Changing Family Patterns

Question 1

What are the patterns

Answer 1

-divorce
-marriage
-cohabitation
-same-sex relationships
-one-person households
-childbearing
-lone-parent families
-step families
-ethnicity
-extneded family

Question 2

1.Divorce and the family
Stats

Answer 2

Since 1960s Divorce rates have continued to increase- to now where around 40% of marriages end in divorce. And 7/10 of divorce applications come from women.

Question 3

1.Divorce and the family
Reasons for rise in r
Divorce

Answer 3

Changes in the law- Made it easier and cheaper to file for a divorce
Matrimonial causes act- gave men and women equal rights for grounds for divorce, before women couldn’t really file for divorce only men could. This allowed either partner to divorce on grounds of adultery.

1969 divorce reform act- led to a massive increase in divorces as people no longer had to provide fault with the other as a ground for divide.
Making divorce cheaper, has made it more accessible to people of all classes.

Question 4

1.Divorce and the family
Reasons for rise in Divorce - changing laws

Answer 4

Changes in the law- Made it easier and cheaper to file for a divorce
Matrimonial causes act- gave men and women equal rights for grounds for divorce, before women couldn’t really file for divorce only men could. This allowed either partner to divorce on grounds of adultery.

1969 divorce reform act- led to a massive increase in divorces as people no longer had to provide fault with the other as a ground for divide.
Making divorce cheaper, has made it more accessible to people of all classes.

Question 5

1.Divorce and the family -Reasons for rise in Divorce
Changing attitudes and declining stigma

Answer 5

There is less stigma from others to those who choose to divorce. It is now socially excepted and often seen as the norm in modern society. So people look to divorce more easily instead of working through their marital problems as it’s accepted in today’s society.

❌- most couples stay together and raise their kids in one family.

Question 6

1.Divorce and the family -Reasons for rise in Divorce
-change in women role

Answer 6

The status of women has massively improved, more women work and are financially independent so many no longer reply on men for financial security, which gives more women thee freedom to divorce as they can provide for themselves.
Als, welfare benefits that even if women are financially dependent on their husbands they will still be able to divorce them and survive on their own.

Question 7

1.Divorce and the family -Reasons for rise in Divorce
-role conflict

Answer 7

More women working however they’re also expected to be responsible for domestic labour and childcare and this causes conflict between the spouses as there is a contradiction between the women’s traditional housewife role and her role as a wage earner.

Question 8

1.Divorce and the family
Feminist and new right perspective on divorce

Answer 8

Feminists- The great liberator as it allows women to separate from marriages they’re not satisfied with eg get away from domestic abuse.

The new right- negative consequences of divorce for both the individual and society.
Economic consequences- rise in single-parent families means there will be a strain on the state as most single parents rely on state welfare to survive.
Emotional and behavioural consequences- have a negative effect on kids’ social and emotional development eg boys have no male role model to guide them in their moral behaviour. This leads to deviant behaviour and underachievement in school

Question 9

2. Changes in Marriage
   Stats

Answer 9

decline of marriages since the 1970s
Increase in amount of remarriage’s
People marrying later

Question 10

2. Changes in Marriages- reasons for changes in marriage patterns
   -why are women are getting married later

Answer 10

Changes in the position and ambition of women
-many women are now financially independent from men because of better education and better career opportunities. This gives them greater freedom to not marry and work on building themselves and their careers which means they put marriage and starting a family after building their careers. These changing ambitions of women have led to them getting married later.

Question 11

2. Changes in Marriages- reasons for changes in marriage patterns
   Declining stigma

Answer 11

cohabitation, being single, having babies outside marriage are now all acceptable. There is less importance placed on getting married today and people are choosing cohabitation as an acceptable long-term. Alternative to it.

Question 12

2. Changes in Marriages- reasons for changes in marriage patterns
   -the decline of religious influence

Answer 12

The church used to have massive influence over society and it would have been a sin to have kids outside of marriage and collaborate. However, because of the decrease in the church’s influence, people no longer feel the pressure to marry and aren’t shamed into doing so. People have greater freedom and choice of what relationship they have.

Question 13

2. Changes in Marriages-
   Theoretical views of the decline in marriage

Answer 13

Feminism- cohabitation is a positive thing and opens up greater freedom and choices for women.

New right- critical of any other family type other than the traditional nuclear family so they see cohabitation and diverse family types as wrong. They argue cohabitation provides a less stable and secure basis than marriage for partners and children. Shown in a study that found cohabitated couples are less happy and fulfilled and more likely to be abusive and cheat than married couples.

Postmodernist- we live in a time where there is no ‘best’ type of family and there are no agreed norms and values directing family. There is much more diversity and acceptance of all families.

Question 14

3. changing patterns in cohabitation
   What is cohabitation

Answer 14

Unmarried couple in a sexual relationship living together.
The amount of cohabitating couples is constantly rising

Question 15

3. changing patterns in cohabitation
   Reasons for the increase

Answer 15

-declined stigma attached to sex outside marriage
-changing social attitudes- younger people were more likely to cohabitate 88% thought it was acceptable whilst only 40% of older people though it was acceptable.
-Increasing career opportunities means women are financially more stable so don’t rely on marriage for financial security, and can cohabitate.
-declining securitization the importance of, marriage and condemnation of cohabitation has declined, this us shown by the fact only 1/3 of marriages involve a religious ceremony, showing the influence of the church has lessened so people are more free to cohabitate.

Question 16

The relationship between cohabitation and marriages

Answer 16

For some cohabitation is a step to marriage as 75% of cohabitating couples expect to be married but for others it’s a permanent alternative from marriage.
Many see it as a trail marriage
-ones who take it as an alternative may do so as they see the traditional marriage as patriarchal, this is supported by a study that shows cohabitating women do less housewoek than married women.

Question 17

4- changes in same sex relationship patterns

Answer 17

Increase in same-sex relationships
This is because of increased social acceptance of homosexual relationships
In the past homosexual acts were criminalised so people couldn’t be openly gay or collaborate.
2014- same sex marriage legalized
1960s- decriminalised gay acts

Question 18

5- changing patterns in one/single person households
Reason for the increase in people living alone

Answer 18

Fewer people today are living in couples, big rise in people living alone.
1-Increase in speration and divorce has created one-person households, especially men as children are more likely to live with their mothers,
2- the decline in marriage and people marrying later, mean more people are remaining single
3- new technology allows people to maintain relationships whilst living apart as they have ways of communicating and staying close.
4- people don’t want to risk ruining their relationships if they have in the past and want to maintain their personal space and independence

Question 19

5- changing patterns in one/single person households
Reason for the increase in people living alone
What does living alone together mean

Answer 19

1/10 adults are living alone together (LATs) so they’re in a relationship but not married or cohabitating. Shows families of choice.
This could be because they want to keel their own homes or they can’t afford to.
-positive attitudes towards believe people don’t need tolkve together to have a strong relationship.
-the

Question 20

6- changing patterns in child-bearing
The patterns

Answer 20

-4/10 kids are born outside marriage
-women having children later now around 30
-having fewer children
-more women remaining childless

Question 21

6- changing patterns in child-bearing
Reasons for these changes

Answer 21

Decline I’m stigma and increase in cohabitation. It’s no longer looked down upon to have kids outside of marriage and it’s more accepted.

Cause women are having kids at younger ages they’re having fewer of them so family sizes are decreasing and the fact more women are remaining childless show that women have more choice than motherhood, many are aiming to established their career before having a family.

Question 22

7- lone parent families

Answer 22

Lone parent families make up t 24% of all families
1/4 children live in lone parent families
Child in lone parent family 2x more likely to live in poverty
90% of them are women.

-women more likely given custody
-father more likely to abandon mother
-women stereotyped to be loving and caring so more suited to training children whilst men may think it challenges their masculinity to take time off work and care for kids. So it’s more socially accepted to be single mother than father,

Answer 23

Causes for the rise of lone-parent families
- policies- increase in divorce due go the 1969 divorce reform act made it easier and cheaper for separation.
-economic independence - less dependent on partners so they’re loving alone for longer, so they financially support themselves and have no rush for families would rather build their careers.
-changing attitudes- growing tolerance of lone parent families and births outside of marriage. Less pressure on mothers to remarry and lone parenting has become a norm and divorce has become more accepted too.
Welfare system- over-generous welfare system means women are more likely to seperate from partners as they don’t have to worry about financial difficulties and have a support system,

Question 24

Fenctionalist and new right critiscm of lone-parenr families

Answer 24

See them as a threat to society.
Less able to provide proper socialisation and moral education.
This leads to kids underachieving in school, engaging in anti-social behaviour, and growing up in poverty also more likely to have behavioural and emotional problems.

Emotional problems-

Low IQ and poor physical health

Delinquent behaviour

Question 25

Economic issues