changing family patterns

Question 1

divorce:

• 1857
• 1923
• 1949
• 1984
• 2004
• 2014

Answer 1

• men could divorce women
• grounds for divorce equalised
• more affordable
• wait was only 12 months instead of 3 years
• civil partnership act
• same sex marriages

Question 2

what is desertion?

Answer 2

one partner leaves the other but are still legally married

Question 3

what is legal separation?

Answer 3

a court separates financially and legal affairs of a couple and remain married

Question 4

what is empty shell marriage?

Answer 4

couples continue to remain under same roof but still married in name only

Question 5

what is stigma?

Answer 5

this refers to the negative look that society disapproves of

divorce is now more socially acceptable; therefore, more people are willing to resort to divorce

Question 6

what is secularisation?

Answer 6

this is the loss of influence in religion

Question 7

what does fletcher believe?

Answer 7

argues people put too much expectation on marriage causing a rise in divorce rates as romantic love becomes more dominant in todays society

Question 8

examples of changes in marriage

Answer 8

fewer getting married (175,000 in 2012)
more remarriages (in 2012, a third of marriages were remarriages)
people marrying later (average age has rose by 7 years since 70s)
less likely to marry in church
less pressure and more freedom
cohabitation, staying single, children outside of marriage are now more acceptable
fear of divorce may be off-putting

Question 9

why are more people cohabiting?

Answer 9

around 2.9 million couples are cohabiting
increased career opportunities for women
young generations more likely to cohabit
(loss of religion)

Question 10

what does chester believe?

Answer 10

argues people cohabit as a part of the progression of getting married

Question 11

why is there an increase in same sex relationships?

Answer 11

estimates about 6% of adults have same sex relationships (weens = now more socially acceptable)
2014 = able to marry
weston argues many gay couples decide to cohabit

Question 12

what are LATs?

Answer 12

living apart together (classed as single)
almost 3 in 10 households contain only one person
now more socially acceptable as 20% adults see this as an ideal relationship

Question 13

why are nearly half of all children now born outside of marriage?

Answer 13

women are having less children and having them later in life due to more opportunities for themselves (such as work and higher education)
more women are remaining childless (decline in stigma)

Question 14

why are lone parents increasing?

Answer 14

increase in separation and divorce (children go to mothers)

lone families make up 22% of families (90% of these are headed by women)

Question 15

examples of ethnic differences of families

Answer 15

black families have higher proportions of lone parents
high rates of poverty and unemployment in black men lead to higher rates of relationship breakdown
mirza argues this is incorrect and is due to high values women place of relationship breakdown

Question 16

what does charles believe for the extended family?

Answer 16

that the classic three generation living together is ‘all but extinct’