Change in Divorce Rate Essay

506 WordsFeb 2, 20153 Pages
Change in divorce rate essay. A divorce is the legal separation of married people through the court. Divorce rate is the number of people per thousand of the married population getting divorced per year. Since the 1900s, divorce rate has been increasing for many different reasons such as secularisation, the changes in the expectations of adulthood and the changes in the laws concerning divorce, however in the last few years it’s been slowly decreasing again. One reason for changes in the divorce rate is the change in how divorce is perceived by society. For example, 50 years ago divorce was considered to be shameful and dishonourable. However, since then it’s no longer considered such a disgrace. The reason for the shift in social norms and values, particularly since the 1950’s is that it’s not as uncommon, due to new laws being introduced and changes being made to existing ones. The major change has been the introduction of the divorce reform act. This law allows the termination of a marriage without having to prove that one particular person had done anything to cause this. Now, divorce is considered acceptable when there is an irretrievable breakdown of a marriage. Another reason for the changes in divorce rate could be secularisation. Secularisation means the decline of the importance / influence of religion in society. Due to science becoming more influential in a modern society, religion is no longer necessarily seen as such an important contributor. As marriage is a religious concept, it might also now be seen as somewhat less significant in society and many might not perceive it to be as valuable or important as it once was. Divorce could be the result of this as the decline of the value of marriage might lead people to believe it is not long term. A third reason for changes in the divorce rate is the changes in women’s expectations surrounding marriage.
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