Deck 14: Divorce and Repartnering

Question 1

After a divorce, women's standard of living ________, and men's standard of living ________.

A)drops dramatically; remains the same
B)drops slightly; drops slightly
C)rises; rises
D)drops dramatically; drops slightly
E)rises; drops

Answer 1

D

Question 2

With respect to physical custody:

A)most divorced families have joint physical custody arrangements
B)generally men do not seek physical custody, but when they do they win almost all of the time
C)joint physical custody arrangements are more common in families where either mothers have very high levels of education, or have not completed high school
D)compared to White men, Black men are more likely to have married the mothers of their children, so the circumstances of their custody arrangements are more planned and deliberate
E)the results of joint physical custody are not very positive for children; children find it confusing and their lives usually contain a high degree of conflict

Answer 2

C

Question 3

You are writing a term paper about the consequences of divorce for children. You know that during the initial crisis period, children faced many situations with which they must learn to cope. Which is NOT one of these?

A)handling parental conflict
B)weakened parental bonds
C)conflict with grandparents
D)coping with a reduced standard of living
E)adjusting to many transitions

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Lee has legal custody of her son after her divorce. Legal custody refers to:

A)where the child/children reside
B)who has the legal authority to make important decisions concerning the child/children
C)who is at fault for the divorce
D)sharing legal rights
E)stepfamily living arrangements

Question 5

A full-time homemaker who is divorced by her husband may be considered:

A)in poverty
B)a displaced homemaker
C)ineligible for alimony
D)part of a stepfamily
E)a new worker

Question 6

At what point(s)in U.S. history since 1940 has the divorce rate risen?

A)1945-1950; 1990-today
B)1970-1980; 1990-today
C)1940-1945; 1960-1980
D)1980-today
E)1940-1945; 1985-today

Question 7

Men and women often have different emotional adjustments after divorce, as _________ theory reminds us.

A)symbolic interaction
B)systems
C)conflict
D)functionalist
E)feminist

Question 8

The number of divorces that occur out of every 1,000 married women is referred to as the:

A)legal divorce rate
B)crude divorce rate
C)joint divorce rate
D)matrilineal divorce rate
E)refined divorce rate

Question 9

The crude divorce rate is about:

A)3)4 per 1,000 people
B)8)9 per 1,000 married women
C)13.1 per 1,000 married men
D)500 per 1,000 women
E)500 per 1,000 people

Question 10

Divorce is related to several cultural factors. Which is NOT one of them?

A)the level of socioeconomic development
B)the dominant religion
C)the level of patriarchy in society
D)the sex ratio in the population
E)women's status

Question 11

Which countries have the highest crude divorce rates in the world?

A)Scandinavian countries and the U.S.
B)Great Britain, Russia, Brazil, and the U.S.
C)South Africa and the U.S.
D)Brazil, Australia, and the U.S.
E)the U.S. and Russia

Question 12

Several micro-level factors are associated with divorce. Which is NOT one of them?

A)age at marriage
B)race and ethnicity
C)degree of similarity between spouses
D)changes in divorce laws
E)income

Question 13

Several macro-level factors are associated with divorce. Which is NOT one of these?

A)parental divorce
B)women's employment
C)changing attitudes toward divorce
D)changes in divorce laws
E)cultural norms

Question 14

Carol and Jay were married for 6 years. During this time Carol worked as a bank teller to support her husband through graduate school so that he could become a tax attorney. After the divorce she asked for some money so that she could go to college as well. This post-divorce support is called:

A)family allowance
B)post-divorce financial support
C)alimony
D)palimony
E)displaced homemaker settlement

Question 15

There are several reasons for the deleterious financial consequences of divorce for women. Which is NOT one of them?

A)Women generally retain custody of the children.
B)Lower wages are paid to women.
C)Many women have intermittent work histories.
D)Many noncustodial parents do not pay child support.
E)Most women do not work the first year after a divorce.

Question 16

"Wow, half of all marriages end in divorce," your friend tells you. In turn, you tell her that this figure is:

A)correct
B)dead wrong
C)misleading
D)scientific
E)useful for making international comparisons

Question 17

Which of the following best characterizes Japanese divorce, custody, and visitation laws, according to the feature box?

A)Japanese fathers rarely seek custody after a divorce because they spend so much time on the job away from home.
B)Japanese laws ignore the rights of noncustodial parents to see their children after a divorce because child visitation is not a legal right.
C)Joint custody is mandatory, and divorced mothers and fathers are expected to care for their child equally.
D)Japanese law forbids divorce; families must petition the court to have their marriage taken off the records and they need a minimum of seven nonfamily members to support their petition in writing.
E)Grandparents often get custody after a divorce.

Question 18

According to the opening vignette of Chapter 14, grandparents who have divorced, compared to those who have not divorced:

A)engage in more shared activities with granddaughters, but not with grandsons
B)have less contact with, and are not as close to, their grandchildren
C)see their grandchildren more often
D)have less conflict with their grandchildren
E)have greater conflict with granddaughters, but not with grandsons

Question 19

Why are grandparents who have divorced less involved with their grandchildren, according to research presented in the opening vignette of Chapter 14?

A)They don't like being part of a family.
B)They are prone to conflict, and therefore their grandchildren don't want to be around them.
C)Their grandchildren are ashamed of them.
D)They are more likely to be employed, and therefore don't have time for activities with their grandchildren.
E)They have weaker bonds to their own adult children, which may affect visitation.

Question 20

The crude divorce rate is:

A)that half of all marriages end in divorce
B)the frequency of divorce per 1,000 married women
C)the frequency of divorce per 1,000 people
D)the frequency of divorce per 1,000 married men
E)longitudinal

Question 21

Second and subsequent marriages are ___________ to end in divorce as compared to first marriages.

A)more
B)less
C)equally likely

Question 22

Generally speaking, are children better off when their unhappily married parents remain married, or are children better off when their parents divorce?

A)remain married
B)get divorced
C)get divorced for sons, but remain married for daughters
D)get divorced for Whites, but remain married for Blacks
E)remain married in low-conflict marriages, but get divorced in high-conflict marriages

Question 23

The U.S. and Russia have the highest divorce rates in the world.

Question 24

Individuals whose parents have divorced are also more likely to divorce, which is a micro-level factor influencing divorce.

Question 25

Joint physical custody used to be considered controversial, but it is no longer controversial because the research shows that time with fathers matters to child well-being.

Question 26

Japanese law disregards the rights of noncustodial parents to see their children after a divorce.

Question 27

________ are families in which one or both of the adult partners has at least one child, either residing with them or elsewhere.

A)Parents without partners
B)Joint families
C)Remarried families
D)Stepfamilies
E)Refined families

Question 28

There are several explanations for the added risk of children in stepfamilies, according to the text. Which is NOT one of them?

A)stressful transitions
B)economic deprivation
C)more limited social capital
D)parents' investment in new relationship rather than their children
E)children being teased and bullied at school

Question 29

The "stations of divorce" shows that divorce is not simply the ending of a relationship between two people; it alters or even severs many personal and legal ties.

Question 30

On average, men remarry in about __________ years, and women remarry in about __________ years.

A)3; 5
B)3; 3
C)5; 4
D)2; 2
E) 2; 7

Question 31

One of the major difficulties for children after a divorce is the transitions they experience.

Question 32

Divorce is discussed so often because the divorce rate has been rising over the last 15 years.

Question 33

Which of the following statements best characterizes the effects of divorce on children?

A)There are short-term negative effects, which mostly disappear after 2-3 years.
B)There are short-term negative effects, which mostly disappear after 5-7 years.
C)Children whose parents divorce are more likely to become pregnant or impregnate someone, drop out of school, use alcohol or drugs, and suffer from depression.
D)Almost all of the negative outcomes associated with divorce disappear after controlling for such factors as race, sex, and mother's level of education.
E)Marital conflict appears to erode children's emotional bonds with their fathers, whereas divorce and marital conflict erode children's emotional bonds with mothers.

Question 34

Which is true regarding initiatives to limit divorce?

A)An increasing number of Americans believe that society would be better off if divorce were harder to get.
B)About two-thirds of Americans believe that parents ought to stay together if they have children.
C)Fifteen states offer covenant marriage.
D)Less than one-quarter of Americans believe that premarital counseling is important to making a marriage successful.
E)About half of the states have eliminated the provision of no-fault divorce.

Question 35

You heard on the news last night that half of all marriages end in divorce. Wow! That is the crude divorce rate.

Question 36

You heard a rumor that there are 3.4 divorces for every 1,000 Americans. This statistic is the refined divorce rate.

Question 37

According to the Census Bureau, only about 54 percent of custodial parents that have some type of agreement or court award establishing child support from the noncustodial parent.

Question 38

Which of the following is true with respect to stepfamilies?

A)Children in stepfamilies do nearly as well as children in biological two-parent families.
B)Remarriage and stepfamilies are usually seen as positive events by children.
C)Stepfamilies have been called a "normless norm" because they are very common, yet the expectations, obligations, and rules are vague and confusing.
D)Children in stepfamilies tend to earn lower grades in school than children from two-parent biological families, but there are no differences in rates of depression or emotional problems.
E)Remarriage involves many stressful changes and potential conflicts for children, but far fewer for the adults.

Question 39

Beginning in 1977, states began to amend their laws so that couples can claim that they have irreconcilable differences rather than blame one another, which is called a normless divorce.

Question 40

There are several reasons that men remarry more quickly than do women. Which is NOT one reason?

A)Men are able to initiate contact more easily.
B)Women are more suspicious of marriage.
C)There is a double standard of aging.
D)The pool of eligibles is larger for men than it is for women.
E)Women are more likely to have children living with them.

Question 41

About 17 percent of families and courts are deciding on joint physical custody for children, meaning ________.

Question 42

A crude divorce rate is measured as ________, while a refined divorce rate is measured as ________.

Question 43

There are four (4)reasons why men are more likely to remarry and do so more quickly: ________.

Question 44

The four (4)types of alimony include ________.

Question 45

The four (4)macro-level factors that may affect divorce rates in the U.S. are ________.

Question 46

Cross-culturally, divorce rates are related to at least three (3)factors discussed in your text: ________.

Question 47

Stepfamilies are a type of family in which one or both of the adult partners have at least one child either residing with them or elsewhere.

Question 48

In what two (2)periods have divorce rates peaked in the U.S. since 1940?

Question 49

It is virtually always better for children if parents remain married than if they divorce.

Question 50

What are the requirements for covenant marriage?

Question 51

List the stations of divorce.

Question 52

When might children do better if their parents stay married, and when might children do better if their parents divorce?

Question 53

Stepfamilies have been called a "normless norm," meaning ________.

Question 54

On average, children in stepfamilies tend to fare as well as do children who are raised in their two-parent biological family.

Question 55

If many Americans believe that society would be better off if divorce were harder to get, what laws, policies, or suggestions do they have to reduce divorce?

Question 56

The difference between a stepsibling and a half-sibling is ________.

Question 57

Children whose parents have divorced are more likely to drop out of school and experience more behavioral problems than do children whose parents have not divorced.

Question 58

Crude and refined divorce rates are cross-sectional, which means ________.

Question 59

What are the four (4)explanations for why children living in stepfamilies are more likely to have negative academic and socio-emotional outcomes?

Question 60

Describe and give an example of the three factors that may affect the rate of divorce in different countries around the world.

Question 61

List the macro and micro factors associated with divorce. Choose one micro and one macro issue to discuss in depth.

Question 62

Write an essay about repartnering and remarriage. Be sure to discuss sex differences and explain the reasons for these differences.

Question 63

List the stations of divorce and describe one in depth.

Question 64

How common are stepfamilies? What are the challenges that stepfamilies face? Be sure to discuss how children fare and why.

Question 65

Describe the historical trends in divorce in the U.S., and describe the macro-level factors that may contribute to these rates.

Question 66

Describe the short- and long-term effects of divorce on children. Should parents divorce or remain married?