Deck 9: Divorce and Ending Relationships

Question 1

How do we calculate the crude divorce rate?

A) the number of divorces in each year, divided by the number of marriages in the same year.
B) the number of divorces in each year, divided by the mid-year population, multiplied by 100 000.
C) the number of divorces in each year, divided by the mid-year population, multiplied by 10000.
D) the number of divorces in each year, multiplied by the mid-year population, divided by 10000.

Answer 1

the number of divorces in each year, divided by the mid-year population, multiplied by 100 000.

Question 2

Why does the crude divorce rate underestimate the actual rate?

A) It fails to account for divorces from previous years.
B) It includes children and single people in its population pool.
C) It only includes couples with children.
D) It fails to acknowledge common-law couples who separate.

Answer 2

It includes children and single people in its population pool.

Question 3

Why is a divorce rate measured by dividing the number of divorces in each year with the number of marriages in the same year misleading?

A) It overestimates the divorce risk.
B) It underestimates the actual divorce rate.
C) It includes common law separations.
D) It includes engagement break ups.

Answer 3

It overestimates the divorce risk.

Question 4

What is measured through a rolling divorce rate?

A) the number of people ever divorced as a fraction of the number of people ever married.
B) trends and fluctuations in provincial divorce rates moving from east to west
C) trends and fluctuations in annual divorce rates over 25 or more years
D) comparative divorce rates between industrialized nations

Question 5

What measurement gives the closest approximation for divorce rates?

A) One that looks at couples who married thirty years ago and what proportion of that population had since divorced.
B) One that is calculated as the number of divorces in each year and divided by the mid-year population.
C) One based on the number of divorces in each year divided by the number of marriages in that same year.
D) One that calculates the number of people in the population ever divorced as a fraction of the population ever married.

Question 6

Why are sociologists interested in calculating the divorce rate?

A) Measuring the number of divorces gives jobs to sociology graduates.
B) It helps them make and test theories about the factors that contribute to the survival and breakdown of marriage.
C) It helps them explain why so many Hollywood marriages end in divorce.
D) Measuring divorce rates helps them lobby governments for more funding for families.

Question 7

What perspective argues that divorce should be examined close to the level of the lived experience of people who divorce?

A) exo-level
B) meso-level
C) macro-level
D) micro-level

Question 8

What perspective argues that divorce should be examined at the level of societal changes?

A) exo-level
B) meso-level
C) macro-level
D) micro-level

Question 9

What perspective argues that divorce should be examined through the characteristics of people who are at a high risk of divorce?

A) exo-level
B) meso-level
C) macro-level
D) micro-level

Question 10

What perspective argues that high divorce rate reflects distress or disorganization in the general population?

A) liberal
B) conservative
C) socialist
D) feminist

Question 11

What perspective argues that divorce may not hamper a healthy family if clear social norms specify what is to happen to the husband, wife, and children after a divorce?

A) liberal
B) conservative
C) socialist
D) feminist

Question 12

What defines social disorganization?

A) the dismantling of social programs
B) a social mentality which precedes anarchy
C) a process by which government, economic practice, and community diverge
D) a breakdown in social functioning

Question 13

What defines social pathology?

A) a general sense of malaise and alienation within society
B) the consequence of social disorganization
C) a series of conditions which lead to social distress or disorganization
D) a condition which leads to social unification within a community

Question 14

Which argument about immigrants to Canada and divorce is correct?

A) Divorce is less common in the home countries of immigrants who come to Canada.
B) Immigrants to Canada tend to divorce six months of their arrival in Canada because of the stress of migration.
C) immigrants to Canada with lower than a high school education are more likely to divorce.
D) Immigrants to Canada are more likely to separate from their spouses for prolonged periods rather than divorce.

Question 15

What did Chang (2003) find when comparing South Korean immigrant and non-immigrant white women who had divorced?

A) The immigrant women divorced because of gender patriarchy and had adopted a feminist perspective upon migration.
B) The immigrant women divorced for clear reasons and the non-immigrants explanations were vague and unspecific.
C) The non-immigrant women were more likely to separate for long periods of time.
D) The immigrant women were less financially dependent on their spouses.

Question 16

What changes occurred with the onset of the Industrial Revolution?

A) People moved out of the urban areas and into rural areas to try to reconnect with their family members, thus strengthening family bonds.
B) Production moved out of the household and into factories thus separating family from work which affected the strength of family ties.
C) People began to rely less on the state for education and social security, thus families became the primary source of socialization.
D) People's lives became more complicated due to their work structures, thus making families the only source of comfort and simplicity.

Question 17

What change occurred because of the 1985 Divorce Act in Canada?

A) enlarging the "fault grounds" under which a divorce could be granted
B) upgrading them from a provincial to a federal responsibility.
C) making it unnecessary for one spouse to accept moral blame for the marriage failure
D) making them harder to get

Question 18

Upon what grounds is a no-fault divorce based?

A) an unequal division of household labour and family resources
B) the loss of emotional connections between spouses
C) the failure of one spouse to provide for the other
D) physical and/or sexual abuse by a partner

Question 19

What changes were introduced to the 1985 Divorce Act in 2002?

A) introducing the terms "custody" and "access" in divorce law
B) restricting criteria to determine the best interests of the child(ren)
C) ensuring that parents formally determine how they will fulfill their parental responsibilities
D) ensuring that parents informally determine how they will fulfill their parental responsibilities

Question 20

What percentage of marriages will end in divorce?

A) 50%
B) 33%
C) 69%
D) 49%

Question 21

Between the 2006 and 2011 Census, what happened to divorce rates?

A) They decreased.
B) They increased.
C) They remained the same.
D) They increased, then decreased.

Question 22

What may occur because of increased rates of cohabitation?

A) lower rates of divorce
B) higher rates of divorce
C) little change in current divorce rates
D) more fulfilling marriages

Question 23

What variables are correlated with high divorce risk?

A) cohabitation before marriage
B) old age at marriage
C) parental fidelity
D) first marriage

Question 24

What is likely the strongest predictor of divorce in the first five years of marriage?

A) poor communication skills
B) gender expectations
C) age at the time of marriage
D) religious similarity

Question 25

What occurs in societies where the average age at marriage is low?

A) The divorce rates are high.
B) The divorce rates are low.
C) The divorce rates are like North American countries.
D) The divorce rates decrease with age.

Question 26

What factor does adverse selectivity explain?

A) parental divorce
B) cohabitation prior to marriage
C) second marriages
D) urban living

Question 27

Which of the following statements is true about remarriage and immigrants to Canada?

A) It is less common than among the Canadian-born.
B) It is equally common in comparison to the Canadian-born.
C) It is more common than among the Canadian-born.
D) It is twice as likely to occur among the Canadian-born than among immigrants.

Question 28

What proportions of men and women marry again following a separation?

A) 25% of men and 25% of women.
B) 100% of men and 10% of women.
C) 70% of men and 58% of women.
D) 60% of men and 50% of women.

Question 29

What is true of children of divorce compared to children who lost a parent to death?

A) Compared to the general population, children who lost a parent to death are less likely to marry in adulthood.
B) Compared to the general population, children who lost a parent to death are more likely to divorce in adulthood.
C) Compared to the general population, children whose parents divorced are less likely to divorce in adulthood.
D) Compared to the general population, they have the same likelihood of marrying and divorcing as anyone else.

Question 30

Which of the following statements is true regarding families and divorce?

A) Families where children live with their biological mothers are more stable across all situations.
B) Higher divorce rates among children are a result of the conflict they saw in their families while growing rate.
C) Step parents have a strong connection with their step children.
D) With divorce, spouses are not concerned with what the ex-partner thinks.

Question 31

What is the risk of divorce for people who marry after having a child?

A) They have a high risk of divorce.
B) They have a low risk of divorce.
C) They have no risk of divorce.
D) Divorce is certain.

Question 32

What explains the curves of the divorce rate with different stages of marriage?

A) An inverted-U shape that is skewed toward the right.
B) An inverted-U shape that is skewed toward the left.
C) A U shape that is centered in the middle.
D) A U shape that is skewed toward the right.

Question 33

What stage of marriage has the lowest risk of divorce occuring?

A) first year of marriage
B) fourth year of marriage
C) seventh year of marriage
D) twentieth year of marriage

Question 34

Why might divorce be more likely for immigrants who migrate to urban centres?

A) Immigrants are exposed to the concept of 'love' marriage versus a practical arrangement and may find their relationships still satisfying.
B) People who take the risk to move are risk takers and welcome new life changes.
C) The couple may experience less stress which eases the strain on the marriage.
D) Rural, small towns make life less difficult for divorced persons and urban areas make it difficult to live life as a divorced person.

Question 35

The effect of living in an urban environment on divorce risk is confounded by which type of selectivity?

A) the crime rate in cities
B) the emphasis on work and money in cities
C) migration from rural areas into cities
D) the high population of cities relative to rural areas

Question 36

What is true for couples who practice different religions?

A) They are more likely to divorce than couples who are nonreligious.
B) They are less likely to divorce than couples who share the same religion.
C) They are more likely to divorce than couples who share the same religion.
D) They are just as likely to divorce as couples who share the same religion.

Question 37

Which statement about mesosociological variables and divorce risk is correct?

A) Couples who practice different religions are less likely to divorce.
B) Couples with no religious affiliation are least likely to divorce.
C) Divorce rates increase as socioeconomic status decreases.
D) Divorce rates increase as socioeconomic status increases.

Question 38

Which religions have the lowest risk of divorce?

A) Buddhist
B) Muslim
C) Catholic
D) Hindu

Question 39

How does religion affect the likelihood of divorce?

A) People with no religious affiliation are the least likely to divorce.
B) The less religious people are, the less likely they will opt for divorce.
C) The more religious people are, the less likely they will opt for divorce.
D) The more religious people are, the more likely they will opt for divorce.

Question 40

How does women's participation in the labour market affect the incidence of divorce?

A) For women, having a job is associated with higher divorce rates.
B) Marital happiness and well-being decreases as women's income increases which decreases divorce.
C) Women who are in the labour force are not at risk of divorce.
D) For women, having a job is associated with lowest divorce rates.

Question 41

When does a husband's income increase the likelihood of divorce?

A) When it is higher than his wife's.
B) When it is lower than his wife's.
C) When it is similar to wife's income.
D) Income has no bearing on divorce.

Question 42

What happens to divorce rates during a period of economic recession?

A) It rises due to the increase of stress on families.
B) It rises, since families that cannot be sustained financially tend to fall apart.
C) It falls, since adversity brings family members closer together.
D) It falls, due to the uncertainty of independent financial security.

Question 43

Which characteristic is associated with smooth marital adjustment and strong marital relations?

A) feminine
B) masculine
C) gender egalitarian
D) romantic

Question 44

Which of the following statements about macro sociological predictors of divorce is correct?

A) People are more likely to divorce during recessionary periods than during periods of economic prosperity.
B) People are less likely to divorce during recessionary periods than during periods of economic prosperity.
C) The lower the level of social integration, the lower the divorce rate.
D) The higher the level of social integration, the higher the divorce rate.

Question 45

Why is divorce less prevalent in a highly integrated community?

A) The consensus on social rules is weak and people defy these social rules by staying in their marriages.
B) People are more highly connected to one another which make marriages more satisfying.
C) People who divorce risk stiff punishments by the government for breaking the law.
D) People who get a divorce risk incurring social stigma for flouting social norms and altering the social fabric of the community.

Question 46

What is the relationship between divorce and economic prosperity?

A) Economic prosperity has no effect.
B) Economic prosperity increases rates of divorce.
C) Economic prosperity decreases rates of divorce.
D) Economic prosperity increases the early onset of divorce.

Question 47

Which of the following statements about the effects of divorce is correct?

A) Many spouses disagree on parenting arrangements for the non-custodial partner.
B) Most ex-partners tend to cut off all contact with former spouse.
C) Partner conflicts end with the divorce.
D) Partners' income increases after a divorce.

Question 48

Which of the following statements about the effects of divorce on men and women is correct?

A) Separated men hare less likely than married men to commit suicide.
B) Separated women are less likely than married women to commit suicide.
C) Women undergoing divorce show greater increases in rates of depression than men.
D) Women show more signs of distress after the divorce, while men show more signs of distress prior to the divorce.

Question 49

Which of the following statements explains the relationship of fathers and divorce?

A) Fathers typically withdraw contact with children following a divorce in which they are not granted custody.
B) Fathers typically withdraw contact with sons following a divorce where they are not granted custody.
C) Fathers typically withdraw contact with daughters following a divorce where they are not granted custody.
D) Some fathers become more involved with their children after divorce than before.

Question 50

Which of the following factors indicates the high cultural resistance to divorce in Italian culture?

A) the number of adult males who live with their elderly parents
B) the fact that many couples are separated
C) the high birth rate per capita
D) the influence of the roman catholic church

Question 51

What is common for non-custodial fathers?

A) divorce-related emotional satisfaction in leaving a bad relationship
B) dissatisfaction with custody, visitation, and child support arrangements
C) perceptions of fair divorce proceedings
D) establishes effective tools of conflict resolutions with the ex-wife

Question 52

Which of the following happens to men's income after a divorce?

A) It decreases, but not as much as women's income.
B) It increases because they no longer must provide for a family.
C) It decreases more than women's income does.
D) It stays the same as prior to their divorce.

Question 53

What can be more harmful to children's mental health than divorce itself?

A) The shuffling around between mothers' and fathers' separate homes.
B) The tension and turmoil leading up to the divorce.
C) The remarriage of one or both of their parents.
D) The poverty that they face in the aftermath of divorce.

Question 54

What occurs with many children who have divorced parents?

A) They marry earlier and are more open to divorce.
B) They marry later and are more open to divorce.
C) They marry earlier and are less open to divorce.
D) They marry later and are less open to divorce.

Question 55

Which of the following is true about the divorce rate in China?

A) The divorce rate has been getting lower since 2010.
B) The divorce rate is much higher in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai.
C) The divorce rate is lower in the urban centres than in the rural villages.
D) Chinese males who divorce are less likely to be well-educated.

Question 56

Which types of relationships do adult children of divorce parents have with their parents?

A) higher quality relationships with their father and lower quality relationship with their mother
B) higher quality relationship with their mother and lower quality relationship with their father
C) lower quality relationship with both their mother and father
D) higher quality relationship with both their mother and father

Question 57

What Portrie and Hill (2005) find was the impact of a mother's conflict with her former spouse on children and their stepfathers.

A) minimal
B) no
C) positive
D) negative

Question 58

What are the main problems associated with stepfamilies?

A) the number and rapidity of changes a child must make when forming a new family
B) conflict between new, unrelated siblings over personal property and parental affection
C) resent from children directed towards the new adult/authority figure
D) lingering resentment between stepparents and their ex-spouses from prior marriages

Question 59

What factors reduce the adverse effect of divorce on children?

A) a strong and clear sense that at least one parent still loves them
B) an understanding that they are to blame for the divorce
C) regular visits with the custodial parent
D) involved and caring parents

Question 60

Identify and contrast any two methods of assessing divorce rates.

Question 61

Compare conservative vs. liberal minded views of what divorce represents.

Question 62

Explain current trends among recent immigrants to Canada.

Question 63

Describe relationship between industrialization and changing divorce rates.

Question 64

Discuss changes in divorce that occurred because of the 1968 and 1985 Divorce Acts?

Question 65

Briefly distinguish the meaning of micro vs. macro level causes of divorce.

Question 66

Briefly explain any two reasons why there may be an adverse relationship between cohabitation and a greater likelihood of future marriage ending in divorce.

Question 67

Discuss experience of divorce for elderly couples.

Question 68

Briefly explain the meaning of the inverted U shape when it comes to the likelihood of divorce and the stage of marriage.

Question 69

Describe the relationship between divorce and father-child relationships.

Question 70

Based on the discussion in the text, elaborate on the potential for both negative and positive outcomes in children's well-being following the divorce of their parents.

Question 71

Identify and elaborate on any three aspects of a meso-level analysis of divorce.

Question 72

Identify and elaborate on the major effects of divorce experienced by men as opposed to women.