Quality of Marital Life and Divorce

A Term Paper consisting of a Literature Review of the topic “Quality of Marital Life and Divorce” This paper is worth 10% of our total aggregate for Principles of Sociology
A Term Paper consisting of a Literature Review of the topic “Quality of Marital Life and Divorce” This paper is worth 10% of our total aggregate for Principles of Sociology
Manahil Aleem
Manahil Aleem
Quality of Marital Life and Divorce Quality of Marital Life and Divorce

Contents Introduction 2 Elements of Quality of Marital Life 2 Incomes 2 Husband 2 Wife 2 Children 3 Personal problems 3 Sex 3 Communication 4 Sociological Perspectives 4 Functionalist thought 4 Symbolic Interactionism 4 Conclusion 5 References 6

Introduction
Divorce as we all know is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties. There are many reasons for seeking a divorce, the key being a disrupted marital life.
In this review I have reviewed various journals, dissertations, books and articles and have compiled what the general idea is behind the quality of life. The review focuses on various reasons cited by authors as to what determinants alter the quality of marital life and their impact on divorce.
From what I have observed is that there is a lot of formulation modeling involved. Many authors have used numerical models in their theses to explain certain causes of divorce. I even left many theses because they focused on reasons that were not very commonly known. There are scores of determinants of quality of marital life but I felt that I should review those authors who have articulated commonly known reasons so that the scope of the topic is not too broadened.
I felt that this topic is close to my personal life as my own parents are divorced and I feel I can evaluate this topic thoroughly. Although I found a lot of material on the topic I still felt the need for having more articles like the one by Amato and Previti. This thesis was by far the most detailed and relevant to my topic.
Elements of Quality of Marital Life

Incomes
Husband
Most of us believe that when there is more money involved in a marriage there is a little chance of a marriage being a failure as at least material things do not pose a problem. In an economic term we can say that a husband’s high income is associated with a higher utility from the current marriage. The Logit Model by Fan and Lui (2001) which mathematically derives the probability of divorce from the level of the husband’s income points to a split conclusion. 1. In countries where there are tight laws regarding alimony (share of husband’s assets received by the wife in case of divorce) there is an equal chance of the marriage being a success because material satisfaction is high and the marriage failing as the wife might end the marriage for the sake of a high alimony 2. In other countries (particularly Pakistan) where no such laws exist there is a high probability that the higher the husband’s income the lower the divorce probability
Wife
Now using the same model it can be stated that the higher a woman’s income the lower the satisfaction in the marriage. The husband will constantly feel insecure with his wife’s success especially in case her income is higher. In countries like ours many women are manipulated for their income. Now there will be 2 likely outcomes with women’s wage rates increasing: 1. Either there will be lower satisfaction in marriage leading to divorce 2. Lesser women will tend to get married as they will be self-dependent. In this case the divorce is less likely to take place as there is no marriage to end

Children
Children increase happiness of parents and the marital satisfaction as they are the product of their parents’ love (Thornton, 1977). By using gender and quantity of children Nguyen and Tran (2009) estimated that:
(i) an additional child reduces the divorce rate by 37%; and
(ii) the existence of at least a son reduces the divorce rate by 30%.
Both of these effects are stronger when the mother is older, indicating that older women might be more vulnerable to divorce. When divorce brings adversity and having more children particularly sons reduces divorce risk, many women will naturally prefer to have more children.

Personal problems
While reviewing the literature I came across three works, which shared similar beliefs on the incidence of divorce. The works were by the following Kitson (1992), Bloom, Niles, & Tatcher (1985) and Goode (1956). All three believed that divorce was more of a domestic phenomenon than anything else. They cited extra marital affairs (by both husbands and wives) as being the most apparent cause of divorce. Evaluating the problem at the micro level with a change in personal values with zero value for family, the family structure lost its importance. The works specifically point out how role failure can incur in both man and woman. The husband or the wife stop performing their designed roles and seek individual gratification.
Extra marital affairs are thus seen as more of the result of role failures rather than dissatisfaction in the marriage. Extra marital affairs or relations outside the wedlock account for more than 30% of the world’s divorce rates (The Fortino Group).

Sex
Sexual incompatibility can take on many forms. It can be as basic as one person really doesn 't like sex and the other person does. Or, a couple might not be compatible with regard to what they each like sexually (Josephine Ferraro, 2010). According to a recent article by CNN sexual incompatibility greatly troubles marriage. Laura Berman, a Chicago sex therapist and relationship expert, states “We focus so much on the wedding; we don 't notice the warning signs. Couples wondering where the sex went should be asking if it was ever really there." Researchers as early as Levinger (1966) have figured how sexual incompatibility can bring dissatisfaction and “decrease the emotional utility” of the marriage
“In many countries where sex is a tabooed topic most of us, at some point in our lives, will experience a sexual dysfunction. Unless we are willing to talk about this with someone, we will have difficulty solving our problem” (Wendy Trainor, 2011)

Communication
Modern day sociologists and psychologists believe that communication is the key towards a successful relationship. Amato and Previti (2003) found that women were significantly less likely than men to report communication problems or to claim that they did not know what caused the divorce. Wives are more sensitive than husbands to marital problems involving emotions and communication (Cleek & Pearson, 1985) but I find this somewhat dissimilar to Kitson (1992) as he stated communication being a problem of both sides of the marriage. In any case the literature proves this to be the most problematic of the issues.
Sociological Perspectives

Functionalist thought
Functionalism is a structuralist theory, which means that it sees social structure as more important than individuals. It is a “top-down” theory that looks at society as a whole rather than the individuals included in it.
Functionalists regard marriage as one of the most important institutions of the society as the family properly starts from marriage. Functionalists do not stress on divorce much but what they do stress on is the sanctity of marriage as an institution. In functionalism, family disorganization - that may well lead to divorce - comes about when there is role failure. In the symmetrical marriage (more shared roles), or in more traditional views of marriage (husband as provider, with housewife as homemaker and principal raiser of children), partners failing to carry out their roles positively lead from role failure to functional failure.
I believe the functionalists will most agree with the work of Kitson (1992) and the two other works which state that divorce occurs as a result of role failure. Their perspective correlates the quality of marital life on the individual role playing of husband and wife. They would most likely say that if the husband and wife would perform their roles efficiently there would be no other problems in marriage and each will be satisfied by the other.
Symbolic Interactionism
This school of thought emphasizes that human behavior is influenced by the meanings and definitions that emerge from small group interaction. It I concerned with how labels affect meaning and behavior. Divorce was highly stigmatized and informally sanctioned through the criticism and rejection of divorced friends and relatives. As societal definitions of divorce became less negative, the divorce rate increased. The social meanings surrounding single parenthood, cohabitation (living together outside wedlock) and delayed child bearing and marriage have changed in similar ways. As the definitions of each of these family variations became less negative, the behaviors become more common.
I believe that the symbolic interactionists would also cite Kitson’s work as the best as it involves the change in people’s mindset regarding the importance of marriage. The evolution of their thought translates to a change in their marital life hence, according to the research, contributing towards divorce.
Conclusion
With this review I conclude that the work by Kitson (1992), Bloom, Niles, & Tatcher (1985) and Goode (1956) were by far the most relevant works for this topic as I again say that these works were the most comprehensive and simple in language. I found that these works were not based on predictive methodology but facts based on actual survey data. I found this the best part in their works as you have clear data interpreted in the simplest form and providing a clear perspective. The paper by Amato and Perviti was the culmination of the works of the above mentioned authors.
The one thing I was disappointed with was the lack of research in a particular area. The articles were written by authors all over the world, and I wish that I could find more articles from one specific location so as to be more accurate in the topic. Also I hope that in the future more sociological research would come from Pakistani universities so that I can write a review of those articles and get to know about the present situation in Pakistan
References

* Thornton, Arland (1977), "Children and Marital Stability", Journal of Marriage and the Family 39:531-40.

* Kitson, G. C. (1992). Portrait of divorce: Adjustment to marital breakdown. New York:
Guilford.

* Goode, W. J. (1956). Women in divorce. New York: Free Press.

* Bloom, B. L., Niles, R. L.,& Tatcher,A.M. (1985). Sources of marital dissatisfaction among newly separated persons. Journal of Family Issues, 6, 359-373.

* Levinger,G. (1966). Sources of marital dissatisfaction among applicants for divorce. American
Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 36, 803-807.

* Cleek, M. G.,& Pearson, T. A. (1985). Perceived causes of divorce: An analysis of interrelationships. Journal of Marriage & the Family, 47, 179-183.

* Amato, Paul R. & Previti, Denise, “People’s Reasons for Divorcing:
Gender, Social Class, the Life Course, and Adjustment” JOURNAL OF FAMILY ISSUES, Vol. 24 No. 5, July 2003 602-626 * Ngyun, Cuong & Tran, Anh, “ I Will Divorce if You Don’t Give Me More Children, Especially Sons” (2009)

* Fan, Chengze Simon & Lui, Hon-Kwong, “How Does the Change of Marriage Quality Affect
Divorce Decisions?” (Feb 2001)

* Orbuch, T. L., House, J., Mero, R. P., & Webster, P. F., (1996). Marital quality over the life course, Social Psychology Quarterly, Vol. 9 (2): 162-171.

* Stevenson, Betsey & Wolfers, Justin, “Marriage and Divorce: Changes and their Driving Forces”, Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 21 No. 2, Spring 2007, 27–52

* Yvkoff, Liane (March 3, 2008), “Sexual Incompatibility troubles marriage”. http://articles.cnn.com/2008-03-03/living/sexless.marriage_1_marriage-couples-laura-berman?_s=PM:LIVING [Accessed 26 May 2012]

* Ferraro, Josephine (November 16, 2010), “Relationships: Overcoming Sexual Incompatibility” http://psychotherapist-nyc.blogspot.com/2010/11/relationships-overcoming-sexual.html [Accessed 26 May 2012] * Trainor, Wendy “Sex still a taboo subject” http://www.wendytrainor.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Sex-still-a-taboo-subject.pdf [Accessed 26 May 2012] * Weiss, Daniel (February 21, 2012) “Pornography, Infidelity and Divorce” http://www.citizenlink.com/2012/02/21/pornography-infidelity-and-divorce/ [Accessed 26 May 2012] * Mooney, Linda A. & Knox, David, “Understnding social problems” March 7, 2008 171-172

References: * Thornton, Arland (1977), "Children and Marital Stability", Journal of Marriage and the Family 39:531-40. * Kitson, G. C. (1992). Portrait of divorce: Adjustment to marital breakdown. New York: Guilford. * Goode, W. J. (1956). Women in divorce. New York: Free Press. * Bloom, B. L., Niles, R. L.,& Tatcher,A.M. (1985). Sources of marital dissatisfaction among newly separated persons * Levinger,G. (1966). Sources of marital dissatisfaction among applicants for divorce. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 36, 803-807. * Cleek, M. G.,& Pearson, T. A. (1985). Perceived causes of divorce: An analysis of interrelationships. Journal of Marriage & the Family, 47, 179-183. * Ngyun, Cuong & Tran, Anh, “ I Will Divorce if You Don’t Give Me More Children, Especially Sons” (2009) * Fan, Chengze Simon & Lui, Hon-Kwong, “How Does the Change of Marriage Quality Affect Divorce Decisions?” (Feb 2001) * Orbuch, T * Mooney, Linda A. & Knox, David, “Understnding social problems” March 7, 2008 171-172