Cause and effect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Cause and effect - Essay Example This paper explores the causes and effects of high rate of divorce. The causes of high divorce rate include but are not limited to changed gender roles in marriage and change in laws whereas some of the effects of high divorce rate include distorted family system, single parenthood, and depression. Gender roles in marriage have changed under the influence of media and this has caused an increase in the divorce rate. The soaps, commercials, and movies have inculcated the concept in the minds of the audience that in order to be modern and successful, it is imperative that both members in a couple work. The media has especially placed emphasis on the work of women. More job opportunities have been created for women in order to make it easy for them to find work. As a result, women have started paying more attention toward their careers and professions than their homes. In the past, men worked and assumed the responsibility of earning bread for the family whereas women stayed at home and took care of the children. â€Å"Women feel caught in the middle, burdened by increased demands from both work and family† (Clarke-Stewart and Brentano 34). More and more women are giving up in their struggle to strike a balance between family and work and are eventually heading for divorce . Before 1970, couples needed to justify their attempt to seek divorce by proving at least one of the partners guilty of something or being at fault. Reasons that made divorce seem justified in the eyes of the law included but were not limited to cruelty, abandonment, intoxication, cheating, and adultery. However, some states introduced the option of no-fault divorce in the 1950s. Under the changed law, the need for couples to prove one of the partners being at fault was obviated. Instead, they could simply state that their marriage was not working. Nearly all states had allowed no-fault divorce by 1970. In the past,