Popular+articles

"Divorce in America: Overview." //Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society//. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. http://issues.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/1075582?cid=41&terms=divorce

ABC-CLIO is a professional reference source used for students, teachers, and librarians of all ages endorsed by our own Springfield Township Library. This particular source, entitled "Divorce in America" is an overview of the issues surrounding the breakdown of a marriage. Since it's an overview, this article was most likely intended for a broad audience looking for a non-specific breakdown on the basics of what a divorce entales. Throughout time, divorce has evolved with cultural, moral, and legal trends around the world. The author maps the development of divorce over the centuries. Particularly, the article focuses mainly on divorce in America; although, it does say that divorce in foriegn countries is easier and more private. According to the article, United States divorce policies developed from those of Great Britain. Some of the evidence provided includes information about the basic frame of what is now called a "fault divorce" was established from policies in GB, as back then, divorce was granted "on the basis of one party's wrongdoing - such as desertion, adultery, or severe cruelty" ("Divorce in America"). Also, some general current statistics are included. For example, the likelihood that a marriage will result in seperation or divorce in the span of five years or less is now about 20% ("Divorce in America"). Although the article does not include information about divorce's effects, it provides a clear, logical, and well-researched response about the history of divorce.

Singh, Melvinder. "Divorce and the Media." Editorial. //DivorceMag//. N.p., 2011. Web. 29 May 2011. .

Divorce Magazine's mission is to give people going through a divorce an outlet for their woes. As written on their website, they hope to "empower and enable people to move forward in their lives. We encourage individuals going through separation and divorce, and those serving this market, to make the process humane, civilized, and compassionate." While the website might have some useful information, Divorce Magazine is more of a pop culture site than a place of scholarly news.  An editorial, written by Melvinder Singh, talks about the popularity of divorce as a topic in today's pop culture. Television programs and movies depict scenes of break-ups. For example, the Divorce Court allows couples to a chance to expose their private lives to the world as Judge Mablean Ephraim executes their divorces. The article also talks about the latest phenomenon in post-divorce announcements: a divorce party. Companies like Comm Public Relations offer the chance for a final hoorah in which the divorcee can participate in activities including a break-up cake, "mind-eraser" shots, and spousal photo shredding.

Luscombe, Belinda. "Are Marriage Statistics Divorced from Reality?" //Time// //Magazine//. N.p., 24 May 2010. Web. 31 May 2011. .

Belinda Lescombe is editor-at-large for //Time Magazine//. She has been a frequent contributor to the magazine since 1995. She has also written for //The New York Times//, //Vogue//, //Who Weekly// (Austrailia), and //South China Morning Post//. This particular article seeks to challenge the statistics about divorce and is intended for the general public. For a long time, the popular statistic that fifty percent of marriages end in divorce has circulated the United States. Lescombe’s article makes the distinction that the divorce rate cannot be made into such a genetic statistic. Instead, she breaks the population up into groups. For example, a higher rate of college graduates that married after receiving their degree stayed together compared to graduates who married before their 26th birthday. 81% compared to 65% who married before their 26th were still married twenty years later. This article is logical and clear, but fairly short for the topic at hand. More factual information comparing ages and other factors could have given the article more to talk about. Nevertheless, the article challenged an overly-used statistic and inspired other questions like what factors age, education, and race may have on a marriage.