Divorce is rampant.
Explain the causes of the high rates of divorce in todays society.
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For a divorce to happen, a marriage must happen first. According to Eyo (2018) marriage is a legally certified union between a man and a woman who decide to tie the knot and have a long-life relationship. Every culture values marriage and the marriage ceremony and it is considered as an opportunity for the community to celebrate. Some cultures practice polygamy, where a man marries is allowed to have more than wife for example, the Muslim community where a man can have up to four wives. Eyo (2018) also stated that marriage is a legally recognized relationship between people who are not related and intend to live together as domestic partners and engage in sexual intercourse in order to procreate. Some marriages are unconventional and do not include husband and wives living together for example, in some cultural groups in India and Africa, the husbands do not live with their wives and they are considered as visitors who visit the wife’s home for sexual intercourse (Eyo, 2018 In other communities, “marriage connects two families in a complicated set of property exchanges involving land, labour, and other resources and the extended family and society also share an interest in any children the couple may have” (Eyo, 2018, p.1). Thus, marriage is celebrated by the community as it leads to the creation of new families.
However, the union of marriage which is expected to last lifelong may sometimes have a contrary ending. Eyo (2018) stated that the end of a marriage is referred to as divorce and choosing divorce affects the couple involved, their children and also their respective families. There is no divorce, not unless there was a legal marriage certificate signed and hence, people who co-habitat and choose to go their separate ways cannot be considered divorced. “The word divorce originally referred to the dissolution of legal marriage, though it is now also being used for the separation of two institutions or situations, one from the other, e.g. the separation of the state from the church or other religious bodies (Eyo, 2018, p.2). Divorce is often considered a taboo and very traumatic. According to Astinah et al. (2019) the biggest reason for divorce is lack of communication which leads to conflict and lack of respect. Religious difference, economic instability and domestic violence are some of the causes of divorce.
Religious differences can at times lead to divorce. According to Eyo, 2018, one such instance is “in the case of Chief Engr. Duke Effiom and Mrs. Dorathy Effiom, when the wife decided to change from the husband’s church to Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, this led to divorce” (p.2). Instability in the family can arise due to one partner changing their religion and converting in to a religion that the bother partner does not approve of. Prophets can also contribute to divorce by prophesying negative prophesies for example, a prophet can prophesy and make allegations that a certain illness has been caused by the spouse or their family. One quote often quoted to support such prophesies is “therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord, touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you” (2 Cor. 6:17 NIV) (Eyo, 2018). Thus, religious differences can lead to divorce as it brings instability in the family can arise due to one partner changing their religion and converting in to a religion that the bother partner does not approve of.
Economic instability is another major cause of divorces. According to Astinah et al. (2019) “the high divorce rate is dominant due to economic factors” (p.1). Unemployment fuels divorce. “The American Journal of Sociology recently published a study which found out that a husband’s unemployment can be a key factor behind divorce” (Eyo, 2018, p.2). Financial constrains can often lead to marital problems due to a partner’s inability to meet their financial obligations therefore leading into the filing of a divorce. A couple facing financial constrains is often under a lot of stress and pressure, which in turn can lead to constant arguing back and forth, therefore a lack of communication. Couples who do not agree on spending habits or couples where one partner has control over the finances of the home can face marital strain that can lead to divorce. Thus, wasteful management of economic resources by a spouse and the inability to meet financial needs may lead to the other spouse seeking divorce.
Domestic and gender violence accounts for divorce cases. The violence can be physical, economic, verbal, sexual, and emotional. According to Eyo (2018,). In cases where “violence is meted out on the woman in marriage by either the spouse or in-laws, it may lead to divorce, especially in this age of gender equality and equity” (p.2). According to Kourtney et al. (2021) the meaning of domestic violence varies from culture to culture as in some male predominance cultures, the domestic violence against the wives is justified and considered normal. Domestic violence data can be acquired through the reported police cases but many victims do not report domestic violence because they are afraid of discrimination. Kourtney et al. (2021) also stated that “not all police calls for domestic violence were reported or there were changes in reporting, due to lack of evidence” (p.2). Astinah et al (2019) stated that promoting democratic principles or seeking religious guidance when conflict arises, can led to lower divorce rates. Thus, domestic violence can lead to divorce and by managing marital conflict, divorce can be minimized.
In conclusion, marriage is supposed to be a union of bliss and have positive effects, but in some cases, marriage bond is broken due to divorce. The causes of divorce are religious, economic, change of social status to health challenges among other things. When divorce happens, the society is affected as they have their opinions of what seemed to be positive thought the marriage and therefore, th society can negatively pressure the divorcee and discriminate them. The most affected in the divorce cases are children who may suffer psychologically, economically and physically. The children are affected by their parents’ divorce and they may ask questions about why they are in a one parent household. The children are then forced to adjust to changes brought by the divorce and work on how to keep in contact with both their families and develop a relationship. Apart from this, the children may also have to deal with their parent’s parental conflict, because of the attempts by each parent to have the child’s loyalty and love without regarding the parent after the divorce; This leads to emotional and physical instability of the children involved. Divorce should be discouraged as it leads to feelings of resentment towards the other partner.
Eyo, U. E. (2018). Divorce: Causes and effects on children.
Astinah, A., Idris, R., & Agustang, A. (2020). Leadership and divorce education; study on women’s perception. Humanities, 8(3), 323-330.
Kourti, A., Stavridou, A., Panagouli, E., Psaltopoulou, T., Spiliopoulou, C., Tsolia, M., … & Tsitsika, A. (2021). Domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review. Trauma, violence, & abuse, 15248380211038690.