The most trending family change across the world is divorce. Many families have experienced divorce and majority and currently on the verge of acquiring one. Some family therapists and clergies have seen this as an indication of social and moral disruption, which has the capability of destroying the foundations that build family institutions. On the other hand, other have perceived divorce as a sign of freedom and heightened individual liberty from the suffocating relationships. According to Amato (2007), the most talked about major family transition is divorce and it causes psychological and emotional upheavals to its victims as well as freedom and second chance to personal development in others. It can be stated that divorce can be viewed from a variety of perspectives. For instance, sociologists have based their views on structural marital factors such as age, social class, and race. In contrast, psychologists have majorly dwelt on the nature of marital interaction/communication like conflict management and personalities such as obsessive-compulsive disorders. However, it is important to note that people divorce for different reasons. This paper will look into the rates of divorce while comparing and contrasting them to the Canada, United States, and United Kingdom.
In Canada, the most frequent question that has been asked over time is that if it is true one out of every two marriages ends in a divorce. The current figures by Statistics Canada (2008) show the answer to be a no for Canada and a yes for Quebec. The estimates indicate that the risk for divorce is at 38% for couples who are at their thirtieth wedding anniversary. In comparison with the United States, the percentage falls at 44%, whereas United Kingdom registers 40%. In 2006 in Canada, statistics showed that sixteen percent of divorces involved husbands who had had previous divorces and fifteen percent represented women of the same. The likelihood for divorcing in Canada is lower in a first marriage but elevated in a remarriage. The rates of divorce in Canada went high in the year 1968 when a Divorce Act was passed that increased the roots for divorce by making it obtainable.
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Conventionally, the United Stated has been seen to record the highest levels of divorce especially after the First World War and during the economic recession. According to many scholars, the rates of divorce in the United States gradually increase over time. One method of measuring divorce rates in the US is by the use of refined divorce rate. It shows that 19 people out of every one thousand marriages end up in divorce. It is equivalent to 1.9 per 1000 people. However, the most perceived rates of divorce 40-50% after a thorough analysis of different demographics. Research shows that the major factors determine divorce in the United States include cohabitation, race, age, family background, education, beliefs, religion, drug and substance abuse, and sexual history. African Americans are likely to divorce by 1.5% as compared to the whites. When it comes to age, many teenagers who get married tend to be divorced early as compared to those who are 24 years and above. Closely related to this is the nature of age difference. Research shows that the higher the difference in age among couples, the higher the rates of divorce. Couples from families with multiple divorce histories and remarriages are most likely to divorce.
In the European continent, statistics show that there was a substantial increase of divorce in the early 1990s but it has stabilized towards the year 2000. The United Kingdom holds the second largest divorce rate after the United States. However, it should be noted that the two countries show a declining rate. According to the Office of National Statistics (2012), there was a slight increase in divorce rates in 2011 and 2012 at 117,000 and 118,145 respectively. Additionally, most of the divorces took place in the first ten years of marriage. Statistics show that that 42% of marriages in the United Kingdom will end up in divorce. Some of the factors leading to these rates of divorce in the UK include early marriages and low levels of education.
In all the three countries, statistics have indicated that younger couples are more likely to experience divorce. It is because young people are a t risk of lacking maturity to deal with the pressures of marriage. The young age comes with low educational levels that might cause divorce. Secondly, the low income and poverty levels contribute to the levels of divorce. A number of responsibilities that will require finances accompany marriage, and when money is a problem in a marriage, spouses may start to become hostile to each other and this can cause divorce. A good example of this was seen in the United States in the early 1900s during the economic recession. Many couples could not match up the heightened financial demands and had to separate. However, the three counties contrast in how they calculate their rates of divorce. For instance, Canada looks at divorce after the thirtieth year anniversary whereas the United States calculates it after ten years. The levels of early marriages for young couple is slightly high in the US and UK as compared to Canada.
As a therapist who seeks to limit the level of divorce, I would recommend for premarital counselling for young couples who are intending to get married to prepare them for the challenges ahead. Additionally, couples should be encouraged to learn the art of effective communication in relationships. Also, recommendation for family therapies can be effective to deal with marital issues at an early stage.
Population for US, UK, and Canada in Millions (M)
Rates for divorce in US, UK, and Canada in Percentages (%)
References
Amato, P. R. (2007). Transformative processes in marriage: Some thoughts from a sociologist. Journal of Marriage and Family , 69, 305-309
Statistics, L. M. (2012). Office for National Statistics.
