Why Has Divorce Increased In The Last Century?

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

Farzana Jalil

09/11/2001

Why Has Divorce Increased In The Last Century?

When two people love one another, and decide to declare their love for each other by getting married and spending the rest of their lives together, it has to be done in the eyes of the law. If an event of separation occurs, and the couple decide to split up, that also has to be done in the eyes of the law so as to make it official and permanent. This is called a divorce.

Over the last century, the rate of divorce has increased to a great extent. This is due to several reasons: -

The Changing role of Women.

This is a very significant justification for the rising request of divorce. During the course of the twentieth century, women’s expectation of life and marriage have risen. They are more adamant about sacrificing their own lives, independence and most of all their careers.

The employment of married women has increased this century. This has increased their financial independence and also reduced the amount of reliance on their husbands. They are capable of making their own money and providing for themselves now that they can be employed. This makes it very easier for women to escape from miserable marriages and if ever they need help, there is a range of welfare state benefits to help divorced women, in particular those with children.

Higher Expectation of Marriage

People’s expectation of what marriage should be like has also risen this century. Couples, especially women, expect more out of marriage and demand more from married life today than what the generation previous to them would have settled for. A reason for this could be due to the mass media (especially television) that frequently accentuates the romantic aspect of marriage as well as providing us with the images and descriptions of other people’s relationships where everything is happy and contented. This could put down someone’s approval of the conditions of their own marriage and ...

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Higher Expectation of Marriage

People’s expectation of what marriage should be like has also risen this century. Couples, especially women, expect more out of marriage and demand more from married life today than what the generation previous to them would have settled for. A reason for this could be due to the mass media (especially television) that frequently accentuates the romantic aspect of marriage as well as providing us with the images and descriptions of other people’s relationships where everything is happy and contented. This could put down someone’s approval of the conditions of their own marriage and increase their hope. People therefore have come to expect more companionship, understanding and sexual compatibility in their marriage than the financial security that seemed much more important in the past. As a result, couples are more likely to end a relationship that earlier generations might have tolerated.

Changing Social Attitudes

Nowadays, divorce is more socially acceptable than 100 years ago, when people disapproved strongly of it and condemned it. This is called stigmatising. Divorce no longer gets in the way of careers through a public sense of scandal and outrage. Therefore, people are less afraid of the consequences of divorce and are more likely to seek a legal end to an unhappy marriage rather than simply separating or carrying on in an “empty shell” marriage. They also don’t have to worry anymore about what people are thinking of them, as people’s judgement is not negative anymore. In the past, a lot of people could have jeopardised their careers if they had a divorce, as it was seen as such a shameful and appalling thing to do that they would have lost the chance of being employed when applying for a job.

Growing Secularisation

Secularisation is the decline of religious belief. This has meant that divorce is not seen so much today as breaking solemn vows or morally wrong, and many people today probably do not attach much religious significance to their marriage which means that people are more confident that they are taking the right approach and are doing nothing wrong.

Increasing Life Expectation

Today, people live to a greater age than they did in the early years of the twentieth century. This means that the number of years a couple may spend together has risen so they spend more time in each other’s company than they would have done 100 years ago. This gives more time for a marriage to “go wrong” and for divorces to occur. Within this extra time, couples may fall out of love, or even worse, fall in love with somebody else. More time also means arguments and disagreements are more likely to take place leading to a separation. Also, during this extra time, the couples might get bored of each other and want more choices in life. They might both want different things, as there are so many things to experience and enjoy in life. Two people’s decisions and judgement may differ so much that in the end they just decide to go their separate ways.

The Growth of the Privatised Nuclear Family

The last reason I can think of to answer my question: “Why Has Divorce Increased In The Last Century?” is the concealed nuclear family that is closed away from other relatives and friends, as well as the extended family. This has meant that during marital crises, it is no longer so easy for marriage partners to seek guidance from relatives and there is also less pressure and social control from the extended family pressuring couples to retain marriage ties.