changing family patterns

Question 1

State 5 reasons for the increase in divorce rates

Answer 1

(1) changes in the law- equalising the legal right reasons for divorce between the sexes, widening the grounds for divorce and making divorce cheaper (have risen with each change in the law)
(2) declining stigma and changing attitudes
(3) rising expectations of marriage
(4) secularisation- traditional opposition of divorce by the church has less weight
(5) changes to the position of women- increased financial independence, more likely to be in paid work, narrowed pay gap

Question 2

What are 3 alternative solutions to divorce?

Answer 2

-desertion- where one partner leaves the other but the couple remain legally married
-legal separation- where a court separates the financial and legal affairs of the couple but they remain married and are not free to re-marry
-‘empty shell’ marriage- where the couple continue to live under the same roof but remain married in name only

-however as divorce has become easier to obtain, these solutions have become less popular

Question 3

MITCHELL AND GOODY

Answer 3

declining stigma attached to divorce is an important change since the 1960s
-‘normalises’ divorce
-viewed as more of a misfortune than shameful so couples become more willing to resort to divorce as a way of resolving their marital problems

Question 4

RONALD FLETCHER

Answer 4

higher expectations of marriage
-less willing to tolerate an unhappy marriage
-if love dies, there is no purpose in love
-in the past, families were constructed mainly for economic reasons/ of duty to one’s family (and so were unlikely to have high expectations of marriage)

Question 5

ALLAN CROW

Answer 5

love, personal commitment and intrinsic satisfaction are now seen as the cornerstones of marriage, the absence of these feelings- justification for ending the relationship

Question 6

Functionalist’s optimistic view of marriage: Fletcher

Answer 6

-point to the continuing popularity of marriage
-most adults marry and high rate of re-marriages
-shows that although divorcees may have become dissatisfied with a particular partner, marriage has not been rejected as an institution
): feminist critique
): marriage rates have fallen recently

Question 7

Feminists view of marriage

Answer 7

-oppression of women is the main factor causing marital conflict and divorce
-functionalists fail to explain why mainly women seek divorce over men

Question 8

HOCHSCHILD

Answer 8

-for many women, the home compares unfavourably with the work, as at work, women feel more valued
-men’s resistance to housework at home makes marriage less stable.
-Both going to work leaves less time and energy to talk about issues together

Question 9

SIGLE-RUSHTON

Answer 9

working mothers > traditional breadwinning families to divorce
BUT
when the husband is involved with chores, the likelihood of divorce falls to the same levels as traditional breadwinning families

Question 10

BERNARD

Answer 10

-many women feel a growing dissatisfaction of the patriarchal marriage
-Rising divorce rate and most petitions coming from women = Feminist ideas
-More confident about rejecting patriarchal oppression

Question 11

What are 3 reasons for decreasing marriage rates?

Answer 11

-changing attitudes
-secularisation
-decline in stigma towards alternatives

Question 12

State some marriage patterns.

Answer 12

-fewer people marrying
-more re-marriages -> ‘serial monogamy’
-people marrying later
-less couples marrying in a church

Question 13

Reasons why couples may be less likely to marry in church

Answer 13

1. secularisation
2. many churches refuse to marry divorcees

Question 14

Reasons for increase in cohabitation

Answer 14

-decline in stigma, particularly among young people
-increased career opportunities for women- less need for financial security from marriage
-secularisation- more young people without a religion cohabiting than those with a religion
-some see it as a permanent alternative to marriage

Question 15

COAST

Answer 15

75% of cohabiting couples expect to marry each other
HOWEVER
others see it as a permanent alternative to marriage

Question 16

BEJIN

Answer 16

cohabitation is a conscious attempt made by some young people to create a more equal relationship, compare to the traditional patriarchal family

Question 17

Reasons for an increase in same-sex relationships

Answer 17

-changing attitudes (decline in stigma)
-social policy (accepting laws)

Question 18

Reasons for an increase in one-person households

Answer 18

-older widows
-increase in divorce and separation
-decline in numbers marrying

Question 19

Why may some couples live apart together (LATs)?

Answer 19

-May choose to remain in their own home
-Some couples may not be able to afford to live together
-may be too early to cohabit

Question 20

Reasons for the increase of LATs

Answer 20

-Increasing divorce rates from couples living together may deter them
-More flexibility with where couples can live due to declining stigma
-More women in paid work who may have jobs in different areas

Question 21

Meaning of high divorce rates to New Right

Answer 21

-high divorce rates are undesirable as it undermines marriage and traditional nuclear family which are regarded as vital to social stability
-It creates a growing underclass of welfare-dependent female lone-parents who are a burden on the state -it leaves boys without adult male role models, so they believe it is the result of poor health and educational outcomes for children

Question 22

Meaning of high divorce rates to Feminists

Answer 22

are desirable as it shows women are breaking free from oppression of the patriarchal nuclear family

Question 23

Meaning of high divorce rates to Postmodernists

Answer 23

see it as showing that individuals now have freedom to end relationships when it no longer meets their needs and they see it as a major cause of greater family diversity

Question 24

What are some patterns in childbearing?

Answer 24

-more children born out of marriage (twice as many as in 1986)
-Women having children much later
-Women having fewer children
-More women remaining childless

Question 25

CAROL SMART

Answer 25

divorce has become ‘normalised’, so the family can adapt without disintegrating
-divorce is seen as a transition

Question 26

STONEWALL

Answer 26

-estimates 5 to 7% of adults to today in Britain are in same-sex relationships
-this may not be an increase from the past, but just more people are less likely to hide these relationships

Question 27

Meaning of high divorce rates to Functionalists

Answer 27

not a threat to marriage as an institution and is simply the result of people’s higher expectations
high number of remarriages supports the continuing idea to the commitment of marriage

Question 28

Meaning of high divorce rates to Interactionists

Answer 28

MORGAN- argues that we cannot generalise about the meaning of divorce because every individual’s interpretation of it is different
MITCHELL AND GOODY-e.g. found that one person viewed the day her father left as the best day of her life while another person has never recovered from that

Question 29

DUNCAN AND PHILLIPS

Answer 29

LATs are no longer seen as abnormal

Question 30

Why are more children born outside of marriage?

Answer 30

decline in stigma and increased in cohabitation

Question 31

Why are women having children later and why are women having fewer children?

Answer 31

-Women now have more options and motherhood E.G.establishing a career first
-declining infant mortality rates
-more women remaining childless

Question 32

Lone parent family patterns

Answer 32

-90% headed by lone-mothers
-2x more likely to be in poverty
-make up 20% of all families with children

Question 33

Reasons for increase in lone-parent families

Answer 33

-increasing divorce and separation rates
-Declining marriage rates
-Increasing number of never married woman
-This is all because of a decline in stigma

Question 34

Reasons for mainly women-headed lone-head parents

Answer 34

-women by nature are suited for the more expressive/nurturing role
-Divorce courts usually give custody to mothers
-Men are less willing to give up work to care for children

Question 35

Why is it easier for women to be ‘single by choice’ now/ have children without marrying?

Answer 35

-more women in paid work-professional women are able to support the child without fathers involvement as they are less financially dependent
-there is a possibility of welfare benefits for working-class mothers

Question 36

Stepfamilies patterns

Answer 36

-10% of all families with children
-86% have at least one child from the woman’s relationship compare to 11% from the man’s

Question 37

FERRI AND SMITH

Answer 37

step families are similar to 1st families example, good info, than in childcare and rearing
BUT are as a greater risk of poverty

Question 38

ALLAN AND CROW

Answer 38

step-families have particularly high tension (contact with non-resident parent) divided loyalties

Question 39

RIBBENS-MCCARTHY ET AL

Answer 39

Step-families are diverse, and some have tensions, but others do not

Question 40

Reasons for the patterns in step-families

Answer 40

-lone-parents form new partnerships as there is an increase in lone-parents, divorce and separation
-more from women’s relationship as children or more likely to remain with the mother
-Greater at risk from poverty as more children from a previous relationships and supporting children from previous relationships
-Tensions due to the lack of clear social norms on how to behave in such families

Question 41

Personal life perspective of marriage

Answer 41

accepts that divorce can cause problems such as financial difficulties and a lack of daily contact between children and non-resident parents
BUT
SMART