CHAP 12PROCESS OF DIVORCE- Introo Melanie a child who was child of a divorce.o Didn’t like it at all, but when she realized its better as she got older butwould never want divorce- Divorce in USo 1/3 of people who are married are divorced. US is second highest and Russia is Highest- How common is Divorce? It Depends on How We Measure Ito Crude Divorce Rate- The number of divorces per 1,000 people in the population Better to compare countries but is problematic because it includes non-married.o Refined Divorce Rate- A measure of 1,000 married women who divorced It doesn’t show the futureo Historical Trends Before men ran shit and women didn’t have rights to initiate. Would either separate or desert each other. During 19th Century it rose highest was after world war II - Why do People Divorce?o Micro-Level Factors Parental Divorce- Intergenerational Transmission of Divorce- People whose parents divorced were more likely to divorce. Age of Marriage- Couple who marry at young age are the highest to have divorce Parental Status- Couple who have young children or have many children are less likely to divorce Non-marital Childbearing- Having kids before marriages has higher chance of divorce Sex of Children- Couples who have sons are less likely to have divorce than daughters Race & Ethnicity- Different racial or ethnic groups vary- Hispanic & Asian least likely but Blacks are most likely Education- Lower level jobs more likely to divorce Income- Divorce is more common among people with lower income Degree of Similarity between Spouses- Least likely when religion, ethnic group, age are same- More likely different characteristic The Couples Age- Likelihood of divorce is during adulthood but declines as couples ageo Macro-Level Level of socioeconomic Development- Less developed countries have less divorce harder to support alone Religion- Catholic forbids divorce Divorce Laws- No fault Divorce- A type of divorce, now prevalent in all 5o states in which divorcing couple can go before a judge without one part having to blame the other.o Oklahoma in 1953 Women Status and Employment- Patriarchy countries women don’t divorce because of shame and cant support themselves- In US employment is fair so if they are unhappy they canend.- In 2000 Egypt allows women to divorce on incompatibility Attitudes Toward Divorce- Before politicians couldn’t be divorced but now its ok.- This generation doesn’t want divorce because they seenas kid- Blacks are more restricted in divorce because they wantit to be more difficult- Restrictive divorce was more common in educated women.- Also women report more marital problem, doesn’t mean they will initiate divorce- Broke women and less educated are more likely to get divorce compared to rich educated women. The Phases of Separation- Preseparation- One or both partners may think about the benefits of separationo At first it’s a fantasy to be free, but experience anxiety, sadness, anger, loneliness- Early Separation Phase- Couple have series of issue before separationo Who moves? How to work financial matters? How to explain to children- Mid-separation Phase: Realities of daily living set ino Maintaining 2 households, arranging visitation for kids o Problems could be resolved or not and lead to divorce- Late Separation Phase- Learn to live as 2 single peopleo Not all separated couple divorce work on problem and reconcileo Others don’t divorce but remain separated due to financial, religious objections.o Legal Separation- A binding agreement signed by both spouses that provide details about child support.o Others realize they cant work out and file divorce - Station of Divorceo Divorce ends other relationship such as family in-laws, friends who pick sides, neighbors and childreno Stations of Divorce- The interrelated emotional, legal, economic, co-parental, community, and psychic dimensions of divorce, which together attempt to capture the complexity of the divorce experienceo Emotional Divorce The initiator ask for changes or threatens to leave Women are more broker than men. Men have more difficult time emotions because they don’t havea network of supportive relationship, stress can be so extreme can lead to illness and death. Men lose custody to kids and can be depressingo Legal divorce Legal Divorce- The termination of marriage contract by state orders- Legal issues like who visits the child? Spilt everything from house to debts.- Case with a wife who supported her man through medical school and buddy left her after his degree and he had to compensate her backo Economic Divorce Stereotype is that the wife runs of with marital assets. Women are generally more poor after divorce because men aresingle and women are single parents Alimony- Payment by one partner to the other to support the more dependent spouse for a period of time Western Europe there is more by Gov help for single parentso Co-parental Divorce Legal Custody- A custody agreement where one parent has the legal authority to make important decisions concerning thechildren after a divorce, such as where they will go to school, inwhat community or state they will reside, or who will notified in case health emergency or school Sole Legal Custody- Legal custody is granted solely to the parents with whom the child lives with- It was like this in the past Joint Legal Custody- Noncustodial parents (usually fathers) retain their legal rights with respect to their children - Fathers pay more child support, more time with kids, and more overnight visits Physical Custody- Custody arrangement where child lives often mothers based on best interest of child Sole Physical Custody- Child legally lives with one parent and visits the other parent- 80% of divorces with moms Joint Physical Custody- Children spend a substantial portion of time in the homes of both parents, perhaps alternating weeks or days within a week- Works best but needs tremendous cooperation from both sides otherwise wont work- Children are ore successful in joint physical custody than sole Child Snatching- The acts of a non custodial parent kidnapping his or her child- Usually done out of revenge- Parent says they are doing it for their child’s best interest- 200 children a day are kidnappedo The Community Divorce Families break apart like in-laws Also friends are questioned on their allegiance Grandparents have
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