Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Why Divorce Begets Divorce
- 3 Coupling and Uncoupling
- 4 How Strong Is the Divorce Cycle?
- 5 Historical Developments
- 6 The Cohabitation Revolution
- 7 Conclusion
- Appendix A Data and Methods
- Appendix B Evaluating the Role of Marriage Differentials in the Weakening Divorce Cycle
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
1 - Introduction
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 July 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Why Divorce Begets Divorce
- 3 Coupling and Uncoupling
- 4 How Strong Is the Divorce Cycle?
- 5 Historical Developments
- 6 The Cohabitation Revolution
- 7 Conclusion
- Appendix A Data and Methods
- Appendix B Evaluating the Role of Marriage Differentials in the Weakening Divorce Cycle
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
My parents divorced while I was in junior high and it changed my life. I eventually realized it was for the best, seeing in retrospect what a mess they had made of their marriage. I think I learned a lot about what makes a relationship go bad, things that will help me when I decide to get married. One thing is for certain: I will not repeat the mistakes my parents made. The whole thing was really painful, and there is no way I will put myself or my children through it.
I often hear stories like that from students in my undergraduate course on divorce and remarriage. These students clearly want to learn from their experiences and do better in their own marriages. But their aspirations face unfavorable odds: Growing up in a divorced family greatly increases the chances of ending one's own marriage – a phenomenon called the divorce cycle, or the intergenerational transmission of divorce.
This book examines how the divorce cycle has transformed family life in contemporary America. Although researchers established years ago that divorce runs in families, many of the details remain unknown. Far too often, divorce transmission is just part of the long and ever-growing list of maladies associated with parental divorce. Not enough is known about the circumstances surrounding divorce transmission, the conditions under which it flourishes, and what decreases the chances that children will repeat the marital experiences of their parents.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Understanding the Divorce CycleThe Children of Divorce in their Own Marriages, pp. 1 - 10Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2005