LIbs say divorce is only going up because women can escape bad marriages and teen sex/preg as bad in past but?

Question

was kept hidden (eg see answers to my last question).

How true is this?

Eg see link 955's answer to my last question:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AoNYspoL1vwprYyCd0S3rKnsy6IX?qid=20070418042153AAgGBrq

Answer 1

divorce is going up because of a lack of personal responsibility and committment. it's easier to get a divorce than it is to fix the problem or, god forbid COMPROMISE on something.

Answer 2

Well, I have liberal leanings, but I believe that women having their own money DOES contribute to divorce, look at Hollywood and the rich in general.
If you don't need your spouse, the first fight, and some people are out the door!

But it is a larger issue of commitment.

A long time ago when spouses depended on EACH OTHER... the women needed men financially and the men needed their women for maintenance and rearing their kin.
Many couples stayed together because leaving was just not done.

People use "I fell out of love" as an excuse to get divorce,
however, that honeymoon over feeling happens in all marriages at some point,
it's part of the process. Couples fall in and out of love and need each other for different purposes at each stage of life.

Many of these old couples who have stayed together for 40, even 70 years, have gone through many hardships, including infidelity, abuse, alcoholism,

now and days people say: 'why should I put up with that crap?"...
they never sacrifice anymore for the well being of their children,
it is left up to debate whether a father not being in the home is worse than growing up with a father or mother who is say, cheating.
The statistics state the former is better for children.
So, it looks like the traditional old folks were right.
But the going ethic today is: just leave. who cares if you have children, it's better for the children than living with parents who are miserable.
I'm not sure if that is true. I think that the parents should try to work it out, suffer it through and keep the traditional family unity, if they have children til at least the kids are in high school and about to leave.


I'm not sure if Republicans or Democrats, conservatives or liberals are any more or less guilty of this.
I can name Republicans right now off the top of my head who have been married more than twice and left the house of their children when they were small.

My belief of staying married through thick and thin no matter what, especially if you have kids I think is a conservative belief,

is it?

Answer 3

My personal opinion is that people are just not as committed as they were in the past. They don't take commitment seriously.

My husband and I have been married almost 11 years. My parents have been married almost 40 years! A good marriage is hard work, and you have to be committed to loving your spouse in good times and bad, because the bad will come in any marriage. But the rewards come when you get through a bad patch and it is even better than it ever was on the other side!

I am not saying that people should stay in a marriage that is bad. I am saying that people need to be sure they are making the right decision when they marry their spouse, and they need to be serious about committing to make it work to the best of their ability.

Three of my friends got married the same year we did. Two of the couples are divorced, and two are still married. Why did the two couples split? Infidelity. In one situation, the wife was unfaithful, and in the other, the husband was. That is the whole commitment thing - be faithful!!! Take your vows seriously!! Or just don't get married. Just my opinion.

Answer 4

Divorce has gone up for quite some time, women now earn more and have more self respect, they aren't as inclined to work eight hours and watch their husbands come home and want dinner on the table and starch in their shirts like their moms did and say "yes sir".
If you have to pay your own way anyhow, you might as well do it with someone who's pulling their own weight. If they aren't going to give you a hand, why keep them?
In the old days they would just separate, not do it legally, but act divorced in all the ways they do now. In the old days daddy stood by with a shotgun to see his daughter was done right by, and if the marriage ended up with her losing teeth and a black eye, no one paid much mind. At least the baby wasn't a bastard. There were many cases of one or the other partner in a marriage just taking off, but no statistic because they never went through the courts. Now with computers they keep track of everything so its all got to be legal now.
Its not a liberal thing, its a cultural thing, and we have never had a culture of stick-it-out and behave yourself.
All the leading Republicans have had two or three marriages most of them due to adultery. Guilian, 3 for him 3 for her, Gingrinch 3 for him, Mc Cain, one wife, but admitted to adultery in his book.
The Clintons, reviled by many for their staying together while he strayed, have been married for 35 years.
The Edwards have been married to each other and no one else.
Obamas have only married each other although they have been married for less than ten years.

Answer 5

My aunt had a child at 17 and was "sent away" to have the baby. My cousin would be about 35. She went to a convent where apparentlt she wasn't the only one...And the reason they did not divorce in the past was due to the lack of rights for women (women could not petition for divorce at one time, nor could they remarry if divorced) , as well as the fact that the men would just take a mistress, and vice versa.

Answer 6

Are we blaming Liberals for divorce rates and teen pregnancies? What will be next, tooth decay?

In earlier times people got married after they had established themselves. They got their training and found jobs, built up a home and only then married and started a family. This common sense approach provided a more stable and prosperous home for the children.

The 1950s and 60s saw a change in that pattern, with the vast majority (including me) marrying and reproducing without economic preparation. I will point out that for much of this period there have been conservative Republicans in the White House.

What could they have done about our own impatience? Your question has no validity.

As for expecting us to look your previous questions up, you should shake your head a bit and maybe your brain will reconnect. State your question clearly, and succinctly. It is not our job to do your research for you.

Answer 7

I think it's largely true. After all, when there was a stigma attached to divorce and there were fewer employment opportunities for women, it was much harder for women to escape unsatisfactory or even abusive marriages. On the downside, though, people nowadays often feel free to dump their spouses whenever someone younger or hotter comes along. No situation is perfect, but I'm glad that divorces are now much easier to obtain.

Answer 8

Divorce is going up due to the ease in getting married, and then getting out when it gets rough.

People don't marry for love - they merger. They marry for the economic benefits, or the "current" feeling of love. After that feeling is changed, they get out and move on.

I do think there is some element of truth to your "question". It was looked down upon if one got divorced, and if they got pregnant, they were forced to marry the father of the child. Abuse was looked at as the "woman's fault", as opposed to the man's, and the woman was to suck it up. Now we all know better in that sense. At least I hope.

Answer 9

Divorce is going up because financial strains have made it so most families have to have both parents working, which has destroyed the traditional American family. We have a few hours a day with our kids and the rest of our families. This puts stress on the family and leads to conflict.

Answer 10

This is a myth spread by social liberals.
My parents went through some hard times but stayed together because of old fashioned values.
They are now happier for it, as are we, the children.
In the old days people worked at a marriage and MOST marriages eventually turned into happy ones. Now people break up at the drop of a hat.

Answer 11

Who knows what will happen in 50 years!

All I know about marriages in this country is that the divorce rate is higher in red states than it is in blue states.

All I know about teen pregnancy in this country is that the rate of teen pregnancies is higher in red states than it is in blue states.