Changing family patterns Flashcards
How many marriages in the UK end in divorce?
How many are from women
42%
women 65% of them
14.7% remarriages
How do changes in law, decline in sigma and secularisation explain the increase in divorce?
changes in law:
- equalising the grounds between sexes
- widening the grounds (reasons)
- making divorce cheaper
Declining stigma:
- more socially acceptable, more normalised, not shameful but a misfortune
Secularisation:
- decline in influence of religion, opposition of churches don’t influence decisions. churches also soften views
How do rising marriage expectations and womens financial independence increase divorce?
- functionalist Fletcher, higher expectations, don’t tolerate an unhappy marriage
- not a binding contract but for fulfilment so divorce if love dies
financial independence:
- women in paid work, don’t need to rely on husbands, narrowed pay gap, welfare state and girls success in education
Feminist explanations of increased divorce rate
- argue marriage is still patriarchal, men benefit from wives triple shift
- Hochschild, at work women feel valued, at home men resist housework, marriage less stable.
- both go out to work, can’t address problems, contribute to high divorce rate
Modernity/ individualisation explanations of increase in divorce
- Beck and Giddens, traditional norms lose hold over individuals. pursue self interest ‘individualisation thesis’
- seek a ‘pure relationship’ to satisfy each partners needs, not just for children
- causing higher divorce rates
How do different sociologists view high divorce rate?
New right= undesirable, not traditional, increased welfare dependents
Feminists= desirable, escape from patriarchy
Postmodernists= individuals have more freedom
functionalists= still a high rate of remarriage
interactionists= Morgan, can’t generalise, individuals are different
personal life= can cause financial difficulties, but more normal
Average age for marriage (2012)
32 men
30 women
Reasons for changing marriage patterns
- changing attitudes, no pressure, legal status not important
- secularisation, declined church influence 3% non religious young people married (2001)
- declined stigma in cohabitation
- changes in women’s position
- fear of divorce
What is cohabitation? Reasons for increase?
unmarried couple in sexual relationship living together
-2.9 million heterosexual cohabiting couples
- declined stigma in sex outside marriage
- secularisation
Reasons for increase in same sex relationships
- social acceptance
- policies, treating more equally (civil partnership act)
- Weeks, chosen families, friendship, offer same stability as heterosexual
Reasons for increase in one person households
2013, 3 in 10 households contained only 1 person
- due to increase in divorce (father more likely to leave the home)
- decline in marriage, staying single
Changing patterns in childbearing & reasons
- 47% of children born outside marriage
- women have children later (28)
- women have less or none
- decline in stigma only 28% of 30 year olds think marriage should come first
- changes in women’s position, career focused
Changing patterns in lone parent families & reasons
- 22% of all families
- 1 in 4 children lone parent
- 90% headed by lone mothers
-2x likely in poverty - increase in divorce
- decline in stigma
-courts usually give custody to mother - men less willing to give up work to care for children
Murrays new right view on the welfare state
- rewards irresponsible behaviour, having children without being able to provide
- solution, abolish welfare benefits to reduce dependency culture
- critics argue, lack of affordable childcare, prevented from working
Changing patterns in step families and reasons
- 10% of all families
- Ferri & Smith, greater risk of poverty
- divorce/separation
- greater risk of poverty, more children
- more children from womens previous relationship as they stay with her
