High Divorce Rate

With many negative social effects, divorce in both Utah and the United States has become a social issue that hurts the ability of society to function properly. High divorce rates have various roots from all parts of societal life from religion to social stress. From the various causes, the divorce rate in the United States has risen to around fifty percent. This high rate of divorce causes many other social issues, negatively impacting the people involved and negatively impacting society as a whole. Today I will look at this social issue from the structural functionalist perspective. A functionalist looks at society as one whole functioning organism made up of many different structures. If there is a flaw in one of these many structures, society will not function correctly. Approaching this social issue I will say that there is a flaw in the structure of family that is causing this social issue and causing society not to function correctly.

            When I look at this issue, I believe that there is a problem within the family structure of society. This flaw in the family structure is caused by divorce and with divorce rate rising that it is becoming more and more of a social issue. I believe that if we as a people want society to function correctly that we must fix the flaw in this structure. With divorce rate being so high, one can understand that comes from a flaw within the in marriage of that couple. What ever the cause of that issue is, the impacts of the divorce are majorly negative on the rest of society mainly on the children of the divorcing couple.

            Divorce can be really damaging on the people involved. In many of these situations, young children are involved and can take a divorce really hard. Children with parents who have gotten divorced have often been shown to have stressed lives and in cases can lead to addiction and depression. This is negatively impacting future generations.

            The flaw within the family structure of society caused by divorce has become a major social issue that is causing society not to function properly. It has birthed other social issues that also have negative effects on the functions of society. Although there may be many causes of high divorce rates within the United States, these causes lead pinpoint on major outcome. To fix the high divorce rate and the flaw in the family structure, society must identify all the causes of divorce and attempt to fix the structures that are impacted. If we are capable in fixing these structures, society can once again function as a proper unit.

What do you think about the high divorce rate? Do you really think it is a major social issue? Why? Do you believe that the high divorce rate causes future social issues within in the groups that they impact?

Resources:

Bahr, Howard. "Religious intermarriage and divorce in Utah and the mountain states." JSTOR. ha (1981): n. page. Print. <http://www.jstor.org

Seth Fiegerman, . "The Most Divorced States in America." Main St 2010. n. pag. Web. 8 Nov. 2011. <http://www.mainstreet.com/slideshow/family/marriage/divorce/most-divorce-loving-states-america>.