首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Divorce: The Pain That Doesn’t Go Away They’re called "broken homes" for good reason. Nearly everything breaks—possibly beyo
Divorce: The Pain That Doesn’t Go Away They’re called "broken homes" for good reason. Nearly everything breaks—possibly beyo
admin
2009-04-23
94
问题
Divorce: The Pain That Doesn’t Go Away
They’re called "broken homes" for good reason. Nearly everything breaks—possibly beyond repair—in divorce families: emotions, security, relationships, and possibly even a child’s potential. Divorce means losing the security of an intact family. It shatters the supportive network of family and friends.
In her recent book, The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce: A 25-year Landmark Study, Judith Wallerstein points out the long-term effects of divorce. Beginning in 1971, she periodically conducted in-depth interviews with 131 children and their parents from the time of divorce.
"We’ve seriously underestimated the long-term impact of divorce on children," she told Family Voice, "and the numerous ways a child’s experiences differ when growing up in a divorced family."
The Divorce Revolution
At about 50 percent, the United States has the highest divorce rate among Western nations. Thankfully, it has been dropping since the early 1980s, but about half of marriages performed this year will still end in divorce. Shockingly, this rate is no better in Christian families. The Bama Research Group found in 1999 that 27 percent of those who identify themselves as born-again Christians are or previously were divorced, compared to 24 percent of remaining adults. Statistics like these represent a tidal wave of change during the past century.
Once considered a last resort, by the late 1900s divorce had become viewed as a liberating, even creative experience, a means of "finding oneself". Parents had generally stayed together for the children’s sake. Then came the idea that children benefited more from their parents’ happiness than from family structure. Even if children suffered at the time of their parents’ break-up, so went the thinking, it would only be temporary. They would adjust and bounce back.
Our culture would like to hold on to this rosy picture, but it is out of touch with research—and with millions of Americans who have experienced the tragedy of divorce. By almost every measure, children of divorce live worse than their peers in intact families:
Poverty. By conservative estimates, women’s standard of living after divorce drops 27 percent. Divorced, single-parent families are four times more likely to be poor than intact ones. The loss of a husband’s income can pose tremendous hardships. Betty learned this when her marriage ended, leaving her to care alone for two toddlers.
Men, on the other hand, experience an increase in their standard of living. Some years ago this was widely exaggerated as 42 percent. However, more realistic figures now place it at 10 percent. Despite the stereotype of the carefree bachelor, divorced fathers take on the financial burden of maintaining two households, and this increases further with remarriage.
Out-of-wedlock pregnancies. Divorce predisposes teens to earlier sexual activity and out-of-marriage pregnancies.
Education. Children of divorce attain less educationally.
Marriage. They are more likely to view divorce and cohabitation favorably, marriage less favorably, and to become divorced themselves—especially if their spouse’s parents are also divorced.
Behavior. As if these concerns are not enough, children of divorce are likely to have behavioral problems. According to clinical psychologist Dr. Michael Katz, they are prone to lying, low achievement, denying responsibility for their own behavior, and difficulty in concentrating.
Emotions. Significant emotional consequences also occur. "Karen", who is profiled in Wallerstein’s book, described living with a sense of doom, especially when she felt happy. "If happiness increases one’s probability of experiencing loss, think how dangerous it must be to simply feel happy," Wallerstein writes.
Further, she found that "the major impact of divorce arises in adulthood as serious romantic relationships move centre stage." Lacking a good role model for marriage, children of divorced families experience anxiety, which "leads many into making bad choices in relationships, giving up hastily when problems arise, or avoiding relationships altogether."
No longer can we assume these problems are limited to other people’s children. In Growing Up with a Single Parent, Sara McLanahan and Gary Sandefer of the University of Wisconsin report they can occur regardless of race, sex, parents’ education level, or place of residence.
Benefits of Marriage
On the other side of the fence stand the benefits of marriage, which extend even to health. As Maggie Gallagher and Linda Waite report in The Case for Marriage: Why Married People Are Happier, Healthier and Better Off Financially, marriage really does mean "settling down" to a healthier lifestyle. Divorced men are three times more likely to commit suicide, for example, than married men. And divorced and widowed men are far more likely to smoke and abuse alcohol.
In addition, Gallagher and Waite assert that, because of their wives’ influence, married men are more likely to visit the doctor and follow his orders. They tend to eat healthier and more regular meals. And not only men benefit from this "nagging" effect. One study showed that, after three years, women whose husbands encouraged them to improve their health smoked less, slept more, and were more physically active. John E. Murray of the University of Toledo writes that married people live longer and healthier lives than do singles.
Research and personal experience show that marriage is better for children and their parents. That is no surprise, for Scripture also speaks to the value of marriage.
Turning the Tide
Despite the many benefits of marriage to society, lawmakers have done little to increase its value in American culture. At the state level, lawmakers could begin by creating real tax advantages for marriage and by eliminating "no-fault" divorce and getting rid of language like "domestic partner" laws and laws that don’t "discriminate on the basis of family structure." Similar reforms are needed at the national level as well.
While welfare reform became federal law in 1996, state initiatives began in the early 1990s. "Conservatives were talking about the importance of marriage long before that," said Michael Schwartz.
Meanwhile, a growing private-sector movement is replacing the "culture of divorce" with a "culture of marriage". More than 100 leaders of organizations promoting marriage, such as James Q. Wilson, David Popenoe, Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, et al., signed a document, "The Marriage Movement: A Statement of Principles". It pledged that "in this decade we will turn the tide on marriage and reduce divorce and unmarried childbearing, so that each year more children will grow up protected by their own two happily married parents and more adults’ marriage dreams will come true."
Church leaders are also taking steps. They have released "A Christian Declaration of Marriage", which encourages churches to develop programs to reduce the divorce rate and increase the marriage rate. They agree to help build a national climate where, with God’s help, couples will commit to a loving, life-giving, faithful relationship that will last for a lifetime.
选项
A、Y
B、N
C、NG
答案
A
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/y0C7777K
0
大学英语四级
相关试题推荐
A、Howtogainfreshperspectivesonculture.B、Theimpactofhistoryandidentity.C、Howsetbackscandrivepeopletosuccess.D
A、MIT.B、ReedCollege.C、Harvard.D、Yale.A选项都是学校名,应该一一记录听到的相关信息:A旁边记下first(或者数字1),D2,C4,然后仔细听问题。排名第一和最后的往往被考查。
A、TheUniversityfaculty.B、TheStudentAssociation.C、TheAlumniAssociation.D、ThePresidentoffice.C女士说组织该活动的是校友联合会,故选C。听到什么
Atwork,asinlife,attractivewomengetalotofthebreaks.Studieshaveshownthattheyaremorelikelytobepromotedthan
AquickglanceattheBestRockPerformancecategoryshowshowwitheredthegenrehasbecome.DavidBowie’shaunting9-minute"B
AquickglanceattheBestRockPerformancecategoryshowshowwitheredthegenrehasbecome.DavidBowie’shaunting9-minute"B
AquickglanceattheBestRockPerformancecategoryshowshowwitheredthegenrehasbecome.DavidBowie’shaunting9-minute"B
Boeing’sLabourProblems—MovingFactoriestoFleeUnionsA)WithcorporateofficesinChicago,Boeingemploysmorethan165,
A、Theyhavealargermarketthanplasticbags.B、Theydon’tcontainanychemicalsatall.C、Theycostlessthanplasticbags.D、
FoodDoesn’tHavetoWearMakeupA)IhaveeatenfriesofafamouschainrestaurantbothinBritainandtheU.S.Surprisingl
随机试题
A.乙酰辅酶B.CO2及H2OC.胆汁酸D.铁卟啉E.胆色素体内胆固醇代谢的终产物是
患者女性,42岁,1年来反复于进食后上腹胀,无明显腹痛,食欲佳,无厌油,无消瘦。查体无阳性体征。上述检查提示食管下段黏膜充血水肿、散在糜烂,应给予的治疗为
关于环境质量标准和污染物排放标准,下列哪些说法是正确的?(2014年卷一73题)
下列选项中属于宪法监督方式的是:()
南方某工业厂区,占地面积为180万m2,长方形地块,其宽度为1000m,消防水泵房为独立建设且设置在地块的中心位置,消防给水系统采用室内外合用的临时高压系统,系统设计流量和压力分别为120L/s、1.0MPa。厂区消防控制室至消防水泵房行走距离为800m。
基于集团财务报表审计,在实施风险评估程序时,集团项目合伙人应当了解的事项包括()。
【背景材料】2014年4月23日是第十九个世界读书日。节日前夕,国务院总理李克强给北京三联韬奋书店回信,称其近日创建的24小时不打烊书店为读者提供“深夜书房”,很有创意。他在信中写道:“读书不仅事关个人修为,国民的整体阅读水准,也会持久影响到整个社会
患者,男性,72岁。因慢性阻塞性肺气肿入院。今早9时起开始静脉输注5%葡萄糖溶液500ml及0.9%氯化钠溶液500ml,滴速为75滴/分。10时左右,患者突然出现胸闷,咳嗽、咳粉红色泡沫样痰,呼吸急促,大汗淋漓,听诊肺部布满湿啰音。根据上述案例,回答下列
TheinterviewisconductedtodiscussthesignificanceofsalesfiguresinrecessionandWhatdomanufacturerstendtodobefor
Haiti’sTourismA)LikemanyofitsCaribbeanneighbors,Haitioncedrewmanytourists.Butdecadesofpoliticalinstability,re
最新回复
(
0
)