AFR- CH. 12 Divorce and Remarriage

Statistical Factors about Remarriage

- 1/3 of all Americans will marry, divorce and remarry. - 2/3 of divorced rates are higher for 2nd and 3rd marriages * 60% of 2nd marriages end in divorce * 75% of 3rd marriages end in divorce -Divorce occurs more quickly in remarriages than in 1st marriages.

Disadvantages of Remarriage

- once-divorced are less likely to stay in a poor marriage -remarriages with stepchildren have extra stressors - once-divorced individuals in remarriage may be less mature, less responsible and less supportive than the never divorced. - once-divorced may remarry for the wrong reasons.

AA (divorce)

-55% of AA couples divorce within the first 15 years of marriage. -Reasons include unemployment rates, less wealth, lower income levels, and lower educational levels. -many jobs that once provided economic stability for AA have left the central city areas for the suburbs and the rustbelt for the sunbelt, leaving AA with lower-paying jobs or no jobs at all. -consistently twice as likely as Whites to be unemployed.

Welfare

-Aid to Families w/ Dependent Children (AFDC) helped women before welfare legislation began. -Distributed based on rules of state, results in less assistance to families than before.

Blended Families (Remarriage)

-Approx. 17% of children under the age of 18 liv in a stepfamily household - 1/3 of marriages bring a step family into existence. - 1/3 of children will live in a remarried or cohabitating stepfamily household before they reach adulthood. - 65% of children living with a stepparent live with a stepfather.

Children and Divorce

-Approx. 65% of divorcing couples have minor children. -Most children will remain with their mothers and live in fatherless home for at least 5 years. -10 years after divorce, Father most likely will not be present.

Religion (Remarriage)

-Christianity plays a role because most denominations now tolerate divorce and remarriages. -Catholicism does not sanction divorce or remarriage.

Premarital Cohabitation

-Cohabitating couples have higher divorce rather than non couples -Key is commitment -TODAY, found that when couples who were engaged moved in together, their chances of divorce were the same as divorcing couples who never cohabitated before marriage.

Liberal

-Divorce is not as detrimental as critics say -Provides a second chance of happiness -social problems are bigger threats than marital instability -most kids from divorced families overcome their problems and live good lives -children are resilient

Life Cycle (divorce)

-Divorce rate for people over the age of 50 has risen significantly. -people are living longer so marriages may not end due to death. -society is more accepting of divorce than in previous generations -increase of women in the labor force has given them economic autonomy with less reliance on marriage.

Her Divorce

-Divorced women and children experience downward social mobility - 2/3 of divorces are initiated by women -women benefit less from divorce than men -Women experience a loss of status associated with their husbands identity -women rely stronger family and friendships networks for assistance than men.

Intergenerational Transmission of Divorce

-Growing up in a divorced family places adult children at higher risk of marital dissolution -children of divorces parents usually live w/ the mother and experience a decline in their standard of living. -by witnessing their parents divorce, these children may be more accepting of divorce. -children of divorced parents may lose faith in ideal of marriage permanence

Ideological Gap

-Husbands and wives who have similar views regarding gender roles are less likely to divorce. -Husbands and wives w/ differing view on gender roles and gender equality are more likely to divorce.

Divorce Patterns

-In general, 40% & 50% of 1st marriages end in divorce -1 in 5 marriages end in divorce or separation within 5 years -Couple who separate do so after 7 years and divorce in 8 -1 in 3 marriages dissolve within 10 years. - 3/4 of all divorced men remarry; 6/10 women remarry

Characteristics of Family (Divorce)

-Larger the family, the more stress experienced by single parents -Since divorce results in lower socioeconomic status for women and children, this negatively affects kids. -AA children are less likely to experience remarriage than white children. -Contact with both parents help children adjust. -Maternal employment can be negative impact.

Dissolution of Same-Sex Relationships

-Legal in 17 states and the District of Columbia -Results are murky for those in same-sex relationships who wish to separate. -situation is even more ambiguous for same sex couples with children.

Latino (divorce)

-Marital stability rate for Latinos is equal to rate of whites. -reasons include traditional nature of latino families, religion, and immigration status. -1st generations rarely divorce whereas 3rd generation latinos have higher divorce rates. -3rd generation Latinos in Ca, had high rate of unstable marriages, similar to AA

Age at first marraige

-Marriages involving younger people have higher likelihood of divorce. -Many young people enter marriage for the wrong reasons, have reduced chances for education and income, are are likely to feel limited in their search for potential spouses.

Education (divorce)

-People w/ lower education achievement are more likely to divorce than those w/ higher education levels. -highly educated women are more likely to divorce than men.

Factors Correlated w/ Divorce (First Birth Circumstances)

-Premarital pregnancy and premarital births increase the risk of divorce. -Marriages that accompany unplanned pregnancies have higher divorce rates -newlyweds may feel that they are trapped with few choices.

Men (Stepfamilies)

-Stepfather families are most common type, experience less stress, boys respond more favorably than girls, acceptance by step children is more positive. (engage in less discipline)

Power Issues

-There are power struggles between the new partners and their ex spouses. -Children gain power by game of "Divide and Conquer". *mother lets me watch tv late *i'll go live with my dad

Characteristics of Child (divorce)

-Younger the child at the time of divorce, the more likely they will have adjustment problems. -boys tend to be more affected by divorce than girls. *boys seem to take twice as long as girls to get adjusted to divorce. *girls act out differently than boys -Teens are more likely to initiate sexual intercourse and engage in delinquent behavior in response to divorce than younger kids.

Sources of Income (Her Divorce)

-alimony or spousal support is rarely awarded (15% of all cases). Designated to maintain high standard of living for rich ppl. -Marital property is potential source of income. -child support: third source of income paid by absent fathers. *2/3 of mothers have child support awards. *white more likely to receive child support than colored. -Most divorced women are employed -on average, female workers earn 80% if the average pay for male workers

Problems Endemic to StepFamilies

-children may be caught in the middle of hostile former spouses -remarried parents and stepparents may unite against the former spouse -when remarriage involves children, the complexity of familial relationships increases -this complexity is compounded by linkages with the child's extended families of each parent.

Conservative

-families should remain stable -divorce is not preferred -divorce contributes to many social problems -parents in unhappy, loveless and low-conflict marriages should remain together for the sake of their children. -children of divorce suffer greatly.

Race/Ethnicity (Remarriage)

-higher remarriage rate for Whites -AA and Latinos remarry at lower rates than their white counterparts. AA and Latinos remarry later than their White counterparts.

Interracial Marriages (divorce)

-interracial marriages account for small percentage of overall marriages. -higher divorce rates than white/white couples -white female/black male and white female/asian male marriages are more prone to divorce. -white male/non-white female couples had lower divorce rates.

Rigid and Unproductive Triangles

-involve three individuals in a struggle where dyadic relationships are not possible. 1. remarried parent in the middle, not allowing a direct relationship between stepparent and step child. 2. remarried parent and step parent standing united against a former spouse. 3. child caught in the middle between hostile former spouses 4. child caught in the middle between mother and stepmother or father and stepfather.

Income (divorce)

-lower the household income, the higher the probability of divorce. -wives more likely to file for divorce. *when women have independent sources of income, it is easier for them to leave unhappy marriages. -from 2007 to 2009, families postponed divorce because of surge in foreclosures.

His divorce

-men better of financially than their former wives. -income no longer shared -men are freed from the constraints of marriage and child care. -men have a wider selection of dating partners and potential spouses than women. -divorced men experience difficulties related to lonliness. -divorced men find dating to be difficult. -men see their children at prescribed times because their ex-wives usually have custody.

Boy Characteristics (Divorce)

-more aggression, greater need for attention , lower achievers in school -in adoles. more problems with alcohol/drugs than girls.

Legal (divorce factors)

-no fault divorce laws passed in the 1970s increased the divorce rate by 30% (either spouse can cancel divorce at any time) -Many states are trying to legislate ways to make divorce easily. -although the passage of certain laws may reduce the divorce rate, these efforts will not enhance the quality of marriages.

Age (Remarriage)

-older women are less likely to remarry -The pool of potential spouses for women is smaller than that for men -Men tend to remarry younger women.

Religion (divorce)

-populations w/ highest divorce rates include non-christians and political liberals. -Populations with lowest divorce rates include catholics, evangelicals and political conservatives -Interreligious couples have higher divorce rates than couples w/ the same religious beliefs.

Presence of Children (divorce)

-presence of children born prior to the marriage increases likelihood of divorce. -couples with children are less likely to divorce -likelihood of divorce decreases as family size increases. -divorce rates are lower in families with children under the age of 3 -divorce rates are higher in families with children over the age of 13. -families whose children are exclusively daughters have higher divorce rate than families limited to boys.

Social Class (Remarriage)

-the more money a divorced man has, the more likely he will remarry. -Women with higher incomes and education levels have less chances of remarrying.

Later Marriage (Predicting Divorce Rate)

-the older spouses are when they marry, the lower the chances of divorce.

Marriage Gap by Class

-the well educated and more affluent are more likely than economically marginal couples to stay married -people with college degrees are half as likely to be divorced or separated as their less-educated peers.

Muslim Americans (divorce)

-very divorce group based on country of origin, race, and length of time in the US. -1st generation Arab Americans have low divorce rate. -2nd & 3rd have higher divorce rates than 1st generation. -reasons include differences in religious observance, wives who are educated and work outside the home, and being in transnational marriage -there is also a high rate of interracial marriages among US born Arab-Americans

Marital Property

-when there is property to divide, the gender-neutral rules that accompanied "no-fault" divorce laws will treat women and men equally. -Problem: courts assume that, at the time of divorce, husbands and wives are equal. This assumption ignores the economic inequalities created during marriage.

3 Divorce Trends

1. Divorce rate has been rising since 1860. 2. Although the divorce rate is near its historical peak, it has been declining slowly over the past 30 years. 3. The divorce rate is affected by social and economic conditions.

Complex (Stepfamilies)

Both adults have children from previous marriage, greatest likelihood of re-divorce, greater # of children, higher chances of divorce.

Conflicting Loyalties

Children may feel torn apart when their parents no longer get along or live together

Cohabitation (Predicting Divorce Rate)

Cohabitating couples decrease the divorce rate because they decrease the marriage rate.

Mutual Child (Stepfamilies)

Half of all remarriages have a child born to the couple usually within the first 2 years, possibility parents will devote more time to biological children, causing resentments or hostility by stepchildren, step child may interpret behaviors by parent and stepparent as an unfair distribution of attention and favor even when they do not exist.

Divorce

Legal termination of marriage

Remarriage

Marriage by anyone who has been previously married

Competent Lovers 10%(Post Divorce)

More emotionally self-sustaining than enhanced ex-spouses, but they do not need a lifetime companion.

Advantages of Remarriage

Partners in a remarriage may be more tolerant, willing to compromise, and better able to anticipate and work through problems.

Cohort

Persons who are born at approximately the same time and thus experience the same societal forces throughout their life spans.

Women (StepFamilies)

Stepmothers have a more difficult time integrating into stepfamilies due to new husbands expectations of her assuming the primary caretaker role. (also clash between step & real mother

Outsiders vs Insiders

Successful stepfamilies integrate outsiders into the family

Defeated 10%(Post Divorce)

Succumbed to depression, substance abuse, and/or purposelessness.

Binuclear Family

The family form created in a remarriage that involves one or more children from previous marriage of either spouse

Blended Family

The family form created in a remarriage that involves one or more children from previous marriage of either spouse

Reconstituted Family

The family form created in a remarriage that involves one or more children from previous marriage of either spouse

Stepfamily

The family form created in a remarriage that involves one or more children from previous marriage of either spouse

Marriage Gap

Well-educated and affluent couples tend to stay married, while the poor are more likely to be divorced.

Heterogamy

When partners in marriage differ on significant social variables, such as, race, religion and social class.

Boundary Disputes

children are members of two separate households, resulting in blurred and changing boundaries

Good Enoughs 40%(Post Divorce)

divorce was difficult, but it did not make a lasting impression, good or bad.

Enhanced 20%(Post Divorce)

mostly successful at work, socially, and as parents.

Seekers/Libertines 20% (Post Divorce)

typically insecure men, remarry quickly, libertines, on the other hand, want life in the fast lane, casual sex, and no rules.