Paper Example on Social Demography: How to Reduce the Divorce Rate in the United States

Research shows that around 50% of U.S. married couples get divorced, painting an extremely dark picture (Essel, 2018). The increase in the rate of divorce in the U.S. and other Western countries has led to a demographic transition. However, the divorce rate among youths in the U.S. is falling, while it is sharply on the rise among adults ages 50 and above. According to Wood (2018), youths in the country are rebelling against their parent's generation's ways of family formation and marriage. Research has shown that it is more deliberate factors, including the sequence and timing of marriage and the formation of a family that are more significant in reducing marital dissolution. Current research implies that Americans in their late 20s are less likely to get divorced, while their probability of remaining married is on the rise (Wood, 2018). Therefore, the country's divorce statistics have been unsuitably secure and robust for many years. In this right, the paper will explore how to reduce the divorce rate in the U.S.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

To begin with, a change in attitudes toward marriage can reduce the divorce rate. According to Wood (2018), young people in the U.S. are doing things differently from prior generations. There is a significant difference between the attitudes of the millennials toward marriage compared to baby boomers despite their shrinking demographic influence. In the U.S., millennials are choosing to marry once they have completed their education, established their careers, and are in a sound financial position. In contrast, baby boomers married young regardless of their situation. According to Wolfinger (2015), youthful marriage is a potent predictor of divorce. It is this marital instability earlier in life that is contributing to the higher divorce rate. As such, to reduce the divorce rate, there is a need to encourage the U.S. population to marry after attaining education, securing employment, and being financially stable. This would reduce the rate of divorce in the country.

Making better marriage choices can reduce the divorce rate. Americans need to break with the past whereby, the baby boomers generation married, and divorced, and they repeated the patterns in their 60s and 70s, leading to the doubling of marital dissolution among the cohort (Cohen, 2019). The increase is primarily associated with remarriages being less stable than first marriages. Research shows that grey divorces are a result of couples growing unsatisfied with their marriages over the years; they seek an opportunity to pursue their independence and interests for the rest of their lives (Stepler, 2017). As such, making better marriage decisions than previous generations, that is, pursuing an individual's interest and independence before tying the knot, guarantees better survival for their marriages. Thus, a highly educated population, and economic and social stability, are crucial elements for the survival of marriages in the U.S.

People need to take the issue of marriage seriously and devote sufficient time to ensure they choose the right person for themselves. The rate of divorce is high in the U.S. since people take the matter lightly. According to several studies, most people reported that they recognized during the courting stage that it might not be a good idea to marry their partners due to many straining concerns they did not understand how to overcome (Essel, 2018). Most Americans know that their marriage is in breakdown prior to marrying. Therefore, people should start ending relationships that they deem doomed from the start as soon as possible. For instance, it would be unwise for a person to marry an alcoholic, a liar, or an individual who betrayed them during the dating phase. Wolfinger (2015), points out that partners who had many sexual partners are likely to get divorced. Therefore, ending relationships before marriage with people with one or more deal killers would significantly reduce the divorce rate in the U.S. today. Americans need to take the issue of marriage slow. In doing this, they get to know the individual very well before deciding to marry them. By taking more time dating, a person can see how their potential partner responds to stress, handles disagreements, and treats others (Cohen, 2019). Further, couples whose relationship is moving towards marriage should clarify expectations about life, family, and marriage, which would reduce the rate of divorce in the country.

Learning how to agree to disagree is vital to a healthy marriage and can help lower the divorce rate in the country. Premarital counseling can assist partners in learning how to disagree with respect and how to overcome disagreements (Essel, 2018). Thus, going through extensive premarital counseling courses regardless of a person's age or how long people has dated is essential in reducing the rate of divorce in the country. Besides, it is necessary that couples go through financial counseling and come to a consensus concerning children, finances handling, religion, sex, vacations, and other things. A significant number of couples tie the knot without premarital work with a priest, minister, or counselor (Essel, 2018). A change in this trend would reduce the divorce rate in the U.S.

People serious about marriage should look for partners who share their values and beliefs to reduce the risk of divorce. Americans should avoid circumstances where they fall for someone before making marriage decisions. Indeed, this is where people should use dating sites more effectively by being clear about the main things they are looking for in life prior to meeting someone (Glenn et al., 2010). Further, after meeting a partner, one must observe sustained evidence that both partners are equally devoted to the relationship (Glen et al., 2010). For instance, whether they are both willing to make sacrifices for each other. If a person regularly thinks that they are more devoted than their partners, they should consider ending the relationship. As such, sharing the same values and beliefs and being equally dedicated in a relationship can reduce the divorce rate in the U.S.

Americans need to take responsibility to achieve healthy marriages. For instance, people struggling with addiction or have a dependency on food, gambling, drugs, alcohol, nicotine, or sex should take personal responsibility to deal with their issues before marriage (Essel, 2018). Therefore, people with addiction should not marry until they have cleaned up their act. Those with partners with these types of issues should set boundaries and standards that their partner must first heal before marriage. As such, couples need to pay attention to major red flags such as seeing evidence of abusive and controlling behavior, or serious substance abuse is imperative in deciding to marry (Glenn et al., 2010). People should not marry to test such a relationship. Since drug abuse is rampant today in the U.S., the divorce rate would reduce people to start choosing partners who are not addicts.

Cohabitation is another way of reducing the divorce rate in the country. According to Cohen (2019), cohabitation is on the rise, together with the falling marriage rate. Many American couples are choosing to live together before getting married or opting not to marry at all. It is recommended that people who are serious about marriage cohabitate for a certain period before they marry (Essel, 2018). It gives couples the experience of what it is like to live in the same home. Many U.S. couples, especially from less educated and poor backgrounds, are living together and opting not to tie the knot. Those who marry tend to be highly educated, older, and better off. Thus, marriage is becoming an attainment of status, instead of something that people do irrespective of how they are doing (Wood, 2018). The U.S. divorce rate and risks for recent marriages have fallen as the country progresses towards a system in which marriage is fewer and more stable than in the past. If therefore, people cohabitate the divorce rate in the country would decline.

Conclusion

In America, the divorce rate is still high. To reduce the divorce rate, Americans need to change their attitudes toward marriage institutions. They should marry later when they have completed their education, are employed, and are in a better financial position. Besides, they should make better marriage choices. For instance, they should take the time to know their partners better. Also, Partners should ensure that they share the same values and beliefs and are equally committed to the relationship. Lastly, couples serious about marriage should cohabitate for some time to experience what it is like to live under the same roof.

References

Cohen, P. N. (2019). The coming divorce decline. Socius, 5, 2378023119873497. Cohen, P. N. (2019). https://doi.org/10.1177%2F2378023119873497

Essel, D. (2018). How do we decrease the divorce rate in America? Approximately 50% of couples who marry will divorce in the United States. David Essel. https://davidessel.com/healing-stories-decrease-divorce-rate-america/

Glenn, N. D., Uecker, J. E., & Love Jr, R. W. (2010). Later first marriage and marital success. Social Science Research, 39(5), 787-800. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2010.06.002

Stepler, R. (2017). Divorce rates are up for Americans 50 and older, led by baby boomers. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/03/09/led-by-baby-boomers-divorce-rates-climb-for-americas-50-population/

Wolfinger, N. (2015). Want to avoid divorce? Wait to get married, but not too long. Family Studies, July, 16. https://ifstudies.org/ifs-admin/resources/want-to-avoid-divorce-wait-to-get-married-but-not-too-long-family-studiesfamily-studies.pdf

Wood, J. (2018). The United States divorce rate is dropping, thanks to millennials. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/10/divorce-united-states-dropping-because-millennials/