Changing Family Patterns Flashcards
What has happened to the number of divorces overtime?
Number doubled from 1961 to 1969 and then doubled again by 1972. This upward trend continued, peaking in 1993 at 165,000.
What has happened to the number of divorces in modern society?
=> The number of divorces has fallen since 1993, to 118,000 in 2012.
=> Number of divorces are 6x higher than in 1961
=> Means that about 40% of marriages end in divorce
What has changed in regards to marriage and divorce in modern society?
=> Since the 1990s, less people are getting married since they are choosing to cohabit instead.
=> 65% of divorce petitions now come from women, whereas in 1946, only 37% came from women.
=> The main reason that a woman will file for a divorce is that her husband is behaving ‘unreasonably’.
What kinds of couples are more likely to divorce?
Couples who: marry young, procreate before marriage, and where both partners have prior marriages.
What 3 changes in the law have there been to make divorce easier?
=> Equalising the grounds for divorce between sexes
=> Widening the grounds for divorce
=> Making divorce cheaper
What are the other solutions for an unhappy marriage?
=> Desertion - A partner leaves the other but the couple remain legally married
=> Legal Separation - Court separates financial and legal affairs but the couple remain legally married; neither partner are able to re-marry
=> Empty Shell Marriage - continue to live under the same roof but only remain married in name
What is meant by the term stigma?
A negative label/shame that has been attached to something.
What is the decline in stigma?
=> Churches used to condemn divorce
=> Mitcheu and Goody say since 1960’s, there has been a decline in stigma attached to divorce
=> Divorce is now socially more acceptable and is now normalised for marital issues
What is secularisation?
=> The decline in the influence that the church holds
=> The traditional opposition from churches towards divorce carries less weight and less people are likely to be influenced by religious teachings
=> Churches have softened views on divorce
What happened to women’s financial independence?
=> Economic changes in women make them less dependent on husbands
=> Women today are more likely to be in paid work (Increased from 53% in 1971 to 67% in 2013)
=> Equal pay and anti-discrimination laws/policies to reduce pay gap
=> Girls have greater success in education
What did Allan and Crow say about women’s financial independence?
=> Argue that marriage is now less embedded within the economic system
=> Fewer family firms exist and the family is no longer a unit of production
What are feminist explanations for changing family patterns?
=> Women bear a dual burden of taking on paid work and carrying out domestic work
=> Created a new source of conflict between married couples, leading to a rise in divorce rates
What did Hochschild and Bernard say about women’s position now?
=> Hochschild - argues that home is unfavourable with work. At work, women feel valued, where as at home, men’s continued resistance to do domestic work causes conflicts
=> Bernard - women feel dissatisfied with patriarchal marriage. Bernard sees growing divorce rates as growing acceptance of feminist ideas
What is the rising expectation of marriage?
=> Ideology of romantic love and the belief that marriage should solely be based on love
=> Fletcher - higher expectations of marriage cause rising divorce rates
=> If love in the marriage dies, there’s nor point in remaining married since the marriage satisfies neither partners personal needs
What did Beck and Giddens argue about modernity and individualisation?
=> In modern society, traditional norms such as staying with the same partner for life, are losing their hold.
=> Each individual is free to pursue their own interest: individualisation thesis.
=> People feel unwilling to remain with a partner if it doesn’t deliver them personal fulfilment.
