In today’s world, marriage is a common institution. Unfortunately, divorce is also a common practice in today’s world as well. Divorce rates are currently at an all-time high, with half of all marriages ending in break ups. Although each divorce is different, there appear to be four main causes, which include: changes in the roles of women, modern stress, lack of communication, and substance abuse.
One major cause of the recent rise in divorce rates is a social one. In the United States, the gender roles of women are growing more and more obsolete. In the past, men were the sole earners of the family income, while women were responsible for maintaining the household. Because of this, women were unable to support themselves
financially, and therefore divorce wasn’t an option. Today, men and women are roughly seen as equals in the workplace, and women now have the means to take care of themselves. With women growing to be more independent, they no longer have to depend on their husbands to take care of them. The change in women’s roles in society is a major cause for the high divorce rate because women no longer have to take their dependence on men into consideration.
Another cause of the rise in divorce rates is the modern stress of today’s world. The United States economy is in a state of wreckage, and millions of Americans are having difficulty finding work. This can be extremely stressful for couples who are hurting for cash, and can put a considerable amount of stress on their marriages. If couples are constantly stressed about money and maintaining a job, then the marriage will most likely be an unhappy one. As unemployment rates rise, divorce rates continue to rise as well. It is no wonder that half of all divorced couples cite money as a primary cause for divorce.
The final cause of the recent increase in divorce is lack of communication. Owing to financial status in each family, many people are fairly busy. The economy is awful, and many couples are forced to work more and more hours in order to keep themselves financially afloat. For this reason, they have inadequate time to have meaningful conversations with their partners, which may lead to a lack of communication. Some couples are often quiet when they have problems with each other, and as a consequence problems grow bigger and bigger over time. If a couple does not properly communicate, there is no way that they will be able to work out their issues. A lack of communication creates distance in a marriage which can create additional problems in their relationship as well. Many marriages end in divorce because partners don’t know how to adequately communicate with their spouses.
In today’s world, addictions are fairly easy to come by. Sadly, alcohol and drugs are an ever-present part of today's society and many married people get caught up in substance abuse. Alcoholism is one of the most common addictions, and can lead to the downfall of even the healthiest marriage. What may start as a harmless social habit may turn into the deadliest of addictions. Once the addiction takes over, a person's life is often in turmoil. Substance abuse also causes turmoil in a marriage, and can be attributed as a cause of divorce.