My Research Method

For my research method, I would like to conduct a survey to assess people's thoughts on divorce. For this project, I would really like to focus on people's thoughts about divorce: why they think the divorce rate has gone up; if they think the media has something to do with the increased rates; etc.  I would also like to get some perspectives from kids/teenagers whose parents are divorced; how old they were when their parents got a divorce; who they live with; how often do they see their other parent; how they felt at first about the divorce; how they feel now; etc.  I think the survey is the best method to use for my topic because I can get many different views and create my own statistics about divorced families in our community.

The Divorcer

In the T.V. show Friends, one guy in the group, Ross, has gotten divorced three times! Throughout the series, everyone makes jokes about how he's that "divorce guy" or "the divorcer" (the name Ross would rather be called). The video above is just one of the many moments where his friends make fun of him as the guy who gets a million divorces.  This series ran from 1994-2004, years where the divorce rate was over 4.0 and being acknowledged more on television. This scene, in particular, is a great example about how people are starting to think of divorce as a no-big-deal thing. They get married and then get divorced for whatever reasons and not really care about it.  Everyone on the show making jokes about it shows society that it's a "funny" or not important thing to do.  In another episode, Ross says "If you're going to call me a name, make it Ross, the divorcer,"  By this, Ross is making it a no-big-deal thing as well.

I think it's absolutely crazy how divorce is becoming such a nonchalant thing to do nowadays. Divorce is becoming just as common as marriage.  WHY is this? Because of the media. There are so many movies and series about divorce (portraying it as not a big thing). We also see so many celebrities get married and then divorced a week later, and people on TV shows, like on Friends, making jokes about it or doing the same exact thing.  By portraying this "not-a-big-deal" attitude about divorce in these ways, the message is clear to viewers and they develop the same attitude toward divorce.

The Statistics

I came across this one website, 10 Shocking Statistics about Children and Divorce, and it gave a lot of interesting information about children and divorce in general and the effects divorce has on children.  Before the statistics, the author of this page said something that I totally agree with, "These days most people accept divorce as a way of life, completely unaware of the damage they are doing to their children."  She then got into the facts.  Some startling statistics that I came across were that of all children born to married parents this year, 50% will experience the divorce of their parents before they reach their 18th birthday; half of all American children will witness the breakup of a parent’s marriage; compared to children from homes disrupted by death, children from divorced homes have more psychological problems and children living with both biological parents are 20 to 35 percent more physically healthy than children from broken homes.

The statistics that I listed above were the ones that I thought were the most shocking.  This post on the website was posted in 2006, about 7 years ago.  I can only imagine that the percentages are higher now than back then.  Like the author said, people are being more and more accepting of divorce; it's becoming a way of life.  It certainly is becoming a way of life, especially in 2013.  TV shows are beginning to revolve around divorced couples and celebrities get married and get divorced every other day.  From the media as a major source of shaping society, how can't divorce become a "way of life"?  The most shocking statistic was that compared to children from homes disrupted by death, children from divorced homes have more psychological problems.  That's crazy!  The only way I can see this as true is if the child wasn't close to the person who died.  I find it so hard to believe that children form more psychological problems from their parents being divorced than by a death in the family.  Maybe if the child is young the death wouldn't have as much of an impact on them?  I find it mind-boggling.

I would highly recommend that you read the rest of the statistics.  Some of them I can understand, but others I was totally surprised with.  What statistics, from what I mentioned or from the article, do you find most startling?