Some reports show that divorce costs taxpayers significant amounts of money. These reports cite higher welfare payments for single parent families. But most recent reports do not show a connection to welfare payments and divorce. But this does not mean that society is not impacted. The fact that significantly more couples are getting divorces now than they used to, shows that society will be impacted.
An impact on society is not necessarily bad. But most agree that children are negatively impacted by divorce and the children’s physical and emotional effects are not only felt by the families involved in the divorce. Children affected by divorce are in schools and men and women affected by divorce are in the workforce. Each interact with others and their emotional and physical problems necessarily effect those they interact with.
But, the most recent reports show a different effect from divorce. There is not such a great effect from costs to taxpayers but rather from a greater inequality in income. There is a rising inequality in income in the United States. The average income in the United States has stayed relatively stable, but the inequality has been rising. This is due, in a small part, to divorce.
Often, the household income of divorced parents lowers after divorce. Both are subject to higher costs and fewer resources. The lower the household income the higher the probability that the children and parents will be involved in crime. But it is important to note that divorce contributes in small part to a greater inequality in income.
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