Term paper on Divorce in the United States

In order to reduce the increased rate of divorce in the United States, it is necessary to take into consideration not only the major factors that lead to divorce and the attitudes and values of Americans towards divorce and remarriage, but also to evaluate the role of the Christian Church and the US anti-divorce government laws and regulations. Stephanie Coontz discusses this issue in the article The Origins of Modern Divorce. The author states that it is possible “to save more marriages” in our society (14). There are a number of strategies to reduce the increased rate of divorce in the United States. First of all, it is necessary to change marriage laws, individual values or legal codes. It is known that for many Americans, marriage is the highest expression of commitment; that is why they continue to marry at higher rates. It is very important to realize that marriage is closely connected with religion. Today the Christian Church provides support to all married people and helps to better understand family values and follow the major principles of the Church that “being a good Christian means being committed to the family” (Rubio 46). In this case, it would be better to help couples in selection of their mates, overcoming a number of serious problems that may occur in marriage and reducing their risk of divorce. The Christian Church should teach the Christian principles to young people in mate selection. It would be very effective to provide special marriage preparation courses that will improve relationship skills and help people to avoid conflicts in marriage.

Moreover, it is necessary to promote covenant marriages which can give young couples more chances to strengthen their commitment to marriage and to avoid divorce. The provisions of covenant marriage made young people think more seriously about their marriage and better understand each other. It means that covenant marriages make divorce more difficult to obtain. As a rule, premarital counseling and pre-divorce counseling play an increasingly important role as these types of counseling help to promote marital stability and family happiness. In addition, the extended waiting periods for divorce make many couples change their decisions. It is known that in the USA, covenant marriages are available in the following states: Arizona, Louisiana and Arkansas (Riley 43). In accordance with covenant marriage laws, couples may enter into a regular marriage or a covenant marriage. Many people choose covenant marriage because they understand that it is focused on three concepts: permanence in relations, unconditional love between spouses and involvement of God.

            CONCLUSION

In conclusion, it is necessary to say that the higher rates of marital dissolution in our society and easy access to divorce are widely discussed in literature. Today the major causes of divorce in the United States may range from such factors as different personal psychological characteristics of spouses to economic problems and community disintegration and domestic abuse. It is very important to address this issue and find the appropriate strategies to reduce the increased divorce rate in the United States. Americans should understand the positive benefits of marriage, including psychological, economic and social benefits. Children should be raised in the economically stable families and should be given love of both parents. As divorce rate in the USA has already become a national concern, it would be better to promote covenant marriages or to strengthen the influence of the Christian Church on both married and unmarried couples.



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