DIVORCE IN GHANA

THE MAJOR CAUSES OF DIVORCE IN GHANA

 

From the past to present, people all over the world have been determined to live together. Nevertheless, some couples are unable to maintain their relationship; therefore they choose divorce, which is one of the solutions to cope with problems between husband and wife. Furthermore, most people think carefully before they get married. However, the divorce rates trend continually increase nowadays, thus it might be argued that divorces have taken place easier than the past. There are three main causes of divorce: changing woman’s roles, money or financial constraints and lack of communication, which are highlighted below.

The first significant cause of recent rise in the rates of divorce is that women completely change in roles. In the past, men have to earn whole money to afford the expense of family, whereas woman only do housework, hence women have no money leading to depend on husbands’ money. Because of these situations, it is too difficult for most women to separate from their husbands. Nonetheless, these situations entirely change nowadays. The equality between men and women in roles are very clear at the moment, thus women can work outside to earn money, while men share the household tasks such as cooking, cleaning, washing as well as caring for children. It can be clearly seen that women are independent from money as they can earn money by them to support their living cost. Accordingly, the divorce rates recently rise.

Communication is the revealing of thoughts or ideas and is an important aspect of all relationships. If effective communication is not present in a marriage, then the relationship will suffer and slowly weaken. To have an effective communication with one's spouse, one should try to be as open as possible by revealing all emotions and feelings. A result of a failed marriage could be divorce. Divorce is common because there is a lack of effective communication. Conflicts are not resolved properly and as time passes, the couple may start to have more and more disagreements about unimportant subjects. These unimportant disagreements could include arguments about preference over tissue paper brands, or putting the toilet seat down after leaving the bathroom. 

Money or aspects related to it is of course a possible cause of disagreement between couples. Married couples could squabble over such issues as shared financial responsibility, unequal financial status, undisclosed financial state, over spending and lack of financial support. Evidence suggests though that money is not always the sole or primary cause of divorce. Nonetheless, it is still a significant factor. Again, the lack of communication over financial issues is the real culprit here and not money per se.

In conclusion, divorce in Ghana can be caused by so many factors, but the major causes have been well explained above. These are changing woman’s roles, money or financial constraints and lack of communication.

 

 

 

REFERENCES

http://www.allbestarticles.com/family/legal/common-causes-of-divorce.html

www.associatedcontent.com/article/311828/the_most_frequent_cause_of_divorce.html

ezinearticles.com/?Financial-Stress-Is-the-Number-One-Cause-of-Divorce&id=729793

Normative theories of the Press

Normative theories of the press can be described as ideal views of how the media operates. It describes the political and economic system in which the media operates. The performance of the press theory talks about how the media carry out their roles and function in the given political and economic system. It also deals with the kind of conventions, genres, professional guidelines and ethical rules, which apply to what they do.

We have four major theories. These are; Authoritarian theory, Libertarian theory, Social Responsibility theory and Soviet Communist Press theory.

Authoritarian Theory

The Authoritarian Theory talks about how the media ought to perform within an authoritarian political system. In the authoritarian system the media performs according to the rules of the government. The authoritarian state system requires direct governmental control of the mass media. The media in an authoritarian system are not allowed to print or broadcast anything which could undermine the established authority. The media in an authoritarian government may go to the step of punishing anyone who questions the state ideology.

The theory has had some criticisms. These are: the government is too powerful so much that the media has no right to operate fully. The media must not go contrary to prevailing morals and political values.

The Libertarian Theory

This theory states that the press be free from all external and internal control. The publication and distribution of information should be accessible to any individual or group with a permit or license. When the press attacks the government no one must punish the press. There should be no coercion to publish anything. There should also be freedom of accessing information. The public must have access to wide diversity of opinion. Even though the press has the freedom to operate under this theory, it still has some criticism. The theory is too liberal which make people commit libel, slander and defamation and go scot free.

 

 

 

Social Responsibility Theory

This theory states that the media should accept responsibilities towards society. A situation where the media and civil society are expected to hold the elected leaders and government accountable for their actions. The theory also demands of the media to fulfill responsibilities by setting professional standards with regards to the supply of information and the truth, accuracy, objectivity and balance of their reporting. The media should avoid publicizing information that can lead to crime, violence or social disruption as well as information that can offend ethnic or religious minorities. The media should collectively represent all social groups and reflect the diversity of viewpoints and opportunity to react to them. This theory is more realistic than the Libertarian theory.

Soviet Communist Press Theory

This theory also help form the Soviet Union.  It was the main mouthpiece of the Soviet Union. It is somehow similar to the Authoritarian Theory. The theory was formed by Lenin based on the thoughts of Karl Marx and Engel. The media must act in the interest of and be controlled by the working class. The media should not be under private control. The media should be self – regulatory. The media theory aims at developing social change and economic theeeory in nation building. The theory also aims at achieving collective social freedoms instead of individual freedoms. The theory has been widely criticized by many due to its direct and powerful approach. The critics states that the theory does not allow for people to express themselves without fear. The media is not allow to criticize the government.