Till Death Do Us Part... Or Not?

Divorce is one thing that no couple wants to face. Although divorce rates are dropping due to today's economy and the fact that divorces cost so much, they are still occurring and putting people through the heartache that no one wants to face (Douthat). But what are the main causes of divorce? How do the vows taken at the altar not hold "till death do us part?" There are a variety of reasons as to why divorces occur and couples choose to no longer be married, but we will focus on a few main components. Marriage is no longer a sacred bond between a man and a woman, but instead just becoming part of life.

It must first be examined why a marriage is necessary and the reasons as to why a life partner can overall make life happier and more successful. Marriage has a few basic functions including procreation, division of labor, and economic production and consumption (Clarke-Stewart 30). For the couples who decide to have children, raising a child alone can be difficult, thus having a partner to discuss issues that arise and another adult there for the child can be very helpful. It can also be quite hard to raise a child while having a full time job to support the family; thus having the other adult and partner to divide up the work can ease tension and allow the couple to rely on each other to strengthen their marriage.

Although there are some important aspects of married life, there are couples who cannot make it through a successful relationship and instead choose to get divorced. There is not usually one specific reason why a divorce occurs, but instead a variety of issues that lead to the ultimate end to a marriage. Since women have had more of a stand in the workplace over the past decade, they have begun to contribute 30-40% of the household income, and since they are now more financially independent, "the likelihood they would marry decreased and the chance of divorce increased" (Clarke-Stewart 32). Financial independence can lead to feelings of total independence, and due to this, women feel that they do not need a partner and end up divorcing their husbands. However, many do not realize that court proceedings are not cheap, and a "multi-million dollar divorce case eventually turned into a bankruptcy case" due to all of the time and fees included in a divorce case becoming finalized (Herman 190). Being financially independent for a time does not provide security for a lifetime, so it is important to consider the future when thinking about a divorce just because money is no longer an issue.

Another major factor that influences divorce rates is the age of a couple when they get married. Younger marriages lead to less years being married and a much higher divorce rate. Women who marry under the age of 18 have a 48% divorce rate as opposed to those who are over 30, who have a 24% divorce rate (Clarke-Stewart 36). Psychologists claim that the reason of decrease in divorces as people get older is due to the fact that younger people are still developing as a person overall and are more likely to change than those who have already experienced college and the real world.

As interesting as it may sound, 25% of women blame their divorce on the internet (Clarke-Stewart 30). Since the internet is now full of dating sites and other places for people to meet, they claim it is easier to meet someone who seems more compatible than their current husband. Whether or not they regret this in a few years, the internet is one of the larger sources that women choose to blame their ended realtionship on.

Perhaps the most significant reason couples choose to divorce in today's society is the economic status of America. "The divorce rate and the business cycle move in unison," because it is based upon how the economy is running in the status quo and how it is directly related to the number of divorces that are occurring (South 31). When the economy is up and jobs are readily available, there are less divorces due to individuals not being very stressed, which helps married life as it takes away unnecessary stress that can be brought into the relationship. However, when the economy is at a lower point and there are not as many jobs available, the divorce rate tends to increase due to more tension coming home from the workplace and a less healthy relationship.

Divorce is one thing that no one wishes for and no couple wants to endure. It is a long process that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and cause much more heartache than someone ever wants to experience. There are many aspects that lead to divorce, and although sometimes it is inevitable, fighting through a marriage can be better for some couples who are going through hardship. Once aware of the leading causes of divorce, one can try to ensure to avoid things that can cause separation, like looking at internet dating sites. Every couple is different and will handle their relationship in their own way, but it is important to remember the vows that were taken at the altar: "till death do us part."

Please check comments for Works Cited.

Brittany Molnar

I enjoyed reading your first post about your life to get to know you before reading all of your posts. I would also love the opportunity to study abroad in Europe one day; hopefully you get to! I know we have already been in a group together, but I enjoyed reading the rest of your posts and having the opportunity to see your opinion on a variety of topics. Overall, I think you had great posts and put good effort into each assignment to have a well-constructed blog by the end of the semester.

One of your strengths as a writer is your ability to reflect on what you read and put it into words in a way that the readers enjoys what is being said. This is evident in all of your posts, and I think that it greatly improved by the end of the semester. I would suggest that you reference the sources more often to give your opinions more credibility to someone who has not read the essay you are writing about, but other than that, I enjoyed reading all of your posts.

My favorite post of yours was "CRASH..." because it painted such a picture as to what happened that day with Nancie and her mom, and also gave more awareness about drunk driving and how incredibly dangerous it is. I enjoyed reading your post "Humans vs. Computers" because not only did you give information from the source, but also put your own opinion at the end, which strengthened the whole piece. Even though you did disagree with Minsky, you explained why based off of what he said, and I think you did a great job. Another wonderful post that you wrote was "Who's to really say" because it was evident that you put in a lot of time thinking about what an idea really is, and you asked questions at the end which left me thinking even more about what an idea is. You answered a lot of questions and left more, which would also allow for a great essay.

You did a great job this semester and I enjoyed reading your posts and opinions. Good luck on finals and the rest of the school year!

Whitney Semmens

I absolutely loved reading your first post about who you are! It was very energetic and your passion for life and the future is very evident. It gave good insight as to what your writing style is like and it made me excited to read the rest of your blogs from the rest of the semester. After reading through them, I wanted to point out a few things to you. First, I think you have a wonderful writing style. It is both informative while also stating your opinion. This gives your opinion a lot of credibility because you have facts to back it up. In your "Girl Power" blog, you had both a movie and references to the book for your evidence, and putting your opinion at the end really left the reader thinking about having anything you want and how to achieve this. I also enjoyed your "I want it all" blog because again, you put all the information then dedicated your last paragraph to your opinion which was very well backed up.

Another thing that I like about your writing is the energy and life that you put into it. None of your posts were boring to read, and your personality definitely came out in each of them. I feel like I got to know a little more about you through every post, and I appreciated being able to enjoy reading them. I really cannot think of anything negative about your writing or posts; I feel that you put a lot of time and effort into them and because of that, have a great blog.

There were three different blog posts that stood out to me as favorites: "Finding My 'Self,'" "Heaven On Earth," and "Survey: Is Man Monogamous?" In "Finding My 'Self,'" I saw how much you described your own personality and how you try to be true to that no matter who you are around. I think that is a great quality to have, and it's even better that you recognize it and try to be true to yourself no matter what situation you are in. While reading your "Heaven on Earth" post, I did have one question: If you believe there is a higher power but do not have religion, what might this higher power be? This was an interesting post to read and left me with insight about your beliefs and the beliefs of those around you, but I was just wondering what the foundation of your beliefs are. The questions you posted for "Survey: Is Man Monogamous?" were great questions to consider, many of which I have never asked myself. This was an incredibly successful way to get people to think about their feelings on monogamy, and this was probably my favorite post of yours.

Good luck on finals and the rest of the semester, and great job on all your blog posts! You have a wonderful blog becuase of all the work you put into it.