In times of economic crisis, Americans turn to
their families for support. If the Great Depression is any guide, we may see a
drop in our skyhigh divorce rate. But this won’t necessarily represent an
increase in happy marriages. In the long run, the Depression weakened American
families, and the current crisis will probably do the same.
We tend to
think of the Depression as a time when families pulled together to survive huge
job losses. By 1932, when nearly one-quarter of the workforce was unemployed,
the divorce rate had declined by around 25% from 1929. But this doesn’t mean
people were suddenly happier with their marriages. Rather, with incomes
decreasing and insecure jobs, unhappy couples often couldn’t afford to divorce.
They feared neither spouse could manage alone.
Today, given
the job losses of the past year, fewer unhappy couples will risk starting
separate households. Furthermore, the housing market meltdown will make it more
difficult for them to finance their separations by selling their homes.
After
financial disasters family members also tend to do whatever they can to help
each other and their communities. A 1940 book “The Unemployed Man and His
Family”, described a family in which the husband initially reacted to losing
his job “with tireless search for work.” He was always active, looking for odd
jobs to do.
The problem
is that such an impulse is hard to sustain. Across the country, many similar
families were unable to maintain the initial boost in morale(士气). For some, the hardships of life without steady work
eventually overwhelmed their attempts to keep their families together. The
divorce rate rose again during the rest of the decade as the recovery took
hold.
Millions of
American families may now be in the initial stage of their responses to the
current crisis, working together and supporting one another through the early
months of unemployment.
Today’s
economic crisis could well generate a similar number of couples whose
relationships have been irreparably(无法弥补地)ruined.
So it’s only when the economy is healthy again that we’ll begin to see just how
many broken families have been created.
1.In the initial stage, the current economic crisis is
likely to __________.
A. tear many troubled families apart
B. bring about a drop in the divorce rate
C. contribute to enduring family ties
D. cause a lot of conflicts in the family
2.In the Great Depression many unhappy couples chose
to stick together because_______.
A. starting a new family would be hard
B. they expected things would turn better
C. they wanted to better protect their kids
D. living separately would be too costly
3.In addition to job losses. What stands in the way of
unhappy couples getting a divorce?
A. Mounting family debts
B. A sense of insecurity
C. Falling housing prices
D. Difficulty in getting a loan
4.What will the current economic crisis eventually do
to some married couples?
A. It will irreparably damage their relationship
B. It will undermine their mutual understanding
C. It will help strengthen their emotional bonds
D. It will force them to pull their efforts together
5.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. The economic recovery will see a higher divorce
rate
B. Few couples can stand the test of economic
hardships
C. A stable family is the best protection against
poverty.
D. Money is the foundation of many a happy marriage
