Divorce and its Effects on Families
Divorce has captured a lot of public attention in the current years, since the divorce rate has gone very high and families are starting to feel the bad effects of this event. This brief article will try to explain several facts about divorce in America, then summarize the problems it has on kids as well as the entire family.
Divorce is explained as legally dissolving marriage. In America, this term has become a common phrase discussed at home, in the office, as well as other places. While divorce is a term we mention casually we should take a look at the numbers that are declining over time.
According to a study from 2005, the national divorce rate is currently at its lowest in over thirty years. This low rate comes after a long period of high divorce rates and we are just now starting to understand some of the impacts that are pushed onto families that are in this situation. According to a report by Rutgers’ National Marriage Project, despite the falling divorce rate, only 63% of children grow up with both biological parents, one of the lowest percentage in the world. The is the end result of the significant divorce rate experienced in the last few decades.
Further discussing the effects of divorce on families, we will begin with the monetary burden on the family unit. Both parties after a divorce are beginning a new part of their life. The worst affected are women, 73% of whom reported a drop in standard of living as compared with 58% of men. 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. General stability and bad attitudes, as well as self esteem problems and difficulty getting along with their parents. Being torn away from biological parents can cause children to have emotional strain, irreparable damage, difficulties in learning and interacting with peers in childhood, and can also result in difficulties starting and maintaining relationships as the child grows older. As well as this, research has shown that teenagers who have divorced parents have a greater chance of drinking alcohol, taking drugs and having a decreased socioeconomic status in general.
Continuing into adulthood, the detrimental effects of divorce continue. There have been research that show learning less and having trouble maintaining long term relationships with frequent delayed onset is caused by the negative anxiety of repeatedly failing relationships that can lead to a divorce.
With today’s divorce rate decreasing and increased education about the subject is available, we can only expect that divorce will become less of a problem for grownups and kids in 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.
If you’d like more information, you can read more about my practice as an divorce lawyer in Austin TX. You can also watch the Free Austin Divorce Guide Audio CD at www.TruslerLegal.com. There is an alternative to the traditional divorce process. Learn how a Austin TX collaborative divorce attorney can guide you through family disputes with dignity.
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