Divorce In The 20～(th) Century United States

Divorce is by all means a tragic thing. A high divorce rate and unstable families are considered a serious social problem, because the family, as the most basic unit of society, affects many aspects of social well-being. Problems, such as juvenile delinquency, illegitimacy, sexual crime, and campus violence, are all considered related to unstable families. Family stability is not only a domestic issue but also a matter that is worthy of public attention.The United States, although the strongest power in the world, is faced with the problem of a high divorce rate. There is fear that the American society would fall apart, if its basic unit, the family, falls apart at that high a rate. Studies have been made of the high divorce rate and the focus of the studies are placed on the booming economy of the country through the 20th century, the growing population of working women, and the reforming divorce laws. However, it is interesting to find that the U.S. is also among those countries whose marriage rate is high. Most American people marry and most of those who are divorced remarry. Therefore, it is hardly reasonable to say that marriage has become unfavorable in the U.S.. It is also worth noticing that in America, family, as a social institution, is further and further separated from the institution of marriage. In the American cultural environment, family can exist regardless of the existence of marriage. In many cases, the dissolution of marriage does not bring an end to the relationship between the family members, especially when children are present. It will sometimes remain considerably long after the spouses are legally divorced. Thus, it is again unreasonable to say that American families are breaking down, causing such and such social problems. As a matter of fact, a large proportion of teenagers and young adults still consider marriage and family the most important thing in their life.After reviewing the history of the 20th century and reinterpreting the statistics, this thesis attributes the factors that cause the high divorce rate to American people's changing attitudes towards marriage and family. Although still considered most important, marriage in the U.S. is now rarely expected to last a lifetime. Instead of pursuing a lifelong marriage, people are pursuing romantic marriages, in which love, respect, and mutual support are the main themes. Economy or childrearing are no longer the principal purposes of marriage; what people desire is to love and be loved in return...