DIVORCE AFTERMATH
WORLD WAR II
Throughout the English-speak
*ng world the astronomical in
crease in divorce brought on as
an aftermath of World War IT
*ave rise to general alarms and
revolutionary outlooks upon mar
riage and the family, according
to Encyclopaedia Britannica 1946
Book of the Year.
A startling development in the
1945 history of marriage and di
vorce came in England from the
Archbishop of York, second rank
ing leader of the Church of Eng
land. The church leader told
the press that whereas in 1914
there had been only 600 divorces
in all England, in 1945 in London
done there were 4,000 divorce
cases waiting to be heard, and
his interest in salvaging marri
ages brought him to declare that
“adultery must not necessarily
be followed by divorce since it
was often the result of a great
strain and temptation and did not
mean a loss of affection,” ac
cording to the Year Book.
Stresses revealed in domestic
relationships so apparent before
the close of the war were in
creased and found freer expres
sion during 1945, Professor Ern
est R. Groves of the University
of North Carolina, and author of
the Britannica Year Book articles
writes. Dr. Groves, sociologist, is
author of numerous books on fam
dy relationships, including “The
American Family,” “Marriage”
and “The Family and its Social
Functions.”
He lists the causes of the great
boom in divorce nulls as imprud
ent, hasty marriages, marriages
made for such ulterior motives
as receiving government allow
ancse allotted to wives of service
men, “passion marriages” and
marriages that had no proper
start because of the hectic cir
I cumstances before the husbands
! went overseas. All of these re
; vealed their poor foundations as
the basis for lifetime unions, ac
cording to Professor Groves.
Changes in affection, differences
in maturity, and fading of rom
ence caused by war conditions
! which destroyed compatibility, al
i so contributed, he writes.
Another factor contributing its
part to marital break-ups was
I unfaithfulness of wives, either
real or imagined by servicemen
returning from overseas, many of
whom had themselves helped oth
er wives break their marriage
! vows, says Dr. Groves.
Numerous problems encountered
by returning service husbands
added to domestic difficulties,1
such as the hardships involved
in trying to find suitable shelter
for the family. Restlessness on
the part of men and women who
had lived highly emotional lives
during the war and were faced ;
by the realistic social consequen- !
ces of the post-conflict era, con
tributed its part as well,
i While the divorce rate was ex
pected to soar as it did after
World War I, its staggering in
crease was far in excess of the
first war’s disruption, the Britan
ica article states Some sociolo
gists expected that during post
war years there would be one
divorce for every four marriages.
The independence acquired by
women war workers and their
loathing to return to dishes and
bed-making, may contribute to
this result, Groves indicates.
Educational efforts to conserve
marriage and the family grew in
1945, Dr. Groves reports. Courses
in preparation for marriage were
well established in the U. S. col
lege program. Marriage counsel
ling was being increasingly re
cognized as a professional serv
ice that is greatly needed. Head
way was made in advancing the
professional standards for such
specialists as a result of the in
fluence of the American Asso
ciation of Marriage Counsellors.
A Family Life conference was
held at the Catholic University
of America during the year, the
Foundation for Family Study and
Research was established under
the direction of the Rev. Edgar i
Schmiedeler, and the University
of North Carolina instituted a'
graduate program to teachers of j
marriage and family courses.
Sprouted soybeans can be)
grown without soil or sunlight, j
will mature in three to five days |
and help prevent scurvy.
-I
Vets* Mail Bag
Q. 1 understand that an NSLI
policy provides for a waiver of
premium in the event of total dis
ability. What is considered total
disability?
A. Total disability is defined as
any impairment of mind or body
which continuously renders it im
possibly for the insured to follow
any substantially gainful occupa
tion.
Q. My husband was discharged
with less than 90 clays service. He
has a service connected disability
but has never filed a claim. Can
he get schooling under the G. I
Bill?
A. Your husbnad will be eligi
ble for training only after he has
filed a claim and it has been ap
proved showing service-connected
disability. A veteran who has
served less than 90 days must
have a service incurred disability
to be eligible for training under
the G. I. Bill.
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