One consequence of this self-centeredness is an unprecedented rapid increase in the divorce rate. Not all marriages are salvageable and not all divorces are unwise or a sign of moral failure. However, there are social consequences when marriages collapse. The losers in divorce, of course, are generally children who are in many cases deprived of parental guidance and love. Unfortunately, payback may be looming.
Children learn from their parents.
Sometimes these lessons are unintended ones. The children of divorced parents offer far less care for their aging parents than other children. Parents who were married several times receive less aid and care from adult children than parents who were only married once. Fathers, especially non-custodial fathers whose familial ties to offspring can be severely attenuated, fare the least well. Aged, but undivorced parents, are more likely to live with and be cared for by children than divorced parents.