Post-Divorce Experiences in Jordan: A Phenomenological Perspective

Authors

  • Husein M. Alothman University of Sharjah
  • Mohammed Al-Hourani University of Sharjah

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31973/aj.v2i126.45

Keywords:

Divorce, post-divorce experience, phenomenology, Jordan.

Abstract

This study analyzes the post-divorce experiences of a sample of 50 Jordanian divorced participants. Qualitative and exploratory results are similar to the results of other studies that were conducted in certain western cultures. Similar issues included modern reasons for exiting a marriage, men's experiences of losing children and women's poor financial circumstances. Despite changes in the structure and function of the Jordanian family, post-divorce experiences continue to be influenced by the major factors of a traditional gender culture regarding the traditional reasons to exit marriage, with women retaining custody of children when they do not remarry and failure to establish cooperative custody. In addition, the results of this study reveal that progressive changes in women's choices to exit their marriages to better themselves. The study also sheds light on the perception of violence against married women as a reason for exiting marriage and family support to minimize the negative effects of divorce on women with a concurrent realization of the stigmatization of society toward divorced women. Nevertheless, additional research on this topic is needed to significantly add to our understanding of these phenomena

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

  • Husein M. Alothman, University of Sharjah

    Acting Dean of College of Arts,

    Humanities and Social Sciences,

    Sociology Department

References

Albertini, Marco, and Anna Garriga. 2011. The effect of divorce on parent–child contacts. European Societies 13: 257–278.

Alothman, Husein. 2010. The causes of divorce and its relationship with some variables. The Journal of Sharjah University for Human and Social Sciences 7: 357–393.

Alothman, Husein. 2010a. some variables affecting the cohesion of the Jordanian family. King Saud University Journal (Arts) 22(1): 203-238.

Alothman, Husein. 2012. Modernization and dependency in the Arab World's human development: Jordan as a case study. European Journal of Social Sciences 29(2):260-269.

Amato, Paul R. 2000. The consequences of divorce for adults and children. Journal of Marriage and Family 62: 1269–1287.

Amato, Paul R. 2014. The consequences of divorce for adults and children: An update. Journal of General social Issues 23: 5–24.

Amato, Paul R., and Joan G. Gilbreth. 1999. Nonresident fathers and children's well-being: A meta-analysis. Journal of Marriage and Family 61: 557–573.

Amato, Paul R., and J. Sobolewski. 2004. The effects of divorce on fathers and children nonridential fathers and stepfathers. In The role of the father in child development, ed. Michael E. Lamb, 341-367. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, In 3:561-573.c.

Amato, Paul R., and D. Previti. 2003. Why stay married?: Rewards, barriers, and marital stability. Journal of Marriage and Family 3:561-573.

Bair, Deirdre. 2007. Calling it quits: Late-life divorce and starting over. New York: Random House.

Barakat, Halim. 2000. Contemporary Arab society: Exploratory social search. Beirut: Center for Arab Unity Studies.

Baum, Nehami. 2003. Divorce process variables and the co-parental relationship and parental role fulfillment of divorced parents. Family Process 42: 117–131.

Booth, Alan, and Paul R. Amato. 2004. Parental pre-divorce relations and offspring post-divorce well-being. Journal of Marriage and Family 63: 197–212.

Chang, Janet. 2003. Self-reported reasons for divorce and correlates of psychological well-being among divorced korean immigrant women. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage 40: 111–128.

Cherlin, Andrew J. 2009. The marriage-go-round: The state of marriage and the family in America today. New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

Cohen, Orna, and Rivka Savaya. 1997. "Broken glass": The divorced woman in Moslem Arab society in Israel. Family Process 36: 225–245.

Cohen, Orna, and Rivka Savaya. 2003a. Adjustment to divorce: A preliminary study among Muslim Arab citizens of Israel. Family Process 42: 269–290.

Cohen, Orna, and Rivka Savaya. 2003b. Reasons for divorce among Muslim Arabs in Israel an exploratory study. European Societies 5: 303–325.

Coontz, Stephanie. 2005. Marriage, a history: From obedience to intimacy, or how love conquered marriage. New York: Viking.

Creswell, John. 2007. Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches, (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

De Gaaf, P.M and M. Kalmijn. 2006. Divorce motives in a period of rising divorce: evidence from a Dutch life-history survey. Journal of Family Issues 27(4):483-505.

De Vaus, David, Matthew Gray, Lixia Qu, and David Stanton. 2014. The economic consequences of divorce in Australia. International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family 28: 26–47.

Department of Statistics. 2013. Statistical yearbook of Jordan. Amman: Department of Statistics.

Dudley, James R. 1991. Increasing our understanding of divorced fathers who have infrequent contact with their children. Family Relations 40: 279–285.

Dunn, Judy. 2004. Children's relationships with their nonresident fathers. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 45: 659–671.

Gadalla, Tahany M. 2009. Impact of marital dissolution on men's and women's incomes: A longitudinal study. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage 50: 55–65.

Ghazwi, Fhmy. 2004. Social and economic causes of divorce from the perspective of divorced persons in Irbid Governorate. Journal of Human and Social Studies Series34: 68–83.

Giorgi, Amedeo. 2005. The phenomenological movement and research in the human sciences. Nursing Science Quarterly 18: 75–82.

Gray, Matthew, and Bruce Chapman. 2007. Relationship breakdown and the economic welfare of Australian mothers and their children. Australian Journal of Labour Economics 10: 253–277.

Haffey, and P. Cohen. 1992. Treating issues for divorcing women. Families in Society 73: 142–148.

Haj-Yahia, Muhammad M. 1995. Toward culturally sensitive intervention with Arab families in Israel. Contemporary Family Therapy 17: 429–447.

Holt, Stephanie. 2016. ‘Quality’ contact post-separation/divorce: A review of the literature. Children and Youth Services Review 68: 92–99.

Kalmijn, Mathijs and JaapDronkers. 2015. Lean on me? The influence of parental separation and divorce on children's networks in four European countries. Journal of Family Research 27:21-42.

Kelly, J. 2006. Children's living arrangements following separation and divorce: Insights from empirical and clinical research. Family Process 52: 352–362.

Kitson, Gay C., and Leslie A. Morgan. 1990. The multiple consequences of divorce: A decade review. Journal of Marriage and Family 52: 913–924.

Krumrei E, Coit C, Martin S, Fogo W and Mohoney A. 2007. Post-divorce adjustment and social relationships: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage 46:145-166.

Lopez, Kay A., and Danny G. Willis. 2004. Descriptive versus interpretive phenomenology: Their contributions to nursing knowledge. Qualitative Health Research 14: 726–735.

Majali, Kabalan, and Salim Qaisi. 2000. The causes for divorce in Karak Governorate, Jordan. Educational Research Journal 18: 173–214.

Manting, Dorien, and Anne MartheBouman. 2006. Short- and long-term economic consequences of the dissolution of marital and consensual unions. The example of the Netherlands. European Sociological Review 22: 413–429.

Mo, Li. 2016. A review of the determinants of divorce: A cross-national perspective. International Journal of Sociology of the Family 42: 29–47.

Moustakas, Clark. 1994. Phenomenological research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Ongaro, Fausta; Mazzuco, Stefano and Meggiolaro, Silvia. 2009. Economic consequences of union dissolution in Italy: Findings from European Community Household Panel. Eur J Population 25:45-65.Savaya, Rivka and Orna Cohen. 2003. Perception of the societal image of Muslim Arab divorced men and women in Israel. Journal of Social and Personal relationships 20(2):193-202.

Scott, Mindy E., Alan Booth, Valarie King, and David R. Johnson. 2007. Post-divorce father-adolescent closeness. Journal of Marriage and Family 69: 1194–1209.

Sobolewski, Juliana M, and Valarie King. 2005. The importance of the co-parental relationship for nonresident fathers’ ties to children. Journal of Marriage and Family 67: 1196–1212.

Stephens, Linda S. 1996. Will Johnny see daddy this week? An empirical test of three theoretical perspectives of post-divorce contact. Journal of Family Issues17: 466–494.

United Nations. 2016. Demographic yearbook. New York: United Nations.

Whiteside MF and BJ Becker. 2000. Parental factors and the young children's post-divorce adjustment: A meta-analysis with implications for parenting arrangements. Journal Family Psychology 14:5-26.

Published

2018-09-15

How to Cite

Alothman, H. M., & Al-Hourani, M. (2018). Post-Divorce Experiences in Jordan: A Phenomenological Perspective. Al-Adab Journal, 2(126), 31-52. https://doi.org/10.31973/aj.v2i126.45

Publication Dates

Similar Articles

1-10 of 140

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.