It is commonly stated that 50% of all marriages end in divorce. PRO contends that the actual number is less than 10%.
The debate is finished. The distribution of the voting points and the winner are presented below.
After 1 vote and with 3 points ahead, the winner is...
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- 5
- Time for argument
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- Max argument characters
- 10,000
- Voting period
- One week
- Point system
- Multiple criterions
- Voting system
- Open
The divorce rate in the USA is NOT 50%. It is actually much much lower.
- It is commonly stated that 50% of all marriages end in divorce.
- The 50% statistic is false
- The actual number is less than 10%
- Lack of accurate record-keeping.
- Incredibly difficult/impossible to obtain a divorce.
- Tax codes that favour married couples leading to couples remaining married only in-name.
- Social stigma.
- Farmers – 7.63
- Podiatrists – 6.81
- Clergy – 5.61
- Optometrists – 4.01
- Agricultural Engineers – 1.78” (4)
- https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/19/health/divorce-rate-its-not-as-high-as-you-think.html
- https://www.goldbergjones-or.com/divorce/50-divorce-rate-lie/
- https://www.insider.com/what-is-the-divorce-rate-2017-2
- https://www.wf-lawyers.com/divorce-statistics-and-facts
- Were the resolution to be regarding both if the divorce rate is 50% and if the divorce rate is below 10%, the resolution would be asking two questions, both of which are effectively the same. This would make it impossible to judge. If I could prove the divorce rate is greater than 10% and my opponent proves the divorce rate is below 50%, who wins? Nobody. A debate resolution has to have one goal-post, not two.
- Pro goes out of their way to specify exactly what pro is contending (The divorce rate is below 10%). Logically, con is contending the exact opposite (The divorce rate is above 10%). They did not say "Pro is contending the divorce rate is below 10% and the commonly stated belief that half of marriages end in divorce is false." They mentioned the common saying and then completely separately asserted the primary contention of this debate.
Take the following example: If I say "It is usually hot this time of year. Today it is cold, wouldn't you agree?" It is contextually obvious that I am beginning with a fact to justify why I bothered asking the question, and then the actual question that I want to discuss follows. The question is not if you agree that it is usually hot this time of year. - The debate description states: "The divorce rate in the USA is NOT 50%. It is actually much much lower." The argument is very clearly surrounding if it is, in fact, much, much lower (lower than 10%). Not if it is merely just not 50%.
- If the resolution were to be regarding if half of all marriages do end in divorce, the wording of the resolution is unavoidably misleading due to needless specificity. Take the example of Lead-free cereal. If you saw a box of cereal that said "Lead-free," the implication is that previous/other cereals do, in fact, contain lead. For this reason, calling your cereal 'lead-free', while true, is misleading.
Similarly, you cannot say "The divorce rate is not 50%. It's below 10%." If you only want to have a debate on if the divorce rate is 50%. Needlessly specifying that it is, in your opinion, below 10% if that is irrelevant to the debate is, in this case, unavoidably misleading.
- The divorce rate in the USA (Number of couples married / number of couples divorced) is above 10% as my previous sources have proven.
- The divorce rate worldwide (same formula as previous point) is above 10% as my previous sources have proven.
- The median divorce rate country-by-country is above 10% (The number of countries with divorce rates below 10% does not constitute anywhere near a majority of the number of countries on Earth) as my previous sources have proven.
- Gaming Manager - 52.9%
- Bartender - 52.7%
- Flight Attendant - 50.5%
- Gaming Service Workers - 50.3%
- Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders - 50.1%
- It is commonly stated that 50% of all marriages end in divorce.
- The 50% statistic is false
- The actual number is less than 10%
The divorce rate in the USA is NOT 50%. It is actually much much lower.
"If credit is given and the copy/pasted sections are properly marked, it is not plagiarism. It may however fail to be a meritable argument for lack of analysis from the debater, even while doing fantastic on the sourcing. An argument composed of more than 50% of quotes is not assured to cross this line but is in clear danger of it."
- My point regarding needless specificity remains unrefuted. This argument cannot needlessly specify the 10% benchmark if it actually just wishes to discuss the common saying that 50% of marriages end in divorce.
- A debate can not have two separate sets of goal posts that are effectively the same (if the divorce rate is 50% and if the divorce rate is below 10%) because this makes it impossible to judge.
- My opponent concedes that the divorce rate is above 10%.
- My opponent has failed to prove the divorce rate is 'much lower' than 50%.
- Even if my arguments do not convince you, pro merely restating their own arguments without any analysis of what I said nor how their 3 main points relate to their ability to meet their burden of proof does nothing to rebuke any of my points.
- Even if my opponent can convince you that this debate is both regarding the 50% and 10% benchmarks, several of their arguments being mostly just quotes places the merit of those arguments on shaky ground.
- Even if my opponent can prove that their arguments stand up to scrutiny along with everything else, This debate can, at absolute best, be brought to a draw where I can prove the divorce rate is above 10% and pro can prove it is below 50%. A drawn debate favours con because of pro's inability to meet their inherent burden of proof.
PRO is new to this site and was trying to meet the “three debates rule”. In haste, as nobody was taking the original debate, PRO made a “late night change” that led to an erroneous topic.
Thus PRO might approach the three debate level soon, but hopefully with better topics.
Thank you all for your attention.
- Have dubious merit due to being composed of mostly quotes (as per the CoC).
- Do not actually refute my points nor does any analysis on my position.
- Does not actually analyze how their 3 main positions relate to pro's ability to meet their BoP.
It's a topic that relates to many people in life,
Worth considering,
But setup of debate could use improvement.
Short reason, Arguments,
less that 10% 'just wasn't managed by Pro,
Con managed more than 10%.
Sources,
Both sides sources backed their claims.
Legibility,
Both sides understandable.
Conduct,
Both were polite and finished debate.
Long reason, Arguments,
As Nyxified says,
"The actual percentage of marriages that end in divorce is irrelevant so long as I can prove that it is above 10%,"
Title and description 'can be important in a debate,
As the opponent can intentionally or unintentionally have a 'different debate, than the instigator intended.
Half of all marriages end in divorce,
Might have been a better title,
With the description describing how this is a popular saying or view by people,
Pro argues that it is more or less true,
Con argues that it is more or less false.
Is how I might have done this debate,
Not that I'm a great debater, just my thought.
'Maybe have limited divorce rate to specific region or country, if such was intention.
Round 1
prefix,
prefix' questions add to the vagueness of the debate,
Implying that Con could at the 3rd question say 11%,
And the debate go on fine from there.
Nyxified,
Notes flaws in debate structure and makes arguments placing divorce rate worldwide above 10%.
Use though, depends on the 'use I think,
Even if socially separated, people might still like to cherish 'being married,
Or appreciate financial benefits from such,
Legal divorce rate might matter if people want to believe they can always reconcile in life,
Or avoid poverty from divorce.
Round 2,
Not much to say,
prefix realizes error,
Nyxified notes that the debate setup is just difficult to change from.
Round 3,
prefix arguments are decent 'if they are arguing divorce 'need not be so high,
But when debate is claiming overall percent for 'all marriages. . .
And the percent 'required for Con is vague between 11% and 50%,
Another title might have been,
You have an automatic 50% chance of divorce when getting married.
This allowing arguments that the choices one makes, lifestyle led, leading, expecting to lead, can be influenced, can be influencing on marriage stress.
Round 4,
prefix makes an effort that 2/3 is not bad, for Pro and the three points laid out in round 1,
But,
It's a bit like getting two thirds of the way to the goal,
'Need the goal,
'Unless it was clear laid out in title and description, that voters would vote based on who verified the most of those three points.
. .
This 'can be stated in round 1,
But is 'better stated in title and description,
And as Nyxified notes throughout debate, setup 'just wasn't favorable to Pro.
Future argument is interesting,
But requires a 'will be in debate/title.
Last thoughts,
I didn't mention Nyxified Round 3, or Round 5 for either,
As it's the issue noted at the start,
Debate setup resulted in equal or greater than 11% divorce rate.
. . .
If you read this vote this far, and are able to vote on this site,
Whether for me or against me,
Consider voting on a debate I'm in,
https://www.debateart.com/debates/4497-ought-be-a-legal-right-to-dueling
How are you sure that the all married individuals are known within the human society?
The domain of a normal distribution(and therefore the student t-distribution, all of them) is infinite, BTW.
Is this about the annual divorce rate or the percentage of marriages that end in divorce? Because those are two very different numbers.
Debate has been edited based on comments.
You're the instigator.
Then let us come to an agreeable debate title, and have at it.
That still doesn’t really solve the problem about the debate question, all of pros and cons will just be survey results thrown at each other with little actual reasoning and interpretation, which isn’t really a “debate”
Would you like to suggest a better title? Perhaps "The divorce rate in the USA is actually less than 5%"?
It’s not exactly something that can be arguable… just some surveys can spit facts and tip the entire table
Even if I think it is >= 50%, I’ll still have to prove that. Given that basically every study is saying it is less than 50%, pro would be at a loss of argument here.
What do YOU think the actual rate is?
assuming a shared BOP, pro could win easily by citing some report that says divorce rate is <50%??