Jessica Zammett (FGCU); Divorce

Divorce rates are seen by sociologists as an indicator of the health of the institution of marriage. Divorce rates have fluctuated over the years and many people now view marriage as something that is not permanent, but can be ended, and eventually, re-entered. Couples get divorced for many reasons, including marrying quick or young, conflict of values, falling “out” of love, and most importantly financial strain.

Divorce is not initially “taught” to children. It is something that they learn later in life, when they can understand the concept of divorce, usually after being exposed to it somehow.

It is often easier for younger children to deal with the effects of divorce. If a child is extremely young, they have time to grow accustomed to being around someone other than their own biological mother or father. The way that children deal with divorce depends on the individual, and also their emotional stability. Sometimes, older children have a mindset that when they hear the news that their parents are getting divorced, it is because they have done something wrong. This is probably not true at all, but this will often upset a child.

My cousin recently got divorced, so I see the effects that it has had. She has two children, and they are 5 and 8. It is hard on the family when the kids can’t come over for certain holidays because they are with their father. It’s sad, but these are the effects that divorce has not only upon the couple, but family as well.

This entry was posted on 24. April 2009 at 22:52 and is filed under Introduction to Sociology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.