Were divorce rates in the 1950s lower because marriages were happier?

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In the 1950s divorce rates were lower. While superficially this fact appears to fit into the "happy days" the 50s were remembered for, deeper analysis reveals a different picture.

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Barbara Whitehead Sociologist

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In the 1950s most Americans believed that parents should stay in an unhappy marriage for the sake of the children. The assumption was that a divorce would damage the children, and the prospect of such damage gave divorce its meaning. By the mid-1970s a majority of Americans rejected that view.

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01 Apr 1993 Source

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Po Bronson Journalist & Novelist

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People get divorced for good reasons. It used to be that wife-beating wasn't a reason to leave your husband. In some cultures, it still isn't. (And in case we think those cultures are so distant – it wasn't until 1992 that the U.S. Catholic Bishops issued a statement that women didn't have to stay married in an abusive relationship – because Catholic wives thought (or were being told) that they had to stay and save their marriage.

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01 Jan 2008 Source

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NotAnExpert gave their takeonit on 18 Jun 2009

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Look at the divorce rates.. but more importantly look at the rates of people having sex before marriage. If you had sex with 30 girls before you met your wife then you'd prolly get divorced too. Blame it on women and men being unhappy but being forced to stay married.. sorry don't buy that "expert" opinion. I buy the opinion that people today don't know love if it hit them on the face. People today have sex like rabbits, and are torn.

If you only ate vanilla ice cream your whole life, what would your favorite ice cream be? Vanilla.

What if you ate baskin robins ice cream 31 flavors. what would your favorite be then? Chocolate? no maybe vanilla this week. how about chocolate AND vanilla, and strawberry. Maybe we need toppings.

Of course people are unhappy with marriage. They bond sexually within the first 3 weeks of dating and then they wonder why 3 years later the husband / wife turned into a horrible person. If you dated a guy / girl for 1 or 2 years and didn't sleep together you would have a much better idea of why you loved them. if you have sex in 3 weeks you are emotinally bonded without knowing who or what they really are.

and look, right around the time of the 1970's when free love was rampart.. look at the divorce rate skyrocket.

http://www.bsos.umd.edu/socy/vanneman/socy441/trends/divorce.html

Were divorce rates in the 1950s lower because marriages were happier?

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