In the Jewish world, there is a huge stress on family life. There really is no comparison to the secular world in which single parents are the norm. In my secular college, out of 30 classmates we had only 2 married. There were perhaps around 5 of us without kids. Comparing that with both my Jewish classes, I only know of 1 divorce out of 60 girls my age.
About the Get, it isn’t so easy for the man if the woman refuses the Get. Yes, it is worse for the woman, but don’t forget the men either. The reason is that we’re not supposed to divorce peoples. Maybe we need to stress how important a decision it is to marry.
Despite our lesser percentage of divorces, it’s still too many
I think it may be from too much pressure for kids to get married young. Why does everyone have to scare the singles with, “you’re not getting any younger?” The moment I left high school people were asking me about dating. I know they did it with good intentions, but the pressure this puts on any single is enormous. It’s no wonder that under this pressure, along with an unfamiliar world of hormones for the single who grew up in a gender separate world, that too many are jumping into marriage too fast, too soon.
There are cases of abuse. This happens, and when it’s escalated past a certain point, divorce is the only option. However, maybe we also need to highlight what abuse is. So our young couples can learn to recognize the signs. There are many preventative measures that could be taken even before marriage. As a family oriented society, we have an advantage in preventing abuse with social awareness. Let’s use it!