Changing Family Patterns Flashcards
Changes in Divorce
Divorce is the legal termination of marriage and divorced and increased since 1960s and there is a higher rate for working class
Reasons behind divorce[3]
-Changes in position of women
- Increased life expectancy
-Secularisation (Society less religious)
Changes in Partnerships
Less people are marrying [due to secularisation, changes in position of women and pre-marital sex]
People marrying later [Due to focus on career]
Changes in Cohabitations
Chester argues many see cohabitation as a trial run before marriage
Reasons behind cohabitation[3]
- Secularisation
-Changes in position of women
-Socially acceptable
Changes in Same Sex Households
Gays have more rights through legislation so there has bee an increase
Changes in Childbearing
Women have children later, less children or none at all
Changes in Lone Parent Families
Women are now matrifocal(headed by
women) so there has been increase and also because of dependency culture(relying on benefits)
New Right x Dependency Culture
Murray argue the growth is due to a welfare state with generous benefit, which creates a ‘dependency culture’ where people think that the state (government) should look after them and their children.
Solution - cut benefits which will stop births outside of
marriage.
Changes in step family
Increase and in most cases children come from mothers side
Ethnic differences in family patterns [Black families]
Higher proportion of lone parent families
Reason - Black males face higher unemploment so leads to marital breakdown, black women don’t mid being independent
Ethnic differences in family patterns [Asian families]
Many extended families but slowly decreasing to nuclear families and also have a higher rates of marriages and lower divorce rates due to social disproval
