Biology Forums - Study Force

1. Overall, do you think families in the United States are becoming weaker or simply more diverse? Support your position.
2. Identify risk factors for the high U.S. divorce rate. What would be the solution to reduce the divorce rate?

Weaker. Children are raised in day care centers from very early on in their lives (as young as 1 years old), and so they do not form strong ties to their parents/guardians/grandparents. Many families are composed of multiple joined relationships now due to a high rate of divorce; in many cases, men are letting their wives take full custody, leading the mother to work longer hours, and dedicating less time to their children.

Divorce affects children the most. It has a major psychological effect on them long-term. For example, based on one study by researchers Paul Amato and Danelle Deboer, if a woman's parents divorced, her odds of divorce increase by 69%, while if both a husband and wife's parents divorced, the risk of divorce increased by 189%. This suggests that by divorcing, children subconsciously will seek divorce in the future as they may perceive it to be the norm. Divorce destroys family ties, causes anxiety in all those involved, and an unstable future for the children who need both their mothers and father present. It is unfortunate that many children will end up being full-time with their mothers after a divorce, which means no male figure present. Having a strong male figure (e.g. their father) for support and guidance increases a child's ability to form trusting relationships and builds their capacity to interact positively with others.

This post only touches on some of the issues, but there are many more that can easily be added.

Hope that helps!