The Mechanism Leading to Divorce and the Cost of Divorce

In this paper, we focus on the mechanism leading to divorce and the cost of divorce as part of women's choices in the course of their life. As the procedure of our study, we look at a family from two different perspectives; as a group unit supported by its members and as a unit to support the courses of its members' lives. Cases of mothers and children living at homes for fatherless family were used for the analysis. During the process of divorce, an individual crisis in the life of a husband or wife leads to functional disorder of the family. This disorder then leads to a crisis in the life of his or her spouse. Sexual or emotional dysfunction can be the cause of divorce indispensably. If the roles of husband and wife are separate and inflexible, disorders of economic and child-rearing functions, which play a primary role in the husband-wife relationship, can become more serious. The formation of fatherless family is one modal type in women's possible choices for their life course after divorce. The fact that mothers bring up children almost exclusively is a result of strong mother-child relationship and of weak father-child relationship in today's families. It also means that women must shoulder dual responsibility: working for a living and bringing up children. However, at such a turning point in life as divorce, women have very few resources. Therefore, divorce makes more burdens for women in financial terms. As a support system to rear children and a stable social standing of the wife are not necessary when the roles of husband and wife are separate, such a sex role system in Japanese today's family will restrict women's choices concerning the future course of their life.