Divorced mothers: Their network of friends pre- and post-divorce

Divorce, as a cardinal turning point in the individual's life, triggers waves in the social circles of those who divorce. This article presents findings of research (Kaydar, 1996) which examined the fluctuations and changes that take place in the texture of the social network¹ of divorced mothers after the divorce and as a result of the divorce. For the first time, the sub-network of friends is considered as a whole network, with all its components, unlike in previous research. The sources of the contact that led to friendship, the degrees of closeness and intensity of the relationships, the time when the relationship was formed (before marriage/during marriage/after divorce), and who formed it (the wife/husband/both) were examined. The research findings show that there are indeed changes in the social network after divorce. Among the findings are: The network of friends increases. Intensity in the relationships with the group of friends formed during the marriage period decreases. Within this group there is now more closeness and intensity in the woman's relationships with her group of friends than with the husband's group of friends or with the friends that the couple shared in common. The network of friends today includes more women than men. The intensity of the ties and the degrees of closeness are now higher with women than with men. The network today comprises more “unmarried” (single/divorced/widowed) women and men or individual singles “of married status” (in other words, the relationship has been maintained with that married individual and not with both members of the couple) and the intensity of the contacts with them today is higher than with married friends. The network of friends today includes more friends with whom the friendship originated in “workplace,” “studies,” “a shared event,” and a “club,” in comparison with the period of the marriage.