Williams 1

Tyler Williams
Camille Pack
English 2010-014
24 January, 2015
Word Count: 1586
Divorce Evaluation
In the United States about forty to fifty percent of all first marriages end in divorce, and
about sixty percent of second marriages end in divorce. Just think of how many people are
affected by divorce. How many people do you know that have experienced a divorce? Almost
everyone knows at least someone that has experienced one, if they havent for themselves. Why
are divorce rates so high and what are the best measures to prevent
a divorce? What are the effects of divorce on families and
children? Why is it even important to know about divorce? All of
these are questions we need to ask ourselves. Divorce is a
pandemic in America and if we know more about it, we can take
the proper precautions to prevent it.

Figure 1

Divorce is a judicial declaration dissolving a marriage in whole or in part, especially one

that releases the marriage partners from all matrimonial obligations (dictionary.com). To me
personally, divorce is defined a little differently. Like many I have experienced a divorce, the

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divorce of my parents. From about age fourteen to seventeen, I experienced one of the
hardest trials I had to go through. My father and mother have three children including me. When
I was in third grade my father was fired from his job and we were forced to move out of our
house in Roy, Utah. We then moved to our grandmothers house in Fruit Heights, Utah. This was
supposed to be just a temporary stay, but that was not the case. My mother became sick and
depressed. My father had a hard time keeping a job and worked rigorous hours. In time my father
also started suffering depression, due to the long hours and taking care of my mother while she
was sick and on top of that, taking care of the children. I clearly remember the fights my mother
and my father had. Those were tough times for us. When I was about seventeen my parents filed
for divorce. Everyones experience with divorce is different,
however divorce is hard for everyone and not only affects the
couple, but also affects the lives around them.
Why do people get divorced? There are many reasons why
couples get divorced. It could be due to financial reasons,
infidelity, depression, stress, lack of commitment, boredom,
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there are just so many reasons. For my parents it was a mix of: financial, depression, high
expectations, abuse, stress, boredom and a lack of commitment. The love they used to have for
each other gradually dwindled. To me commitment is the most important, even in hard times
people that are one hundred and ten percent committed to each other will be able to survive.
However there are some key factors that are associated with a higher risk of divorce that people
need to consider. Utah State University has a divorce orientation program. This program
developed by Dr. Alan Hawkins (Ph.D.), Dr. Fackrell (J.D), and Dr. Brian Higginbotham (Ph.D.)
is divided up into eight lessons that you can read or watch on their website (divorce.usu.edu).

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The program has a lot of interesting research and information on divorce. Lesson three mentions
eight key factors that are associated with a higher risk of divorce. I will briefly enumerate all
eight. The first factor is young age. Marriage at a very young age increases the likelihood of
divorce, especially in the early years of marriage. Those who marry in their teens have much
higher divorce rates (p.42). Marriage is a life-changing decision and should not be rushed. The
second factor is less education. Those with less education are more at risk of a divorce than those
who have had college degree. The third factor is income. Researchers have estimated that
individuals with annual incomes of more than $50,000 have a lower chance of divorce
(compared to individuals with annual incomes less than
$25,000) (p.42). Fourth is Pre-marital cohabitation,
which means to live with your spouse before your married.
You might think that there is a better chance of not getting
divorced if you lived with the person before you got
married. This is absolutely false. In fact Couples who
Figure 3

cohabit have a 46% greater risk of divorce than couples

who do not live together before marriage (foryourmarriage.org). Fifth is pre-marital pregnancy
and childbearing. Pregnancy and childbearing before marriage greatly increases the chance of a
divorce. Sixth is couples with no religious affiliation. Chances of divorce lowers when couples
share the same religious beliefs. Seventh is parents divorce. If you experienced the divorce of
your parents, unfortunately that doubles your risk for divorce. And if your spouse also
experienced his or her parents divorce, then your risk for divorce more than triples (p.43). The
eighth and final factor is insecurity. Those with insecure and unconfident personalities have a

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higher risk of getting a divorce. Knowing these key factors can lead us to a better understanding
of divorce and can possibly help us prevent divorce.

Another important aspect of divorce, is to know how divorce affects those involved.
Divorce affects everyone in a different way on a personal level. For example my parents divorce
was very challenging for me, I hoped that they would just be able to work it out. Luckily during
this hard time in my life, I had friends and family that supported me and helped me throughout
those perilous times. Divorce affects all men, women, and children and in different ways. Going
through a divorce can be traumatic for many especially for children. Foryourmarriage.org has
some interesting facts on marriage and divorce. Statistics show that, due to the lack of stability
and support in the home, children from divorced parents experience significant decrease in
academic success, physical health, and future stability in their own relationships.
(foryourmarriage.org). Divorce can be hard for children, however there are factors we need to
understand in order for divorce to be a less traumatic experience for children. (1) The quality of
their relationship with each of their parents before the separation, (2) the intensity and duration
of the parental conflict, and (3) the parents' ability to focus on the needs of children in their
divorce (mediate.com). There are also outside sources like friends and other family members
that can greatly aid the child. Like myself, my girlfriend also experienced a divorce. When she
was young her mother filed for divorce. In a short interview I asked her a couple questions. The
first question I asked. How hard was it to go through the divorce? She answered It was very
hard for me, as a child I didnt know how to handle all the drama (Gu, Interview). I then asked
her another question. What do you think would have help you the most to get through this tough
time? She responded. I think if I had more friends or family members to support me, I think
this would have eased the pain I was going through (Gu, Interview). I agree with my girlfriend.

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However, I had a different experience, I had friends and neighbors who were there to support me
and help with those struggles.
Men are affected by divorce differently than women are. In fact, Men are usually
confronted with greater emotional adjustment problems than women (mediate.com). This may
be due to a lack of intimacy. However, men tend to remarry quicker than women. This became
true for my father. A few years after my mother and father were
divorced, my father remarried. He has been married for a couple
years now. In an interview I asked him a couple questions. I began
the interview by asking Do you regret your decision to divorce?
He answered No, I dont regret it, it was something that your
mother and I needed to do, we were not happy together
(Williams, Interview). I then asked him What advice would you
give to a father that is going through a divorce? He replied It

Figure 4

depends on the person, but my advice to them would be to stay strong, if you can try your best to
work it out and help your kids if you have any (Williams, Interview).

Divorce is an epidemic in our country. It has affected everyone in some way or another.
Although divorce rates are ever so slightly decreasing every year, divorce is still a major issue in
the United States. By knowing the key factors of divorce, the different effects of divorce and
seeking help, we can decrease the divorce rate even more. Not only can we decrease the divorce
rate, we can also improve our quality of life, especially for those who are struggling with
divorce.

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Appendix
Figure 1- "Google Images." Google Images. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.thecollegesolution.com/wpcontent/uploads/2011/10/Divorce-Laws.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.thecollegesolution.com/howdoes-financial-aid-work-when-youre-divorced/&h=565&w=849&tbnid=raUnBdHJOBwxM:&zoom=1&docid=MqMgd4ocyiFT6M&ei=O3nCVJ_EK4bToATD0ICQDw&tbm=i
sch&ved=0CDs
Figure 2- "Google Images." Google Images. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.divorcesourceradio.com/wpcontent/uploads/2010/12/Children_Divorce.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.divorcesourceradio.com/
&h=300&w=420&tbnid=wwftkloZ4a6UIM:&zoom=1&docid=6W1jDIAHuQmybM&ei=O3nC
VJ_EK4bToATD0ICQDw&tbm=isch&ved=0CD8QMygSMBI
Figure 3- "Google Images." Google Images. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/origami-heart-brokendollar-red-36365151.jpg&imgrefurl=http://imgkid.com/origami-heartdollar.shtml&h=951&w=1300&tbnid=w14Y9U7Tp4Yz_M:&zoom=1&docid=Z9mIjdwnkj2gT
M&ei=6XrCVNv_ENTmoAS_t4DACw&tbm=isch&ved=0CFAQMygpMCk
Figure 4- Web. 27 Jan. 2015. <https://encryptedtbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRCET3ZsxuxCpAoGzeprD5h2M3UGFQX0cfxabz4g7iNZCRu8MzJQ>.

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Works Cited

Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.

<http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/divorce?s=t>.
"Divorce - Www.divorce.usu.edu." Divorce - Www.divorce.usu.edu. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.divorce.usu.edu/>.
"Facts and Figures." For Your Marriage. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.foryourmarriage.org/factsfigures/>.
Gu, Tammy. Interview. 25 January 2015.
O'Connell Corcoran, Kathleen. "Psychological and Emotional Aspects of Divorce." Psychological and
Emotional Aspects of Divorce. 1 June 1997. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.mediate.com/articles/psych.cfm#effects>.
"U.S. Divorce Rates and Statistics - Divorce Source." U.S. Divorce Rates and Statistics - Divorce
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Williams, Mike. Interview. 25 January 2015