BITTER HOMES AND GARDENS - THE MEANINGS OF HOME TO FAMILIES OF DIVORCE

This article examines parents' and children's perceptions of their hou sing environments before and after a separation or divorce, as well as the role that the home itself may play in the marriage. Two phases of research were conducted. The first, exploratory research conducted at the Center for the Family in Transition in Corte Madera, California f ormed the basis for the second a study of 58 individuals in two suppor t organizations for children and parents of divorce in St. Louis, Miss ouri. Survey and interview findings revealed that while the home is ra rely the direct cause of divorce, it often exacerbates pre-existing pr oblems in the marriage. Following the divorce, some parents and childr en still have a strong emotional attachment to the home they inhabited while the marriage was intact. Moving out of this home can take a ser ious toll on many family members. For some, losing the home can cause severe grief resembling the loss of a loved one. Respondents' percepti ons about their post-divorce housing arrangements also are discussed I n sum, the physical housing environment, typically viewed as a mere ba ckdrop to everyday life, may well merit center stage. Based upon these findings, the author offers some theoretical perspectives on understa nding the meanings of the broken home, as well as some practical appli cations for planning, designing, and managing housing to better meet t he needs of families of divorce.