1. Coming Apart: Separation and Divorce
Chapter 14
Coming Apart: Separation and Divorce

2. Chapter Outline
Measuring Divorce: How Do We Know How Much Divorce There Is?
Divorce Trends in the United States
Factors Affecting Divorce
The Stations of the Divorce Process

3. Chapter Outline Marital Separation Children and Divorce Child Custody
Divorce Mediation
What to Do About Divorce

4. Measuring Divorce Ratio measure of divorces to marriages
In 1998, there were 1,135,000 divorces and 2,256,000 marriages—a ratio of 1 divorce for every 1.98 marriages.

5. Measuring Divorce Crude divorce rate
Number of divorces in a given year for every 1,000 people in the population.
In 2002, there were 4.0 divorces for every 1,000 Americans.

6. Measuring Divorce Refined divorce rate
The number of divorces that occur in a given year for every 1,000 marriages.
In 1998, the refined rate was 19 to 20 divorces per 1,000 married women, meaning 2% of marriages ended in divorce.

7. Measuring Divorce Predictive divorce rate
Allows researchers to estimate how many new marriages will likely end in divorce.
The prevailing estimate is between 40 and 50% of marriages entered into this year are likely to become divorces.

8. Marriage Through the 20th Century and Beyond
Year
Number
Rate Per 1,000
1900
709,000
9.3
1920
1,274,476
12.0
1940
1,595,879
12.1
1960
1,523,000
8.5
1980
2,406,708
10.6
1995
2,336,000
8.9
2001
2,327,000
8.4

9. Divorce Through the 20th Century and Beyond
Year
Number
Rate Per 1,000 Married women
1900
55,751 3
1920
170,506 8
1940
264,000 9
1960
393,000
9.2
1980
1,189,000
22.6
1995
1,169,000
19.8
2001 NA

10. International Variation in Refined Divorce Rate
Divorces per 1,000 married women
Country
1980
1990
1995
United States 23 21 20
Canada 10 11
France 6 8 9
Japan 5
Sweden 12 14
United Kingdom 13

11. Stations of Divorce Emotional Legal Economic Co-parental Community
Psychic

12. Uncoupling
The process by which couples drift apart in predictable stages.
The initiator voices complaints and begins to think of alternatives.
Eventually the initiator ends the relationship.
Uncoupling ends when both partners acknowledge the relationship cannot be saved.

13. Separation Distress Affected by:
Whether there was forewarning of the separation.
The length of time married.
Who took the initiative in leaving.
Whether someone new is found.
Available resources.

14. Dating Again Dating is important for separated or divorced people.
The greatest social problem is meeting other unmarried people.
Dating is a formal statement of the end of a marriage and permits individuals to enhance their self-esteem.

15. Economic Consequences of Divorce
Women generally experience dramatic downward mobility after divorce.
Economic consequences include:
Impoverishment of women
Changed female employment patterns
Very limited child support and alimony

16. Stages of Children in Divorce
Initial stage - Lasts about a year, when turmoil is greatest.
Transition stage - Lasts several years, in which adjustments are made to new family arrangements.
Restabilization stage - When changes have been integrated into the children’s lives.

17. Children’s Developmental Tasks When Parents Divorce
Acknowledging parental separation
Disengaging from parental conflicts
Resolving loss
Resolving anger and self-blame
Accepting the finality of divorce
Achieving realistic expectations for later relationship success

18. Child’s Adjustment to Divorce: Factors
Open discussion prior to divorce
Continued involvement with noncustodial parent
Lack of hostility between divorced parents

19. Child’s Adjustment to Divorce: Factors
Good psychological adjustment to divorce by custodial parent
Stable living situation and good parenting skills.
Continued involvement with the children by both parents

20. Child Custody Generally based on one of 2 standards:
The best interests of the child
The least detrimental of the available alternatives.
The major types of custody are sole, joint, and split.

21. Noncustodial Parents
Often feel deeply grieved about the loss of their normal parenting role.
As a result of custody disputes, as many as 350,000 children are stolen from custodial parents each year.
Most are returned home within a week.