What was the impact of electricy on rising divorce rates in America? 
In the past, I have seen an analysis suggesting that divorce rates
grew as women's independence was enabled by electricity.

I will pay $20.00 for references to sources that answer the question.

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 28 Jul 2005 08:38 PDT

The US began keeping fairly careful statistics on divorce beginning in
1867.  From 1867-1929, the number of divorces steadily increased, from
9,937 in 1867, to 201,468 in 1929.

In other words, the steady increase was occuring well before the
widespread introduction of electricity (beginning in the early
1900's), and continued apace even after the nation was more or less
electrified.

Electricity no doubt played some sort of role in the gorwing number of
divorces.  So did cars, trains, wars, telephones, laws, the industrial
revolution, leisure activities, economics, agitation, culture, etc etc
etc.

If you can tell us a bit more about your specific interest in
electricity -- what are you hoping to find out? -- perhaps we can pin
down our research, and answer your question.  It would help to know
what sort of analysis you've seen in the past, and where you saw it.

On the other hand, if you're interested in a more general overview of
the factors that gave rise to increasing divorce rates at the turn of
the previous century, then let us know that as well, and we'll see
what we can do.

Thanks.

pafalafa-ga

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Clarification of Question by jerryriceflash80-ga on 28 Jul 2005 09:20 PDT

In response to the clarification request, the argument goes something
like this.  Previously, if you wanted fried chicken, you had to catch,
kill, de-feather, and cook the chicken (over a fire you built).  It
took hours.  Multiply that times three meals and other tasks that took
obscenely long (such as washing clothes by hand) because they were
done without electrical aid, and it simply wasn't possible to have a
functioning house without someone to do the full time household chores
and someone to earn money so they could buy the chickens.  Modern
technology, principally electricity, reduced the time it took to
accomplish all of these tasks so that it was increasingly possible to
exist alone.  The argument was that there was a spike in the RATE of
divorce that approximated the functional rise in electricity usage.  I
saw it in an article that traced usages of electricity and the divorce
rate.  Hope this helps.

I don't know how this fee works but let me know if I need to pay more.

I don't see how electricity gave rise to women's independence...One
might argue that electricity made couples stay up later, and therefore
have more opportunity to talk and argue :)  However, many people
stayed up very late when all that was available was gas light.

Kriswrite

Kriswrite,
electricity made radio, tv and populaer film available, and made the
printing of mass market magazines etc eaier and cheaper. All of these
things are likely to have exposed more women to alternative lifestyle
choices, career aspirations and the knowledge that their lot in life
wasn't that great.
Moreover, electricity made things like washing, ironing and food
preparation less time consuming, so women would have more time to go
out and commit adultery.

You make some good points, although I think it could be easily argued
that electricity played only a minor role in emancipating women. After
all, most women did have (for example) maids or other household help,
as well as access to books...some of "dubious" nature.

Kriswrite

I sounds like your asking for specific research/studies done on the
effects of new appliances in the home on marriages/divorce rates.  The
problem is, other than the article you stated you read previously, it
is very probable not very many have done such a unique study.  I, on
the other hand, :),   am giving you two great links charting the
introduction of small appliances in the home right after electricity
was available to most of the U.S.  The anwser to your question mostly
resides in statistics of divorce rates during this time, which is, the
time "women's independence was enabled by electricity".  This is the
main site I obtained the appliance
info...http://www.greatachievements.org/?id=3768
The Divorce info is here...http://christianparty.net/divorceworld.htm
It looks like a proper timeline for what you want to know, is would be
1930 - 1950.  If you notice in the second link, the world divorce rate
is close to that of the U.S. during this time.(1930-1950).  It would
seem that, even if electricity affected the marriages in the U.S., it
affected everyone, Worldwide.

just a quick look at the timeline.

1929 Frozen Food
1903 Lightweight electric iron introduced
1905 California Gas and Electric Corporation merges with San Francisco Gas 
     and Electric to form Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
1907 First practical domestic vacuum cleaner
1909 General Electric markets the world?s first electric toaster.
1910 The first complete, self-contained electric washing machine.
1913 First electric dishwasher.
1914 The world's largest power dam, Keokuk Dam.
1916 The first power pole in Los Angeles.
1921 Early 1920?s federal legislation made it possible for cities
across the U.S. to set up municipal utilities.
1927 First garbage disposal
1938 General Electric Company and the Westinghouse Electric
Corporation      introduce the first commercial fluorescent lamps.
1952 First automatic coffeepot.
1978 First electronic sewing machine

I agree with Pafalafa that the rise in divorce in that period could be
related statistically to many things, without justifying a direct
cause-result.  I would suggest that the increase in numbers of
divorces resulted to a great extend from greater acceptance of such in
society.
"... so that it was increasingly possible to exist alone."
Electrical appliances were then still somewhat of a luxury, and
divorced women usually worse off financially.  I wonder if
industrialisation   - also through use of electricity -  gave rise to
more employment for women, thus allowing them to support themselves. 
But again, I don't believe electricity alone can be considered to be
the cause.
;-)  Maybe it was the telephone ...

The observation that the use of electricity and the divorce rate climb
together may be a simple case of a correlation that is not due to
cause and effect. Just because two features rise or fall together does
not necessarily mean that one is causing the other. In the middle of
the 19th century the sale of rum in the W. Indies rose, as did the
number of missionaries: maybe missionaries drink a lot, or drive
people to drink, but probably both are due to a third factor, the
rising population. It is often very difficult to show that one factor
is the *cause* of the other without some very careful statistical
analysis

I think you may have a "post hoc ergo propter hoc" fallacy here. 

For example, it could also be argued that electricity increased the
divorce rate, not through emancipating women from housework, but by
making women of less value to men. With the advent of the washing
machine and the microwave, they didn't need wives so much any more and
subsequently divorced them.

I'm also not sure that "housework or divorce" really sums up the
choices accurately. I am a modern woman who owns a company and does
very little housework. The washing machine and the vacuum cleaner do
indeed mean that I have to spend less time cleaning the house.
However, I am also very much married. The fact that I earn my own
money doesn't mean I no longer want my husband. I don't locate my
marriage in his wallet.

Electricity may be a contributing factor, but I don't think it is, in
itself, causal.

Of course, we are leaving out the whole "hair dryer in the bathtub" angle ... ;>

- Hammer

Hammer-ga, that is just what we have been looking for:  an example of
how increased use of electricity could have reduced the divorce rate 
- by getting rid of spouses another way.  ;-)
More suggestions?  preferably not of this nature?
Myoarin

The biggest reason for the high divorce rate is the inability of
couples to adapt to the surroundings (whether it be the advent of the
use of electricity by the masses or "other" ) and make the choice to
stay married.  Yes, this is a "duh" statement.

ilmag

well was just checkin out the comments about how electricity gave way
to TV radio and hence exposed woman to independent
ideas.............well here is a twist. TV's radios and even computers
created a race of "couch potato" males.hece quality time spend with
the wife and kids effectively deteriorated.i think that is an
alternative way to look at it,rather than heap blame on the female
generations liberty and independence, rather go in for an
introspection on the attitdes of the male race to TV radios and other
forms of mass communications...........

makes sense ??????

Electricity changed the western world from an Industrial society to an
Information society. It meant briefly that brains and brawn were
replaced by machines, and in effect, work done by men could largely be
done by women. The necessity of this was parlty created by WW2 (Rosie
the Riveter) when women were required to replace men.
Although Women's Rights claim advances by women, most of women's
emancipation would have come about anyway, as electricity raised
living standards, and oddly enough, reduced family sizes. This is
because poor families relied on children to keep the parents in old
age. Reduced family size enabled women to have more time and work
while raising a family. There is also the fact that most 'Family
Business' in Society is run by women. typically, Family courts, Family
charities, and an infrastructure of women's networks related to Family
affairs. In all, this is largely invisible, but contributes to the
increasing power of women.
Aside from this, men are becoming redundant. Electricity enables
scientists to offer various ways for women to have children without
being dependent on men. This has led to single-mothers now
outnumbering married mothers in the western world.
Another factor is that men marry partly for sex. Their sexual needs
can be gratified with pornography, which is now the largest single
industry in the world, and growing. The Internet is partly responsible
for this, and is another outcome of electricity.
Divorce is only one side of the coin. The majority of children are now
born outside of marriage, and separation of parents who cohabit is
much higher than those who are married. The growth of Mens Movements
related to separation and not seeing their children, is now worldwide
(over 400 in USA alone)and the biggest linked group of mens groups on
the Internet.
Incidentally, violent crime is growing against crime for gain. The
majority of criminals involved in violent crime come from fatherless
families.
For more information on this issue check my website www.parentalalienation.co.uk

As mentioned early on, electricity is one of the facets of technology.
 Technology is the great equalizer which allows the anyone who is
physically weaker become strong. Then you have a choice to never have
to put with that abuse anymore.  Part of the process is a divorce. 
Don,t get me wrong though, men gained in the one area (specific
knowledge) than women had the power throughout history. But another
subject.
On the lighter side, maybe in the fifties electricity gave women time
to think about biggest mistake they ever made as a group at the end of
the WW ll.  That is hand over the Jobs, power, money and everything
else to men so they could stay home.  I can understand why the women
in Afghanistan handed the jobs over after their war, they were beaten
and threatened at gunpoint.  But American women were not threatened. 
Not only they gave up all that equality that was handed to them while
the boys went to war , they realized getting it back is a harder road
since the men think women want  to stay home because they eagerly quit
the jobs and stayed home.  One own frustration can lead to divorces.