The first host family I stayed with during high school had four kids with them, with the oldest, at 17, as old as me. Then, at some point down the line, I realized that the host dad had another daughter who was at least in her mid-20s, married, and already had a baby daughter. It was obvious that her parents had been separated for a long time. My next host family was a single mom who just went through a divorce, and their teenage kids were always traveling back and forth between their parents’ houses. My final host family was very similar to my first host family, with their oldest son being recently married (and I was the only one who said hi to his mom) yet the youngest son was merely 7.
The list goes on. I was genuinely shocked to find that the vast majority of my friends in America have either a step-parent, step-sibling or parents that are divorced. Among all the connections I can find in my own country, I can only name three friends or family members who have a shattered family. Is there something wrong with marriages and families in America?
Precisely measuring the divorce rate can be extremely complicated since there are different calculating standards. According to what I have found, a stunning 36.6% of marriages in the US lead to divorce. This leaves one in two children with separated parents. Couples divorce for many reasons. It could be a lack of commitment, financial disputes, or, sadly, abuse.
Divorce also negatively impacts the child– not just the couples in question. Since the mother is more likely to raise the child than the father, Statistics show that roughly 21% of children throughout the country grow up without a father. Being raised by a single parent can lead to trauma, an increased chance of failing in school, and an increased chance of drug and alcohol abuse. All of these factors further increase the likelihood of committing crimes.
Race-wise, I like how famous commentators like Candace Owens and Larry Elder frequently bring up that the broken family is the biggest crisis black people are facing in America. Studies have shown that black women have the highest divorce rate at 26.1 per 1000 population; compared to merely 9.2 per 1000 for Asian women. Taking unwanted pregnancies into account, it makes sense that about 67% of black children grow up in a single-parent household, further perpetuating societal problems such as poor academic performance and crimes in inner cities. Though as a universal phenomenon regardless of race, broken families are much more common among African Americans and it is a shame that politicians and movements like BLM never address this issue.
So how do we fix this relationship crisis in American society? I may not have experienced any romantic relationships yet, and I am not a Christian, but I agree wholeheartedly with Christian teachings on relationships as I feel that this is something genuinely good on both the personal and social level. It is important to realize that acts like betrayal, soliciting prostitutes, and watching porn are all considered sins and contribute no good to relationships, and appreciate people you love by first seeing through their true values instead of lustfully thinking about their appearances and having sex with them. Healthy sex should bring a couple closer and should not be done casually without any commitment. And yes, carefully consider all aspects of the relationship before you marry. Good families are what a good society is made up of. So, when we see political problems perpetuating in the world, we should start by fixing ourselves.
