divorce, remarriage, and blended families Flashcards
marital dissolution
the end of a marriage through permanent separation or divorce
separation
the formal or informal separation of married spouses into different households
divorce
the legal dissolution of marriage according to the laws of the state
annulment of marriage
a legal or religious determination that the marriage was never valid
in 2021, how many estimated divorces were there in the US?
900,000
the crude divorce rate
2.8 divorces for every 1,000 peoplet
the refined divorce rate
13 divorces for every 1,000 married couples
the divorce-marriage ratio
1 divorce for every 2.3 marriages in a single year in the country, or 44% as many divorces as marriages
changes in the crude divorce rate
increase after the great depression, decrease after WWII, increase after california’s no-fault divorce law, increase after covid 19?
odds of divorce
between 40% and 50%
no-fault divorce
couples could get a legal divorce without accusations of wrongdoing, infidelity, abuse, or desertion
percentage of married people who divorced (education, race/ethnicity, times, years)
lowest for BAs, highest for Black and American Indian, more divorces = more likely, more years = less likely
independence effect of employment
when people have the economic means to survive on their own, they are more likely to leave unhappy marriages
income effect of employment
women’s independence can also strengthen marriages, couples where spouses have higher education are less likely to divorce
overall, the divorce rate is…
falling
after a divorce, what happens to per-person incomes?
women’s and children’s decreases, men’s increases
are divorced people generally less happy?
yes, but it is unknown why
what happens to life satisfaction during divorce?
declined beginning about 5 years before the divorce, but rebounded beginning about 1.5 years later
how does divorce affects children?
negatively affects school performance, happiness, mental health, and parental relationships
stressful aspects of the divorce process that can increase negative outcomes include…
less parenting time and energy, losing contact with a parent, witnessing conflict, residential moves, and economic hardship
protective factors that help prevent negative effects include…
good coping skills, economic and educational resources, continued involvement of both parents, and diminished conflict
blended family
any family that includes stepparents, stepsiblings, or half-siblings
boundary ambiguity
the situation in which family members do not know or agree on who is in the family and what role each person plays
blended family differences across racial-ethnic groups
latino couples have low divorce rates, but are likely to remarry
asian americans have low rates of single parenthood and divorce
