Introduction
In the contemporary world, the rate of divorce has assumed an increasing trend. Marriage dissolution is subject to numerous discussions and studies and demonstrates intricacies in regards to several influences, triggers as well as effects. The increasing trend in divorce rates and permanent separation among married couples has attracted a substantial amount of concern across the country as well as all over the world. As a result, so many studies and research have dedicated their work to examining the causes of the increasing rate of marriage dissolution in the society today. The rate of unsuccessful union between two adults which end up in divorce has raised alarming concerns. It is imperative to outline the underlying factors behind the high rate of divorce through the use of existing literature and research on the topic.
According to several scholars through their research work, there are several factors which cause the high rate of marriage dissolution in the society. Several factors and reasons has emerged as the main influences and causes behind the rising rate of divorce including personal choices, cultural issues, the nature of relationship among partners and demography. It is imperative to note that the role of diversity and the changing economic patterns exhibit higher dominance as the root causes as compared to the other factors.
These causes have been identified by argument from both the proponents and opponents who argue that socioeconomic factors are not contributing factors in the current increasing rate of divorce across the globe. It is imperative to investigate whether socioeconomic factors have any influence in the current rate of divorce.
The nature of marriage and divorce in the contemporary world
Marriage is still held at high regards in the current society. However, the rate of unsuccessful marriages between couples has seen an upward trend over the last couple of decades. Divorce has risen to be a normal occurrence in the contemporary society with so many cases of divorce reported each year. While more than 90 percent of people do get the chance to experience married life, more than 60 percent of those married fail to work out and end up in divorce. What is surprising is the continued manifestation of marriage amid the ever increasing rate of divorce across the society, more specifically in the western society.
It can be argued that the benefits of marriage like the positive elements presented to children, physical and mental aspect of healthy marriages explain its enduring nature amidst the high level of divorce rates. It is crucial to note that several marriages are held strong and encouraged by such factors as cultural and religious beliefs. It is no doubt that the effort and roles played by both cultural and religious beliefs in promoting and advocating for unions of individuals of opposite sex is significant (Hackstaff 846).
It is a daunting task to ignore the increasing chances for divorce in the western society regardless of the personal commitments the couples may be putting in their marriages. The rate of divorce has risen so high that it has become a norm in the society. Divorce is a culture itself. It is a daunting task to survive a marriage in a culture that has embraced the phenomenal of divorce as a societal norm. In the US alone, the rate of possible divorce among married couples is at 50 percent. It is imperative to note that the rate of possible divorce accounts for married couple in both homosexual and heterosexual unions. Also, the rate of divorce among couples in their second marriage is even higher than the couples who are married for the first time.
Hackstaff (21) asserts that divorce originates from several complicated issues and it is the reality that has existed even in the past years. Regardless of the high rates of divorce cases across the country, several people still believe in the institution of marriage. Several couples ignore the reality of divorce and get married hopping to have a successful marriage or at least stay married while it lasts. Even though they are aware of the possible divorce, several couples still get married. Most of these marriages are advocated for and supported by religion and cultural practices among the couples. It is imperative to note the crucial role played by the two factors in holding most marriages together amidst the high rates of divorce in the contemporary society.
Similar to most occurrences in the society, marriage dissolution does not occur out of thin air. Instead, there are several intertwining factors and issues that result to the high and ever increasing rate of divorce in the contemporary society. The factors associated with the high divorce rates and cases are categorized into cultural, economic, personal and demographic factors. These factors, in conjunction with socioeconomic factors emerge significant in contributing to the rising rates of divorce in the current society. While divorce exhibit several benefits to the couples, it has several detrimental consequences which are manifest in both children and adults. The consequences of divorce take the shape of emotions, economic and physical nature.
Socio-economic factors and divorce rates in the modern world
The changing economic factors and perception among individuals
The society is a macro system which is made up several cultural values, laws and customs. The several and diverse components of society explains the different ideologies and patterns that make up different societies. Divorce exhibits different levels and patterns which are attributed to the social and economic elements that compose the society. It is due to these differences in societies that socio-economic factors exhibit such massive impacts on the rising level of divorce. It is worth noting that the several elements that make up the society are responsible for shaping up the concept of marriage.
In addition, these elements highly influence the kind of decisions made married couples. It is no doubt that, issues of economic status, level of educations and occupation play imperative roles among individuals when it comes to making significant decisions such as staying married, whether to get married or even dissolve marriage (Zagorsky 411-412). Several people subscribe to the school of thought that marriage is an obstacle to economic empowerment. For such people, walking out of a union is comparatively easier than those who view marriage as a source of economic empowerment.
Political influence
The current policies, laws and statues regarding married and divorce as well as other important issues in the society have their control under socio-economic factors and status of the society. Regions with elevated levels of education, stable economic status and widespread stability in occupation demonstrate comparatively high level of divorce cases in the contemporary world. As perfect example is the high rate of divorce cases in the United States as compared to other regions with less socio-economic standards. According to Arendell (226), divorce is regarded as apolitically charged occurrence. The policies and laws that originate from the politics influence the pattern of social lives of the population, divorce and marriage. The rising level of freedom that correlates with enhancing socio-economic patterns in the US still holds the blame for the rising level of divorce.
Enhanced education, exposure and Decision making capacity
High levels of education, exposure and decision making capacity among individuals are some of the contribution socio-economic factors behind the increasing rates of divorce in the contemporary society. Individuals with high level of education and overall socio-economic standards exhibit higher chances of making significant decisions regarding marriage and divorce. They have the ability to decide whether or not to stay in marriage. High level of education presents individuals with adequate exposure as well as the capacity to determine what is best for them in marriage. As a consequence, divorce rates are high among individuals with high level of education as compared to individuals with low level of education.
On the other hand, poor level of education among women has the capacity to enslave them in bad marriages owing to the fact that they do not have the capacity to make wise decisions. Additionally, financial freedom presents most people, both men and women, with the ability to easily walk out of marriage. On the other hand, people who are financial dependent on their partners do not have the same luxury of walking out of the marriage. Such people chose to stay married to their partners even if the union is not working out as they hoped (Zagorsky 420-421). As a consequence, greater employment opportunities, improved education and better financial chances encourage the increasing divorce rate in the society.
Empowerment of individual through birth control
One of the hindering factors to divorce is children among married couples. In most cases, couples chose to stay and endure bad unions for the sake of their children. It is important to note that children are worst affected by divorce. As a consequence, most couple choose to stay in bad relationships for more than deserved time for the sake of sparing their children the emotional trauma and other detrimental consequences of divorce. However, the introduction of birth control has empowered couples to eliminate this hindrance to divorce by choosing not to have children. Divorce rate is higher among couples without children as compared to those who have children or at least one child. Children are regarded a unifying elements between married individuals. Lack of children among couples at initial stages of marriages is a contributing factor to divorce given that they do not have much to lose in the event of a divorce.
The changing legal landscape
The legal landscape that governs divorce and marriages has undergone a significant change from its original form. According to Hackstaff (pp. 817-858), divorce was considered more than an extreme intricate undertaking in the past. In addition, the process of divorce would cost both individuals massively in the past as compared to the current state. The legal changes in the through public policies have helped with the creation of smooth divorce process. The current legal landscape is characterized with lesser requirements for couples to attain, reduced time frame and reduced cost in the process of divorce. All these changes have encouraged the elevated rate of divorce experienced in the contemporary society.
Counter argument
Those who disagree with the argument that socio-economic factors influence the increasing rate of divorce in the contemporary world argue that the phenomenon does not function on its own. While they acknowledge the influence of socio-economic factors on the rising cases of divorce across the globe, they assert that those factors work in combination with other different factors. As a consequence, they hold that socio-economic factors do not quality as an influence on the rising rate of divorce in the contemporary world.
Conclusion
The marriage institution is considered by many as appealing. On the other hand, marriages exhibit several challenges that many fail to overcome, thus divorce. The reasons behind the ever increasing rate of divorce across the globe are numerous. The changing socio-economic factors in addition to several other factors have massive influence of the current rate of divorce across the globe.
Works Cited
Arendell, Terry, Divorce American Style, Contemporary Sociology, Vol. 27, No. 3 pp. 226-228, 1998
Hackstaff, Karla B Marriage in a Culture of Divorce, American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 106, No. 3 pp. 848-840, 2000
Zagorsky, Jay L. Marriage and divorce's impact on wealth, 424 Journal of Sociology 41(4)
