Why is the divorce rate so high in America compared to some other countries?

Question

For example, my family comes from Singapore. Over there, most of the people (including my family) are wealthy and well off. Women could easily lead independent lives and raise family members on their own. Abuse of women is not tolerated at all. Women are treated as equals as men. There is no religious stigma associated with divorce. People there are not any more moral than the ones in America.

So my question is, why is the divorce rate higher in America than in places like Singapore? Or China, Japan, India, and just about every country in South America?

Answer 1

I think there is a whole lot of drinking going on here, and a whole lot of on line porno crap going on here that you all don't really associate with there. There is also a lot less patience here, no one works on staying together anymore, they take the quick way out, and support themselves, without a lot of regard for children anymore. I think it's SAD! but your right, the values there are much higher on marriage than here, I have been to your side of the world, you view things differently, you had strong values and your culture is AMAZING! You have very little anger there, there was no road rage at all when I visited, everyone sees honking as simply move to the side and let you pass. I love the way you all look at life in such a different way. You respect your elders much more than we do here.

You simply have a higher respect for people in general, than people do here. The materialistic ways there are so different than here. You all age more gracefully, here they fight it, and will spend millions to stay 20 years old.

I have wondered the same thing, until I saw how you treat your elders, they are treated with such a high respect, as it should be! I envy the way you all are, and I am not sure what happened here to change all that. Somewhere in the last 30 years, it was lost.

Answer 2

It's the society and culture. In America, we are very self-indulgent and selfish and that doesn't always translate well into marriage. In addition, most people here grow up in broken homes or in homes where both parents are too busy to pay attention to anything and values are skewed and the importance of family is not emphasized like in other countries.

Because of the society in which we live in and the way our lives are, we as Americans are always looking for an easy fix or a way out. Most go into a marriage with the thought that if they don't like, then they'll just divorce. This kind of thinking puts your marriage at jeopardy right from the beginning because instead working through problems, most will take the easy way out and divorce. Since it's so acceptable in American society, people do not feel shame in it.

There has been too little emphasis on family values in America, which has contributed to the high divorce rates. We as a society, don't want to work through things and often take our cue from celebrities. Though it is true that many divorces are due to some kind of addiction or abuse, most though are not.

Answer 3

The divorce rate in india is climbing...as they try to westernize and assert women's rights(as well they should). In singapore, as u said, injustice isn't tolerated. The way u described it, there's a definate give and take attitude, and if someone wants something, they can afford to get it w/o other's help. IF they can't, they do w/o. But in america, everyone's on their own. But no one is ever equal. Men make more than women for the same work. For this reason, women strive to attain higher salaries pursuing other work, but then when going into the dating pool, women don't find men willing to give them a chance because they're assertive. Men want to be on top(figuratively). In america, there still is a religious stigma. Divorce isn't a good thing. It's seen as a bad thing. But it's done. So ppl end up fighting over stuff, and treating humans as less than they are.

There are many things taboo in America and other plaCes. The way u describe, singapore doesn't have these problems. IT seems more utopic. In a society where people accept one another and mind their own business, and look out for each ohter, there's not much of a problem. America is too selfish for that.

Answer 4

I think the equality thing has a whole lot to do with it. If men found women to hold weight in the relationship more and see our worth, then I think that a lot of divorces would not happen. When that is not true, the women get frustrated and/or lonely and then bad things happen.

I also think that more emphasis is put into having a beautiful wedding rather than a beautiful relationship. We are so selfish with our needs and don't really have what it takes to sacrifice anymore. I don't know where it was lost. My grandparents stuck it out - thick and thin. Right wingers will say it was when women went to work. Whatever.

But now it seems that people (including myself) are so willing to throw in the towel and assume there is something better out there. Did you know that more than half of SECOND marriages end in divorce? So we don't even learn our lessons!

It's an excellent question. It's an unfortunate true.

Answer 5

I do agree with what you say the divorce rate in America is higher than most countries. I believe it is in the way you look at a relationship and what type of sacrifices you each are willing to make. Money and sex rule in America as long as those things dictate happiness people will always be unhappy. Sex dies out and money can be pulled out from under you at any time so if your relationship is your not number one priority it will always fail. People change you need to keep track of that so you can change with them or strike a compromise. Alot of people around me think that my husband and I are idiots, we sacrifice money by only one of us working at any given time that way one provides and the other takes care of the home because we know ourselves enough to know that if we both work our marriage would fail, someone needs the time to keep track of US. You need relationship time and its very hard to come by when you work, clean, eat then sleep. America is so money oriented and majorly lacking in morals (sorry if that's unfair but that is how your country advertises its self) that there is no where to go but downhill. I feel the government is 60% to blame it claims you have rights that you just don't have then people get angry and they don't know why because apparently they live in the freest country there is.

Answer 6

Because America, in general as a society, is very impulsive and self indulgent. They are not usually capable of having an equal relationship. They want to take and not give. We have pop culture to thank for this. And the fact that children are normally raised in homes where both parents work and have no time or desire to teach any values. The TV becomes a baby sitter. Sad but true.

Answer 7

Well, someone has to have the lowest rate, right?

Some of the top causes of divorce in the US are addiction (alcohol, drugs, sex, shopping, gambling), adultery, allocation of family income and inlaws. According to what I read, desertion is the most common cause of divorce in Singapore. Options also may be more restricted given the size of the country-so more folks choose to stay together rather than split up. In addition, as another poster mentioned, Singapore doesn't have the varieties of cultures. We have dozens within the same town!

Answer 8

i'm an american, and sometimes i have to say i'm embarrassed about it.

we divorce more in america because people are LAZY here, and don't want to do the work it takes to keep a marriage together... people aren't taught much respect or communication skills in this country either, so they don't know how to accept someone at face value, compromise or work out problems without causing a fiasco.

land of the spoiled with expectations.

Answer 9

Because (most) people in America aren't very satisfied with who they marry. They simply get tired. Not only that but there's alot of temptation.

America isn't a melting pot its trail-mix. So many different cultures in one bowl, but yet not melting together as one, so generalizing America like that would be like generalizing all other cultures.

Answer 10

The culture - how people determine who to get married to. How serious the commitment is taken. Do married couples in these other countries go to marriage counselors - or just work it out? Are they happy? My parents generation and their faith - they stay together - work it out, even with arguing, etc.

My generation - some people I know are married more than 1x, 2x, 3x.

I'm in the U.S.