Deck 12: Divorce, Widowhood, and Remarriage

Question 1

The incidence of single-parent families is a new phenomenon particular to our day and time common.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Currently, there are now more divorced than widowed Canadians.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The rate of divorce per 1,000 is referred to as the crude divorce rate.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

When a cohabiting union breaks up, the dissolution does not appear in any statistics.

Question 5

Married couples who separate do not meet the criteria of "conjugal dissolution".

Question 6

Cohabitation before marriage increases the risk of divorce.

Question 7

Being a child of divorced parents correlates with lower marital commitment later in life.

Question 8

Women are more likely to lose friends after separation than is the case for men.

Question 9

Divorced people report experiencing greater happiness five years after their divorces.

Question 10

Married men seem less threatened by their divorced male friends than married women are by their divorced women friends.

Question 11

Exiting a dysfunctional marriage may actually increase children's antisocial behaviour.

Question 12

When dealing with the death of a spouse, the length of the grieving period depends on personal resources, the social support received, and how well prepared the bereaved spouse was for the death.

Question 13

A remarriage after divorce generally enhances the quality of adults' lives but not as much as is the case for a first marriage.

Question 14

Most marital status transitions are detrimental to children.

Question 15

In 1900, what proportion of all children under the age of 15 had lost a parent by death?

A) 5 percent
B) 25 percent
C) 35 percent
D) 45 percent
E) 55 percent

Question 16

There are more divorced men than women in Canada because

A) men tend to initiate more divorces than women.
B) divorced men repartner more often after a divorce and women have longer life expectancies.
C) the population of men is much higher in general.
D) females are more likely to cohabit than marry.
E) demographic differences between the provinces.

Question 17

Canada enacted its first Federal Divorce Act in _______ and then instituted its 'no fault' act in ________ .

A) 1761; 1968
B) 1837; 1968
C) 1857; 1968
D) 1968; 1985
E) 1992; 1998

Question 18

The probability of divorcing is somewhat lower for a _____ but is higher for a _____.

A) second marriage; first marriage.
B) same sex couple; heterosexual couple.
C) younger person; older person.
D) male; female.
E) first marriage; remarriage.

Question 19

The highest divorce rates in Canada are found in

A) Quebec.
B) British Columbia.
C) Saskatchewan.
D) Yukon.
E) Ontario.

Question 20

The likelihood that a Canadian couple marrying today will be divorced by the time they reach their 30^th wedding anniversary is about _____ percent.

A) 5
B) 16
C) 25
D) 40
E) 49

Question 21

The low divorce rates for the Maritimes may be the result of _____, a more
Effective community, and demographic variables such as _____.

A) a higher level of social integration; more churches.
B) a lower level of social integration; a younger population.
C) widespread cohabitation before marriage; more liberal and individualistic attitudes.
D) higher level of social integration; an older population.
E) stricter divorce laws; more conservative values.

Question 22

The most accurate way of measuring divorce is to measure

A) the rate of divorce per 1,000 or 100,000 married couples.
B) the rate of divorce per 1,000 or 100,000 people in the population.
C) the rate of divorce of couples married 30 years earlier.
D) the rate of divorce of couples between the ages of 18 and 65.
E) the number of divorces annually.

Question 23

In the 2000s, divorce rates

A) are the highest they have ever been in Canada.
B) are the lowest they have been in Canada since 1940.
C) are rising steadily.
D) are equivalent to those of the early 1970s.
E) are approximately twice as high as they were prior to 1970.

Question 24

The average Canadian couple has been married for approximately___ years before divorcing.

A) five
B) seven
C) ten
D) fifteen
E) twenty

Question 25

We could reasonably predict that in the immediate future the divorce rate for same sex-couples in Canada will be lower than for heterosexual couples because

A) same-sex couples are not legally permitted to get married.
B) a good proportion of same-sex marriages involve couples who have been in long term relationships.
C) same-sex couples prefer cohabitation before marriage which means that when they dissolve their relationship, it will not count as a statistical divorce.
D) there are far fewer same-sex marriages in Canada and so a comparison to heterosexual marriages is not possible.
E) same-sex couples are much more committed to their marriage than is currently the case for heterosexual couples.

Question 26

It is estimated that about _____ percent of all divorces in Canada are a repeat divorce for at least one of the spouses.

A) 1 percent
B) 5 percent
C) 10 percent
D) 20 percent
E) 35 percent

Question 27

People who divorce many times are

A) found only at the upper-SES level.
B) no different psychologically than those who divorce only once.
C) more likely to have had longer first-time marriages.
D) usually less committed to marriage.
E) more likely to be very attractive.

Question 28

Currently, by the 40th anniversary, the divorce is only about _____ divorces per 1,000 marriages.

A) 0.5
B) 1.2
C) 2.5
D) 3.7
E) 5.0

Question 29

In which of the following situations are we most likely to see a lower divorce rate?

A) When there are children at home.
B) When there are no children at home.
C) During the 3^rd and 4^th years of a couple's marriage.
D) When a couple has been cohabitating prior to marriage
E) When a couple did not cohabitate prior top getting married.

Question 30

In February 2005, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that joint custody should not be granted when

A) either one of the parents moves further than 100 kilometers from their original place of residence.
B) children reach the age of majority.
C) for children under the age of 1, in which case custody is automatically granted to the mother.
D) parents cannot communicate effectively with each other about the care of their child(ren).
E) either the mother or father is in a follow-up committed relationship.

Question 31

One of the sociocultural factors that have been associated with a rise in divorce is

A) the desacralization of marriage.
B) youthful age at marriage.
C) increased concerns regarding economic security.
D) prior cohabitation.
E) a general disregard for tradition.

Question 32

The term desacralization of marriage refers to the idea that

A) marriages are regarded as temporary arrangements.
B) marriage is no longer seen as a religious convenant but an individual choice.
C) cohabitations are now more common than marriages.
D) marriages are now shorter in duration before divorce.
E) couples now have many more options to form families than ever before.

Question 33

Which of the following is specifically a demographic factor related to divorce?

A) The liberalization of divorce laws.
B) The increased importance of personal gratification.
C) A lower threshold of tolerance for marital difficulties.
D) The desacralization of marriage.
E) Youthful marriages.

Question 34

The fact that cohabitation prior to marriage increases the likelihood of divorce could be explained by

A) the selection effect.
B) the desacralization of marriage.
C) the pursuit of individual gratification.
D) the low socioeconomic status of couples who previously cohabited.
E) the youthfulness of individuals who cohabit and then marry.

Question 35

Many of the self-reported reasons for divorce in the U.S. and Canada (such as "fell out of love")

A) are more likely to be mentioned by senior than younger persons.
B) are given by couples who have children.
C) stem from the larger social and cultural climate of individualism and secularization of marriage.
D) are reported in all countries of the world.
E) tend to be frivolous.

Question 36

By all accounts, Joe is involved in a very happy and exciting marriage. Due to the nature of his job, Joe must attend many out-of-town conferences. At a recent conference Joe made the mistake of having an unplanned extramarital affair with a woman he met at the conference. Joe's wife found out and immediately sent Joe packing. What term best describes this kind of divorce?

A) A useless divorce.
B) An unplanned divorce.
C) An extramarital divorce.
D) A committed divorce.
E) A deviant divorce.

Question 37

Divorce tends to increase the risk of poverty for

A) women
B) men
C) only women over 65
D) .men with three or more biological children.
E) men with children under the age of five.

Question 38

Women are at greater risk of being assaulted or murdered by their former partners

A) after the second divorce. soon after a separation or divorce
B) when she is under 35 years of age.several years after a separation or divorce
C) when she has sole custody of the children.upon filing for sole custody of their children.
D) once she moves out the home she and her husband previously shared. prior to the commencement of separation or divorce.
E) as soon as she finds another husband.once one former spouse decides to remarry.

Question 39

Remarriage generally

A) increases the size of an individual's social network.
B) is a more stable situation than a first marriage.
C) lasts longer than a first marriage.
D) decreases women's economic capital.
E) include the children of both spouses from earlier marriages.

Question 40

On average, young children whose parents divorce

A) have the same outcomes as other children.
B) are at a greater risk for delinquency during adolescence.
C) do better than children who lose a parent by death.
D) are no more likely to have higher rates of emotional problems.
E) have better outcomes if they reside with the same-sex parent.

Question 41

Couples would face the highest risk of divorce if

A) regardless of parental resources, divorce has no long term effects on children. both sets of parents had marriages that lasted 30 years or more.
B) as long as children remain close to both parents, divorce has no long term effects on children.neither of their parents had married but cohabited for many years.
C) children as adults blame all of their problems on the parent's divorce. one of their parents divorced when they were an adolescent.
D) if divorce occurs during adolescence, children's lives are relatively unaffected. one of their parents divorced when they were a child.
E) emotional problems are made worse by divorce. their two sets of parents had divorced during their childhood or adolescence

Question 42

Children whose parents divorce after a _____ are more likely to divorce in adulthood than those whose _____.

A) high-conflict marriage; parents' marriage was low-conflict.
B) period of five years; parents divorced after only 1 year.
C) period of only 1 year; parents divorced after 5 years.
D) low-conflict marriage; parents' marriage was conflictual.
E) separation; parents reunited again following the separation.

Question 43

The following statement explains why people get divorced and its impact on children: "People who divorce or end a cohabitation do so because they are temperamental, conflictual, or impulsive individuals who pass on these predispositions to their children." What kind of an explanation is this?

A) Genetic.
B) Economic.
C) Causal.
D) Conflict.
E) Conditional.

Question 44

What is meant by "widowhood is a gendered stage"? It means that

A) more women than men are widowed.
B) widowed women differ from divorced women.
C) widowed women are generally older than divorced women.
D) women divorce young but are widowed in older ages.
E) women enjoy widowhood far more than men do.

Question 45

When their parents die, research suggest that children and adolescents

A) experience more difficulties than they would after a divorce.
B) fare as well as children of divorce.
C) do far better than children of divorce.
D) often have difficulty maintaining relationships as adults.
E) experience problems with remarriage and reject the stepparent.

Question 46

Remarriages are generally more unstable than first marriages in part because

A) society condemns remarriage.
B) the remarried spouses are younger on average than those who marry for the first time.
C) of structural factors such as the presence of ex-spouses and stepchildren.
D) the poor remarry more rapidly.
E) of emotional problems from previous relationships.

Question 47

Which of the following is a consequence of parental remarriage?

A) both the father and mother become emotionally distant from their stepchildren.
B) mothers become less emotionally attached to her spouse when she resides with stepchildren.
C) fathers may adopt a more lenient method of discipline with stepchildren.
D) when the father has a new child, his older children who do not reside with him are likely to experience a decrease in paternal involvement.
E) when the mother remarries she is likely to pay more attention to her stepsiblings than her biological children.

Question 48

Boys adjust better than girls to being a stepchild because

A) They benefit from the presence of the step-father more than girls.
B) They are home more often than girls.
C) They are generally less emotional than girls.
D) They are more tolerant than girls.
E) Their relationship with their mother is stronger at this in their life than is normally the case for girls.

Question 49

It is said that the social and psychological tasks of divorce directly collide with the normal expectations of parenthood. Thus, divorce

A) is generally followed by remarriage to remedy the situation.
B) prevents adults from having children.
C) creates a structural ambiguity.
D) creates a cultural ambiguity.
E) is generally considered a primary cause of social problems.

Question 50

Which measure of divorce rates is the most commonly used and which measure is the most accurate?

Question 51

Specify and briefly describe the main factors contributing to divorce.

Question 52

Briefly explain why women find more problems in their marriage and initiate divorces more often.

Question 53

Which factors complicate women's adjustment after divorce?

Question 54

Why could it be said that the changes that occur in ex-spouses social networks after divorce are gendered?

Question 55

What are some of the unique problems faced by grandparents when their children are experiencing a divorce? What kinds of problems do they experience in their ongoing relationship with their grandchildren?