SOCI Replies

6 days ago

Alexandria Mallon

DB 4

Collapse

Top of Form

Divorce has become something that is common in today’s world. There are many different factors that play into this, but the changing family structure is a big part of it. People have begun to stop valuing a family unit as much as before. There are more ways to be a family these days than there were prior to the Industrial Revolution. The textbook credits many different reasons for divorce to be common these days. For symbolic interactionists,  the reason for divorce tends to be the wrong expectations in a marriage. There tends to be a heavy emphasis on how people can help us emotionally, and that is how people are choosing their partners. This puts a lot of stress and pressure on the relationship, which can make it more likely to fail. Divorce also has become more of a normal thing to do, rather than a taboo subject. The less people view divorce as a negative thing, the more common it is bound to be.

Christians and non-Christians both face the same kinds of temptations and trials. Divorce is one of these trials that are universally hard for all people, believers or not. As Christians, we are not promised an easy life. More often than not, we are faced with more trials because the enemy is out to get us. This is why we face the same hardships that non-believers face. It is not surprising that the statistics between believers and non-believers are not that different. We are all flawed and attempting to deal with one another is very hard.

Personally, I think that the trends may change a little bit. More and more, people are resisting commitment. There is less emphasis on commitment and staying together. More people are looking out for themselves and searching for their own happiness. There is definitely a rise in selfishness lately that is causing people to either stay single or get out of their current marriage. The emphasis on being happy is also something that could cause the divorce trend to go up. More people are just searching for the person who makes them happy, when in reality marriage is much more than being happy.

I think that the church can do a lot in order to increase the stability of the familial structure. It is important to teach on the hard times in marriage in order to give couples the tools they need to work through the struggles. Troubles in marriage need to be less taboo and more open. The community can work on having people and programs in place for these people to work on their troubles. Rather than making it a demeaning thing, it is important that there are systems that encourage these couples in their hardships. The government can also do more to encourage a stable family life. There can be better role models of families that are portrayed, rather than cheaters and liars. There are many ways in which a family can and should receive help if they are struggling. There should be more programs in place that are able to help these families and encourage them in their hard times.

Word Count: 523 

Henslin, J. M. (2017). Social problems: a down-to-earth approach. Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Higher Education.

Bottom of Form

6 days ago

Jamie Krogel

Why divorce is more common

Collapse

Top of Form

"Americans expect marriage to deliver more than it possibly can, setting us up for inevitable disappointment" (Fowler and Henslin). The textbook discusses many reasons why divorce has become so common in the world we now live in. First, some people think that marriage will solve their problems that they face in society. I think tokay's culture and media portrays marriage as glamorous. Every girl dreams of finding her Prince Charming and having a fairytale ending because that is what we see in the movies. As a result of this, I think people rush into relationships and marriages. However, marriage is more difficult than they expected it to be. They did not expect it to be hardwork or so complicated. When you are committed to a marriage, you must also take on your spouses problems. Many people cannot handle that burden. This causes the marriage to become an overloaded institution. 

Another reason why marriages are ending more is because the marital roles have now changed. Years ago, the man was expected to be the breadwinner and the woman was supposed to stay at home and assume the wife duties. In today's culture, the roles have changed. More women are entering the workforce and less are staying at home. This can cause more tension within the marriage because it is unclear as to whose duty the housework is left for. "A couple's expectations surrounding the balance of work and home life may not mesh" (Fowler and Henslin). 

"As divorce became more common, its meaning changed: Divorce was transformed from a symbol of failure to one of self-fulfillment, of opportunity rather than shame" (Fowler and Henslin). I think this is why divorce within the church is the same for non-believers. As time goes on and society continues to grow, things that were once not accepted are now approved of. 

I think the divorce trends will continure to grow. The times we live in now are so high tech and fast paced, that we forget to slow down and appreciate what we have right in front of us. I also think that divorce will continue because people are always growing and changing. In the past, you did not change and outgrow your spouse. Regardless of what happened, you stayed in the marriage and worked it out together. Today, it is more common to divorce and say you fell out of love than to attempt to fix the marriage. I also believe divorce will continue because of the upcoming generation. As times change, the older generation is dying out and the "microwave generation" is growing up. The older generation was the ones who viewed divorce as failure. The new generation, is more into a fast paced lifestyle and views the older generation's traditions as out of date. This generation also spends too much time in their phones and is more attentive to their social media. This does not leave much time to spend face to face with your spouse. 

I do not feel that the government needs to implement anything to increase the family structure. Personally, I just do not think that is the government's responsibility nor is it their place of business. Neither marriage or divonce should be ruled by the government. However, I do think the community or church could assist in approving the family structure. Community centers could offer marriage counseling. The church could do that as well. I also think they could hold family nights once or twice a week. When there are family activities available, it gives the members in the family a chance to bond with one another and enjoy their company. I think the church could hold free child care once a week so that the parents can have a chance to be alone without the children. It is healthy for the parents to remain close and intimate even after they have children. This will keep their relationship healthy and helps them to continue to grow. Every relationship, no matter how strong, needs attention.  

References 

Henslin, J. M., & Fowler, L. A. (2010). Social Problems: A Down-to-Earth Approach. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Bottom of Form