While divorce at any age comes with potentially negative effects, according to new research from Michigan State University, divorce at a younger age can hurt people’s health more than divorce that occurs later in life. In fact—given that younger couples are also more likely to have children living at home—the negative impact of divorce within this age cohort can go far beyond the health of the couple. Decades of research provide evidence that children living with both parents fare better in virtually every aspect of well-being. As research on Heritage’s …
Given the overwhelming evidence that parental divorce takes a heavy toll on children—in areas ranging from emotional well-being and academic achievement to delinquency, substance abuse, and sexual activity—the nation had cause to breathe a collective sigh of relief when data showed that the incidence of divorce has dropped steadily since peaking in 1979. In fact, today’s divorce rate is nearly as low as that of the late ’60s. But this moment in the sun has been overshadowed by a dark cloud. Research recently released by The National Marriage Project and …
A too-clever-by-half marketing team at Kraft Foods has come up with what they think is a hot seller: a contest offering a cash prize to the best YouTube video answering the question, “How has Miracle Whip Affected Your Relationship?” The winner of the contest, which runs until August 23, takes home (or to two homes, quite possibly) $25,000 to help pay for a wedding—or a divorce. Kraft officials have been stung by the criticism that has been justly leveled against the contest, which attempts to take a lighthearted and evenhanded …
In a snapshot summary of her memoir released on Tuesday, In Spite of Everything, Susan Gregory Thomas gives a firsthand account of what remains of children and parents after the devastation of divorce. Thomas presents a vivid portrait of the children of divorce in her neighborhood who, with her, wandered as “sad-eyed, bruised nomads.” Decades of research underscore the truth of Thomas’ anecdotal account and the plight and trajectories of those lonely children. Adolescents who do not live in intact families are more likely to engage in substance abuse, exhibit …
Late Thursday night, the New York State Assembly passed no-fault divorce legislation in a 113–19 vote after the Senate voted 32–29 to approve the bill two weeks ago. Governor David Paterson is expected to sign the bill into law. The bill allows a spouse to file for divorce unilaterally after swearing under oath that the marriage has broken down irreconcilably for six months. The other spouse gets no say in the matter. Movement of the legislation in New York is significant because the Empire State is the only one in …
A new report -The 2009 “State of our Unions”- out of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia and the Institute for American Values, reports that divorce fell during the first full year of the Great Recession, the first annual dip since 2005. “Tough times foster real family solidarity and encourage many couples to stick together,” says UVA sociology professor W. Bradford Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project. “Many couples are rediscovering the longstanding sociological truth that marriage is one of society’s best social insurance plans.”
