Divorce is the termination of marriage due to reasons that cannot be reconciled between couples. The process of divorce or marriage dissolution takes in a legal framework where the parties involved face the verdict of a jury. The act of divorce was not so common in the ancient times. This may indicate that civilization and modernization in a way contributed to the causes of divorce. Divorce has a number of processes for it to be granted. The effects of divorce are hurting and traumatizing not only to the couple involved in the act but also to the children and immediate family members of the divorcees. The paper entails the steps involved in divorce process, religious and cultural view, rate of divorce incidents globally, and the effects of divorce both children and the couples (Sattinger, 2005)
Divorce Process and Steps
Reaching a divorce is a complex process, which involves a number of steps. The steps to divorce differ from one state to another; some states do not have rules that authorize divorce hence couple cannot participate in legal separation. In these states despite the differences between the couple, they are assumed as married until a court decides to terminate their marriage. In countries where there are laws that allow couples to separate legally, one or both couples apply for a divorce petition through his or her attorney. The decisions during this process favour the interest of both parties and of the children if they have any. The court decides on whom to take custody of the children after hearing the case. In most cases, the mother gets the custody for the children unless the petition proves that she is not fit to take that role. The court decides on the dates when the other party can spend time with his or her kids. It may be once or twice a month or even once a year depending on the court’s decision. The process of divorce is sometimes long and tiresome hurting the feelings of all parties involved directly or indirectly (American journal, 2010).
Religious and Cultural Views towards Divorce
The views people have towards divorce from religious and cultural perspectives have a number of similarities and differences. The similarities are as discussed below. In both cases, the parties always wish for reconciliation rather than divorce. This is because of the psychological effects of divorce on the children and even the couples. In both cases, the parties first try to solve the differences at their level best before advising the couple to use the court option. This ensures that they find the causes of the misunderstandings and try to reconcile the couple therefore preventing the divorce process. Apart from the similarities, the views of divorce from religious and cultural backgrounds also differ in a number of ways. Whereas from religious point of view, critics are always neutral in their judgement, in cultural view the woman is always viewed as the cause of the problem. This is because many cultures view women as the inferior who should be submissive to any kind of treatment without disputing. However, in religion point of view, there is some level of fairness and both parties have equal chances during the hearing. From religious point of view, divorce is perceived as an act of the devil to undermine Gods good work and direction to His people whereas in cultural point it is viewed as a bad omen resulting from bad luck (American journal, 2010).
Effects of Divorce both the Children and the Couples Involved
The effects of divorce both during the process and after its completion is traumatizing not only to the couples but also to the children involved. Research shows that after divorce many couples undergo depression in their lives. This may lead to drug and substance abuse, hate toward the opposite sex, negative perception about marriage, and hate towards own self. For example getting involved in substance abuse, which is illegal may also make the individual make unhealthy decisions. These may include involving in criminal activities or even prostitution. This shows how divorce can spoil the life a person completely. Children who are victims of divorce also undergo a lot of pain and trauma in their lives. This affects their morale, self confidence/esteem or even perception towards marriage. Research indicates those children who are victims of divorce view marriage negatively and almost a half of them end up living single lifestyle. Their self-esteem and confidence significantly drops to the level that they cannot express themselves in a crowd or in class. They also suffer from stigma since the public view them the like products of failed miserable marriages (Sattinger, 2005).
Conclusion
It is evident that divorce process and its consequences affect the lives of those involved in depressing ways. The perceptions of the public from both cultural and religious backgrounds play so little to help in the situation. For example, the cultural point of view that entirely blames the female gender on divorce cases is unhealthy. This may cause depression and stigma to the women who have undergone divorce in the society. The children also suffer immensely as they feel sidelined, unwanted, and miserable. Divorce is therefore a decision unhealthy decision that ought to be avoided at all cost.
Work Cited
Sattinger, Andrea. “Your Life: My Decision.” Teen People 8.5 (2005): 73. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. Retrieved from: http://av4kc7fg4g.search.serialssolutions.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=DIVORCE&rft.jtitle=Teen+People&rft.au=Andrea+Sattinger&rft.date=2005-07-31&rft.issn=1096-2832&rft.volume=8&rft.issue=5&rft.spage=73&rft.externalDBID=TEPL&rft.externalDocID=843807631
“Divorce Quiz.” American Journal Of Family Law 23.4 (2010): 241-245. Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. Retrieved from: http://av4kc7fg4g.search.serialssolutions.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Divorce&rft.jtitle=American+Journal+of+Family+Law&rft.date=2010-01-01&rft.pub=Aspen+Publishers%2C+Inc&rft.issn=0891-6330&rft.volume=23&rft.issue=4&rft.spage=249&rft.externalDBID=n%2Fa&rft.externalDocID=213776031
