2008 Woodie Awards
'Til Death Do Us Part?
Lisa Frieri
Issue date: 11/14/05 Section: Tempo
- Page 1 of 1
Does anybody take the sanctity of marriage seriously anymore? Recent Hollywood marriages that have ended in divorce include Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt, Renee Zellweger and Kenny Chesney, Tori Spelling and Chad Shanian, Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush, and Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey. Some of these celebrities have been married for mere months!
Half of all marriages end in divorce in the United States. Divorces have increased dramatically in the last half of the 20th century. Marriages should be until death do you part, not see you later after a few months. In the United States, in 2003 there were 7.5 marriages per 1000 people and 3.8 divorces per 1000, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In other words, there were half as many divorces as marriages that year.
Part of the reason is the fast- paced society we live in. Both spouses usually work, and by the time they get home, the TV has become more important than communicating about their problems. Some feel it is better just to get a divorce instead of working it out.
However, if there are children involved, repercussions could occur. According to a Rutgers University article, "The Top Ten Myths of Divorce," divorce increases the risk of interpersonal problems in children. In fact, they [long-term problems] may become worse in childhood." Many spouses, in the process of a divorce, do not think about the children, and how it may be affecting them. Not all marriages have to end in divorce. The most common reason for divorce is "irreconcilable differences" or "we can't stand each other anymore and want a divorce." Communication is the key to any relationship, and many feel they do not have the time or energy to work things out. People that stick it out though, are usually better off. "Recent research using a large national sample found that 86 percent of people, who were unhappily married in the late 1980s, and stayed with the marriage, indicated when interviewed five years after that they were happier." In the end, it is easier, and cheaper, to try to work things out between partners.
One of the reasons there are so many divorces, from celebrities anyways, is they just do not know each other well enough. Renee Zellweger and her now ex-husband, Kenny Chesney, knew each other barely five months before tying the knot in May. By September, they had the marriage annulled. How could you possibly know everything about someone in that short period?
Another reason for increased divorce is people co-habiting together before marriage. According to Rutgers University, "In part, the type of people who are willing to co-habit may also be those who are more willing to divorce. There is some evidence that the act of co-habitation itself generates attitudes in people that are more conducive to divorce…" People that live together do not take the sacrament of marriage seriously.
Brad and Jen may not get back together, but there is hope for others, if they are willing to make the sacrifice and communicate effectively.
Half of all marriages end in divorce in the United States. Divorces have increased dramatically in the last half of the 20th century. Marriages should be until death do you part, not see you later after a few months. In the United States, in 2003 there were 7.5 marriages per 1000 people and 3.8 divorces per 1000, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In other words, there were half as many divorces as marriages that year.
Part of the reason is the fast- paced society we live in. Both spouses usually work, and by the time they get home, the TV has become more important than communicating about their problems. Some feel it is better just to get a divorce instead of working it out.
However, if there are children involved, repercussions could occur. According to a Rutgers University article, "The Top Ten Myths of Divorce," divorce increases the risk of interpersonal problems in children. In fact, they [long-term problems] may become worse in childhood." Many spouses, in the process of a divorce, do not think about the children, and how it may be affecting them. Not all marriages have to end in divorce. The most common reason for divorce is "irreconcilable differences" or "we can't stand each other anymore and want a divorce." Communication is the key to any relationship, and many feel they do not have the time or energy to work things out. People that stick it out though, are usually better off. "Recent research using a large national sample found that 86 percent of people, who were unhappily married in the late 1980s, and stayed with the marriage, indicated when interviewed five years after that they were happier." In the end, it is easier, and cheaper, to try to work things out between partners.
One of the reasons there are so many divorces, from celebrities anyways, is they just do not know each other well enough. Renee Zellweger and her now ex-husband, Kenny Chesney, knew each other barely five months before tying the knot in May. By September, they had the marriage annulled. How could you possibly know everything about someone in that short period?
Another reason for increased divorce is people co-habiting together before marriage. According to Rutgers University, "In part, the type of people who are willing to co-habit may also be those who are more willing to divorce. There is some evidence that the act of co-habitation itself generates attitudes in people that are more conducive to divorce…" People that live together do not take the sacrament of marriage seriously.
Brad and Jen may not get back together, but there is hope for others, if they are willing to make the sacrifice and communicate effectively.
