Causes of Divorce and its Effects on Children’s Wellbeing in Yeka Sub-City, Addis Ababa
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Date
2015-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The main objective of this study was to assess the major causes of divorce and its effects on
children’s wellbeing at Wereda 1 and Wereda 8, in Yeka sub-city. The negative impacts of divorce
on children wellbeing in terms of economic, social, psychological and emotional were
investigated through children questionnaire and interviewing their custodial parents. In the
process of selection of sampling sites and target population different sampling methods were
employed. Random sampling was used to select sampling weredas and sub-city because all subcities
and weredas are assumed to be having similar attribute in the case of divorce experience.
Wereda 1 & wereda 8 were taken randomly among 13 weredas of Yeka sub-city. The target
population (parental divorced children including their custodies) was selected purposively and
snowballing sampling methods. To get the relevant data for this study the data obtained from both
primary and secondary sources and employed both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
Qualitative approach enabled to deeply explore the topic and present the findings from
participant experiences and their perception. This approach hold in-depth interview (IDI), focus
group discussion (FGD), case history and key informant interview (KII) to collect the necessary
data from target population. To explore the actual experiences and perceptions of parental
divorced children the data was collected through quantitatively based on structured
questionnaire. The result showed as many different and complex causes and reasons for divorce.
Generally, economic, social, psychological and emotional problems were taken as major causes
of divorce. Failure of husbands’ giving money for household expenditure and the interest of a
marriage partners to access and control over the other couple’s property could be mentioned
among economic causes of divorce. On regards to social cause of divorce, post-marriage living
arrangement and relative interference, family marital background, cultural and religious
differences are the major one. From the psychological cause of divorce, high expectation about
socio-economic success and spouse’s behavior before entering in to marriage was mentioned as a
cause of divorce. Some marriage partner had a rosy dream before marriage but they faced a hard
reality after marriage Economic, social, psychological and emotional effects of divorce have a
great impact on children’s wellbeing. Economically children are suffered from unable to get
basic needs like adequate food, clothing and educational support. Because some of the children
unable to get alimony from non-custodial parents to cover basic expenses. The primary social
effect of divorce is included a decline of child-parent relationship, when children received less
attention and emotional support from parents. Academic performances and schooling quality also
affected because of parents’ divorce. Parental divorced children suffered from different
psychological problems like: depress, upset, anger, frustration, loss of confidence, and generally
they were not happy and dissatisfied with both parents’ support and care. Regardless of its wide range occurrence, divorce has not given attention by the nation and other concerned bodies.
Therefore the society should prevent the prevalence of divorce and ensuring its proper adjustment through changing the social environment in connection to marriage stability.
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Geography and Environmental Studies