Has The Divorce Revolution Failed To Deliver?

By Author: James Walsh
Total Articles: 68
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Such legislation quietly set in motion a divorce revolution and there was a spurt in the number of divorces following the implementation of the Act. The singular aim of the law makers -- that of elevating the happiness levels in society -- was laudable.

The Divorce Revolution and its Aftermath

Though the intention of the policy makers was good, the events that unfolded later proved antithesis to common expectation. The divorce explosion filled households with sorrow, difficulties and unanticipated problems.

Children were the worst sufferers in this process. They bore the brunt of the emotional pain and disturbances their parents experienced. They suffered much and developed behavioural problems. Teen suicides trebled, child juvenile cases swelled, drug addicts increased in number and a majority of these offenders were found to be the children of divorce.

The suffering of the children was not only psychological, but also it affected them academically. They experienced a drop in their school grades and many became college drop-outs later on.

The situation should have normalised after ...
... their divorced parents remarried. Unfortunately, many children experienced abuse by their non-biological parent. The divorce revolution victimised children and they grew into dysfunctional adults.

The policy makers never expected circumstances to turn out so. Their aim of making adults happy also met with miserable failure.

Divorced and Unhappy

Adults, who were involved in the divorce process, gradually lapsed into depression. The emotions experienced immediately following the divorce were one of anger, frustration, hate, sorrow, guilt and fear. Overwhelmed by the intensity of these feelings, they struggled to cope with the new situation and turned desolate. In such despair, it was alcohol and other drugs that they turned to for solace.

The deep-rooted sorrow, they experienced, was often compounded by economic difficulties. The single source of income in the pre-divorce phase was stretched to meet the expenditure of two households. Subsequently, the standard of living of the woman and her children dropped sharply. The ensuing financial crunch was also responsible for many problems.

With the increase in divorce rates, the marital institution lost its sanctity. The high divorce rates made people lose interest in working at their marriages and they invested less of time and effort in making it a success.

Thus was set in motion a chain of events that increased the divorce rates further. Even children who grew up in single parent households were much likelier to divorce compared to their counterparts who grew up in normal families. With time, it was evident that the divorce revolution had failed.

Reasons for Failure of the Divorce Revolution

The fundamental reason for the failure of the revolution was that the divorcing spouses were not given the equipment to deal with the subsequent consequence of their decision. People suffered a plethora of negative emotions after their divorce, and they knew not how to manage them (In those days, mediation or divorce counselling had not yet been introduced.). They were left saddled with the emotional baggage and their subsequent remarriages also failed under this burden. Every divorce brought in its wake a fresh wave of unhappiness.

Another reason for the fallout of the divorce revolution was the economic difficulties divorced families faced. Usually, the woman was awarded the custody of her children. This normally meant that the family had not been split into two equal halves. On one side were the woman and her children and, on the other, was the man. However, during the financial settlement, the marital property was split into two equal halves. In net effect, the singular man received a 50% share, while the other equivalent half was divided among 3 or 4 members (the mother and her 2 or 3 children.). The woman found the monetary resources at her disposal to be totally inadequate to meet the educational and other expenditure of her children.

The divorce revolution that was aimed at enhancing the happiness levels of the societal members failed, for the policy makers had not prepared well to tackle the repercussions of their Act. The failure of the revolution impacted the entire community for families are its fundamental unit.

James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you want to find out more about a solicitor managed divorce see http://www.managed-divorce.co.uk