Cause And Effect Of Divorce On Children

“Marriage is the process by which two people make their relationship public, official, and permanent. It is the joining of two people in a bond that putatively lasts until death, but in practice is increasingly cut short by divorce” (“All About Marriage”). Divorce is the “legal action between married people” to end “the marriage before the death of either spouse” (Meyer). The divorce rate in the United States is the highest in the world, at forty to fifty percent for all first time marriages, and sixty and seventy percent for all second and third time marriages (Meyer). To solve the divorce problem in the United States, the cause and effects must be examined before arriving at the solution of mandatory marriage counseling before filing for …show more content…
Children of divorce experience more problems with health, behavior, and drug abuse. They have more emotional problems, higher suicide rates, and perform more poorly in school. They also have a higher drop-out rate, a higher chance of repeating grades, and lower rates of graduation (Fagan, Rector). When parents are not able to communicate effectively and work together as parents during and after the divorce, these effects are increased. Many children of divorce go through denial. They will pretend everything is okay. When a parent leaves the home the child feels abandoned by that parent. They may feel angry and act out. Many children of divorce also feel guilty or that they are to blame for the …show more content…
Victims of physical or mental abuse would be able to file for divorce immediately without going through the mandatory marriage counseling course. Domestic abuse is a serious issue and will still be taken seriously with this solution. There will be no need for either spouse to prove abuse happened. Abuse is often hard to prove and if not taken seriously can lead to death. If a person is filing for divorce on the grounds of abuse they will need to seek safety immediately. They could file a temporary protection order along with their divorce papers or go to a shelter for battered spouses. The divorce problem in the United States can be solved with mandatory marriage counseling before filing for divorce. Although this solution will not completely end divorce in the United States, it will lessen it dramatically. The benefits of staying married far outweigh the effects caused by divorce especially to the children involved in the divorce. Without this solution the divorce rate will only continue to get higher and eventually marriage will not mean much of anything. With this solution, the wedding vows, “till death do us part”, will have meaning