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Divorce and Remarriage

Ahrons (2004b) presents a very
different view of the effects of divorce. She
suggests “good divorces have been well-
kept secrets because to acknowledge them
in mainstream life threatens our nostalgic
images of family” (p. 7). She insists divorce
doesn’t have to destroy children’s lives or
create a family breakdown if handled well.
She interviewed 173 grown children
whose divorcing parents she had
interviewed 20 years prior. While she
admits divorce is never easy for a family,
her results show that children can and do
adapt, and many actually thrive in the
midst of family change. While she did find
a full 20% of the adult children felt their
parent’s divorce had devastating effects on
them and has left scars which would not
heal, 80% feel their parent’s decision to
divorce was a good one, and they are
better off or not affected by it (Ahrons,
2004b).
Regardless of which researcher comes
closer to the truth, divorce affects people
on many levels. It is fair to say the research
as a whole suggests about 75-80% of
children whose parents divorce will do
fairly well. On the other hand, this means
20-25% will have more major difficulties.
We will now examine the impact of
divorce on society, educational
achievement, family economy, personal
well-being, family dynamics, and religious
practice.

The Effects of Divorce on Society

Even when a divorce is amiable, it tears

apart a family—the fundamental unit of

American society. We should not be

surprised that divorce profoundly affects

our social fabric, particularly as it relates

to the problems of crime, abuse, and

addiction.

In a study of 171 cities with populations

over 100,000,one study found the divorce

rate predicted the robbery rate—the lower

the rate of divorce,the lower the crime rate

(Sampson,1992).A different study found

that children from divorced families were

significantly more likely to become

delinquent than children living with married

parents (Demuth & Brown,2004).

When parents divorce,most children

suffer,at least initially.Not only do higher

Children from divorced families are

significantly more likely to become

delinquent than children living

in two-parent homes.

Image from BigstockPhoto.com / alptraum