Divorce and Its Effects on Families

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Divorce has garnered a large amount of public attention in recent years, as the divorce rate has skyrocketed and families are beginning to feel the devastating effects of this event.
This short article will attempt to lay out some of the facts of divorce in the United States, followed by a summary of effects on both children and family units as a whole.
Divorce is defined as the legal dissolution of a marriage.
In the United States, the term has become an everyday phrase mentioned in the home, office, and at other venues.
As the term is tossed about, we must begin by taking a short glimpse at the numbers of divorce over time.
A study conducted in 2005 states the national divorce rate is at its lowest point since 1970.
This low rate comes after decades of high divorce rates and we are now beginning to understand the effects that are pushed onto families in this situation.
A report issued by the National Marriage Project at Rutgers states that although the divorce rate is falling, the number of children growing up with both biological parents stands at 63%, one of the lowest worldwide.
This is fallout from the previous decades of high divorce rates.
Continuing into the effects of divorce on families, we will start with the financial effect on the family unit.
Following a divorce, both parties involved are starting a new part of their life.
Women tend to fare worse, with 73% reporting a drop in standard of living and 58% of men reporting the drop in standard of living.
The courts will divide marital property while personal property not related to the marriage should remain unaffected.
Children are often the most harmed in a divorce.
Overall stability and attitude decline, along with self esteem and trouble getting along with parents.
The emotional strain of being pulled away from biological parents can cause irreparable damage to a developing child and can cause difficulties in learning and interacting with peers in childhood, and as the child grows older can result in difficulties forming and maintaining relationships.
Along with this, studies have reported that teenagers whose parents have divorced are more likely to get involved in alcohol, drugs, and having a lower socioeconomic status overall.
Continuing into adulthood, the detrimental effects of divorce continue.
Studies report less learning and difficulty maintaining long term relationships with the most frequent delayed onset consequence is a negative anxiety of repeating the failed relationship that caused the divorce.
With the current divorce rate falling and more and more education on the topic available, one can only hope that divorce becomes less of a strain on the people and children of this country.
More factors are at play than can be discussed in such a paper, however the future is beginning to look up for divorces in the United States.
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