, especially adolescents. Teenage is a period of self-discovery and divorce is usually shattering to a teenager. Children whose parents have undergone divorce exhibit more difficulties in their education than those in a complete family unit. They tend to repeat classes and have difficulty in understanding, especially mathematics. The use of drugs is also more prevalent in children whose parents have undergone divorce than those in intact families. This can be attributed to the fact that most drug-taking groups treat their members like family. The children need a sense of love from family and hence fall easily into drug-taking to satisfy this need. Children whose parents have undergone a divorce also tend to have a bleak financial outlook. With quite a number of them ending in foster homes or being taken care of by one parent, they face an inadequate financial background. This may lead to poverty in their future (Riley 1997).

Parents going through divorce are also affected by the experience. Legal tussles over child custody, wealth distribution and spousal support can be overbearing. This is especially true in child custody. Even though they might be going through a divorce, most parents have developed an emotional attachment to their children. A parent may feel that a part of him, or she is being taken away when the other parent wins the battle over child custody. Coupled with this is the feeling of loneliness that creeps in after the divorce. If one partner still had feelings for the other, this may lead to stress and even suicide. If a spouse has inadequate financial resources, it may become quite difficult to cope with the financial responsibilities that come after the divorce. This drives persons into poverty and engagement in illegal activities in a bid to cope with their financial responsibilities (Graff 2004).

While divorce has a number of negative effects, the general population seems to be okay with the trend. This can be indicated by the rising number of divorce cases in the community. However, the religious congregations seem to view divorce as a source of misery, and disobedience to God’s law. The church believes that God is against divorce and that if granted a divorce one should not marry again. According to the church, marrying again constitutes adultery and is a breach of the ten commandments of God (Thomas 2004).

How to reduce divorce rates
The main underlying reason why people go through a divorce is ‘putting I above us’. If people would give more consideration to other parties who would be affected by a divorce, they would be less likely to go ahead with one. If the effect on children was considered, the effect on a person’s moral standing, and the effect on society, divorce would be a rare phenomenon (Abercrombie 04).

The establishment of pro-family programs through community initiatives, media and government organs, can also reduce divorce rates. These programs would place emphasis on the importance of a family, resolve disputes in marriages, and aid in amicable solutions in cases where divorce is unavoidable (Riley 2007)
In conclusion, divorce is quite painful to the parties involved. Its effects on children are devastating to their future prospects. Although cases of divorce are rising, this trend should be addressed by the relevant authorities for a better, and happier nation. Read More