Divorce Rate in the USA

Divorce has become a common phenomenon in the current USA society judging from the numerous divorces that are being witnessed. While about ninety percent of people in the USA marry by the time they reach fifty years, forty to fifty percent of the people who get married end up divorcing. Most of the people, who get married again after divorce, also break up in subsequent marriage(s). Statistics also shows that the rate of divorce is higher among young couples and new marriages as compared to old couples and marriages that have lasted more than ten years. Divorce rate is also higher among couples who do not have children than among those who have children. Most of the couples with children usually find the divorce process more involving and therefore tend to avoid official divorce procedures. This explains why many men have resorted to abandoning their families without going through divorce procedures.

It should be noted that some marriages fail leaving couples with no other choice but to settle for divorce. However, I am of the opinion that the rate of divorce in the USA is excessively high. It is a clear indication that people are losing respect for marriage, which is considered a sacred institution. For instance, in Christianity, couples are not supposed to split and are therefore expected to treat marriage with utmost respect and seriousness. However, the high rate of divorce in the country shows that people do not care so much about such religious beliefs. People also get into marriage before they mature. Maturity, in this case, encompasses both bodily maturity and mental readiness to get married. Since the statistics shows that marriages among older couples last longer, people should wait until they are old enough to get married. In fact, as people get older, they become more patient and wiser.

I also believe that most marriages are for purposes of convenience, and some people get married hurriedly without considering everything that comes with marriage. When such people realize that they are not getting what they want, they usually opt breaking the marriage by settling for divorce. Whereas getting companionship is one of the reasons for which people should get married, many people look for individuals who can benefit them in other ways, for example, financially. Most of the people who are guided by such selfish interests end up getting married to those whom they are not compatible with. This explains why many couples have settled for divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. Therefore, people should take time to know those they want to get married to. In addition, couples should always be guided by the spirit of dialogue and desist from rushing into divorce.

It is evident that the rate of divorce in the USA is alarming as the number of divorces is ever increasing. Since family plays a crucial role in shaping people’s social life, more should be done to ensure that marriages work. The family is the basic unit of socialization especially for children. Healthy marriages provide children with a peaceful environment to grow and therefore prevent the children from social, physical, mental, and educational problems. Furthermore, healthy marriages are also good for physical and mental health of the couples themselves. Therefore, couples should put in more efforts to see that their marriages work. As it has been mentioned before, most people who are in marriage are selfish, always putting their interests first. Such people should set their priorities right before getting into marriage. They should also be ready to compromise whenever their interests are at stake. Once in marriage, people should put the children’s interests first, because in case of divorce, children usually suffer innocently. Perhaps we cannot avoid divorces, but we can reduce them significantly by giving marriage the respect it deserves.