According
to a recently released study, conservative Protestants may be more likely to
end their marriages than those who are more liberal and those who prescribe to
other religions. After hearing this, readers in Minnesota may be wondering why
this seems to be the case. A recent article explains all of the details.
The
study is slated to be released in the America Journal of Sociology. What makes
the findings perplexing is religiously conservative individuals place high
value on the sanctity of marriage. So, why are they more likely to go through
divorce? According to researchers, the high rate of marital dissolution is tied
to getting married and having children at an earlier age.
Generally
speaking, these two factors are known to increase the rate of divorce. This
is true because starting a family earlier tends to prevent those individuals
from finishing their education or pursuing a higher level of education, which
leaves them with lower wages. This, in turn, puts more stress on the family
which increases likelihood of divorce.
The next
question is what makes an individual a Protestant? This research study
qualifies someone as a Protestant if their religion places high value on the
literal meanings of the Bible. That, paired with conservative political
viewpoints, would make an individual a conservative Protestant according to
this study.
In
addition to the higher likelihood of divorce in conservative Protestants, the
study shows that for every one percent increase in the conservative Protestant
population in an area, the overall divorce rate increased by 0.02 percent. This
seems to show that the existence of conservative Protestants increases the
divorce rate for those living around them.
Although
the findings of this study are quite intriguing, divorce is often a difficult
situation for members of all political and religious groups. During the divorce
process, many decisions must be made, property needs divided and, if children
are involved, child support and custody must be agreed upon.
All of
these issues usually cause emotions to run high. Therefore, it is often helpful
to speak with a family law attorney who can relieve some of the pressure and
help a divorcing party move through his or her marital dissolution as quickly
as possible and reach a favorable outcome so he or she can move forward with
his or her lives.
Source: Los
Angeles Times, "More religiously conservative Protestants? More divorce, study finds,"
Emily Alpert Reyes, Jan. 17, 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment