He divorce rate in the united states has been rising steadily since the nineteenth century. in his interview with dalton conley, andrew cherlin suggests that one of the primary reasons for this paradox of the love of marriage and the increasing divorce rate is due to

The statement that would complete this would be:

"due to the pervasive idea of individualism in America since the colonial period."

Andrew Cherlin had observed that the divorce rate has actually been steadily increasing since the nineteenth century. This was the period in which divorce started to be socially acceptable. He suggested that at the heart of this is American individualism.