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Definition: divorce 1 from Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary

(14c) 1 : the action or an instance of legally dissolving a marriage 2 : separation severance 〈⁓ of the secular and the spiritual〉


Divorce

From Encyclopedia of Gender and Society
Divorce represents the official end or dissolution of a legally recognized marriage. It is widely cited that 50 percent of present marriages will eventually end in divorce and that the chances of a second marriage ending in divorce are even more likely. During World War II, divorce rates were elevated, but stabilized during the 1950s and early 1960s. Divorce rates increased through the late 1960s and 1970s in the United States and cross-culturally. In the United States, divorce reached its all-time high in 1980. The rate has leveled off since that time but remains high compared with the 1950s. The divorce rate in the United States is high in historical terms and is significantly higher than in other industrialized countries such as Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Although the divorce rate is high for married couples, the rate at which other romantic relationships dissolve, such as those who cohabitate, is even greater. This is likely the result of the less committed…
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Marriage and Divorce Rates
The divorce rate compares the presence of divorce in different cultures and is often used to measure social stress in society . By this definition, the population of the United States is under increased stress and has little interest or respect for marriage . There are, however, several factors…
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Full text Article Divorce

From World of Sociology, Gale
From ancient times, there have been regulations on marriage and divorce. Jewish law allowed a man to leave his wife, for example, and Greeks and Romans recognized divorce. These early divorces were not regulated by law, however, but by social and religious norms . During the Protestant Reformation, …
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Full text Article divorce

From The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology
The legal dissolution of a valid MARRIAGE while both partners are still alive, leaving them free to remarry. Divorce rates have increased markedly in most industrial societies in recent times, from 2.1 people per thousand of the married population in Britain in 1961 to 13.4 people per thousand in…
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Full text Article Divorce

From Encyclopedia of Women's Health
Divorce is the undoing of a marriage. In some states it is called a dissolution of marriage. No matter what the label, this is a way to formally end legal ties between a husband and a wife, and resolve other issues that may connect them, such as child custody, child support, property division, debt…
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Full text Article DIVORCE

From The Reader's Companion to American History
Despite their belief that the family was the basis of political and ecclesiastical authority, sev- enteenth-century Puritans held that marriage was a civil contract that could, under certain circumstances, be broken. Divorce was permissible on several grounds, including adultery, long absence, and…
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Full text Article Divorce

From Encyclopedia of American Studies
Ad for the American film The Road to Divorce...
Divorce is the legal ending of a marriage by duly approved adm... …
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Full text Article Divorce

From Cambridge Dictionary of Christian Theology
Divorce, most simply understood as the termination of a marriage, poses a great challenge to Christian ethics, given Jesus’ stark words on the subject in the NT. Biblical scholars contextualize the question posed to Jesus in Matthew 19:3–12 within a first-century rabbinic debate over the valid…
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From Encyclopedia of Adolescence
This entry reviews research on associations between parental divorce and adolescents’ adjustment. First, evidence regarding associations between parental divorce and adolescents’ adjustment is presented. Although, on average, adolescents whose parents divorce are at risk for more externalizing and…
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Full text Article DIVORCE

From International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family
EFFECTS ON CHILDREN Two of the strongest and most widely held beliefs about contemporary family life are that marriage should be a lifelong commitment and that parental divorce has serious negative effects on children. Because of the conviction with which these values are held, many people are…
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Full text Article Divorce

From Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology
Divorce is the legal dissolution of a marriage. The dissolution of marriage legally is the final option when spouses have reached a point of no compromise. Divorce is usually not a surprise; it is the culmination of a decline in effective communication, regardless of underlying reasons, and is often…
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