How The Age At Marriage Influences A Couple s Likelihood...

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE I plan to study how the age at marriage influences a couple’s likelihood of getting a divorce among married individuals in Canada. This is an important topic to consider as families are a common social unit in society and they collectively influence many aspects of social society. I hypothesize that age is an important casual factor in the likelihood of divorce as it is commonly associated with other facets of and individuals life such as experience; income; attitudes toward marriage; level of employment and various other factors highly relevant to marital success. Families are primary socializers for children and influence an individual’s status in society (Klein and White 1996). The very notion of family symbolizes a†¦show more content†¦1993:135;Klein and White 1996). Structural functionalism and conflict theory can help inform the proposed trend by examining the structures that are emphasized in a marital union (structures such as monogamy, finance, employment), and the trend between ones age and their status within these structures. Symbolic interactionism and social exchange fit this proposal, as they aid one in understanding an individual’s perspective of marriage and how/if it changes with age. This micro perspective involves deeply questions one might ask themselves including ‘what will I get out of marriage?’ or ‘how can one tell if they are emotionally/financially ready for marriage?’ The area of family studies has been studied through many theoretical lenses such as symbolic interactionism in Symbolic Interactionism and Family Studies (LaRossa et al. 1993:135). In their book, Family Theories: an Introduction, Klein and White analyze family processes through a family development framework; conflict framework and systems framework along with others (Klein and White 1996). There is vast literature on contemporary marriage and divorce trends, as well as a few that focus directly on the effects of age and marital stability. Such sources include Wilson and Smallwood’s, Age differences at Marriage and divorce