Changing Family Patterns

Question 1

Changing patterns of divorce

Answer 1

since the 1960s, there has been an increase in the number of divorces in the UK, in 2018 90,000 divorced but it’s 4 times higher than in 1961 meaning that 42% of all marriages will end in divorce. 70% of petitions for divorce now come from women due to unreasonable behavior of the husband

Question 2

Explanations for the increase in divorce.

Answer 2

1. Changes in the Law
2. Declining stigma and changing attitudes
3. Secularisation
4. Rising expectations of marriage
5. Women’s increased financial independence
6. Feminist explanations
7. Modernity & individualisation

Question 3

Increase in divorce: Changes in the Law

Answer 3

• equalising the grounds for divorce between sexes
• widening the grounds for divorce
• making divorce cheaper

Question 4

Changes in Law: Equalised Grounds

Answer 4

In 1923, once the grounds were equalised there was a rise in the number of divorce petitions from women, and legal aid for divorce cases 1949 lowered the cost for divorce

Question 5

Declining Stigma and Changing Attitudes

Answer 5

Mitchell & Goody ( 1997) note that an important change since the 1960s has been the rapid decline in the stigma attached to divorce, meaning divorce becomes more socially acceptable and it more ‘ normalised ‘

Question 6

Secularisation

Answer 6

Many sociologists argue that religious institutions and ideas are losing their influence and society is becoming more secular, for example, church attendance rates continue to decline.

Question 7

Rising expectations of marriage: Functionalist view

Answer 7

Fletcher ( 1966) argue that the higher expectations people place on marriage today are a major cause of rising divorce rates, as less couples are less willing to tolerate an unhappy marriage.

Feminists argue that this is too rosy a view, and that oppression of women within the family is the main cause of martial conflict and divorce.

Question 8

Romantic Love: Rising Expectation

Answer 8

The belief that marriage should be based solely on love.

Question 9

Women’s increased financial independence

Answer 9

Allan & Crow argue that ‘marriage is less embedded within the economic system’ meaning spouses are not so dependent on each other economically.

The proportion of women working rose from 53% in 1971 to 67% in 2013, girls’ greater success in education now helps them achieve better-paid jobs than previous generations.

Question 10

Feminists Explanation

Answer 10

Sigle-Rushton ( 2007) mothers who have a dual burden of paid - work and domestic work are more likely to divorce than non-working mothers in marriages with a traditional division of labor, however, Cooke & Hash ( 2010) found no evidence that women are more likely to divorce.

Question 11

Radical Feminists

Answer 11

Bernard (1976) argues that many women feel a growing dissatisfaction with patriarchal marriage, and women are becoming conscious of patriarchal oppression

Question 12

Modernity & Individualsation

Answer 12

Beck & Giddens ( 1992 ) argue that in modern society, traditional norms such as the duty to remain with the same partner for life, as a result each individual becomes free to pursue his or her self-interest, which is known as individualisation thesis

Question 13

Pure Relationship

Answer 13

Giddens: calls the ‘pure relationship’ one that exists solely to satisfy each partner’s needs and not out of a sense of duty, which leads to higher divorce rates

Question 14

High divorce rate: New Right

Answer 14

The new right views high divorce rate as undesirable because it undermines marriage & the traditional nuclear family which they believe is vital to social stability. They believe a high divorce rate creates a growing underclass of welfare-dependent female lone parents and leaves boys without an adult male role model.

Question 15

High Divorce Rate: Feminists

Answer 15

They view high divorce rates as desirable because it shows that women are breaking free from oppression.

Question 16

High Divorce Rates: Postmodernists & individualization thesis

Answer 16

They believe that individuals now have the freedom too choose to end a relationship when it no longer meets their needs, creating family diversity

Question 17

High Divorce Rates: Functionalists

Answer 17

They argue that a high divorce rate is not necessarily a threat to marriage as a social institution, it’s just a result of people’s higher expectations of marriage today, as the high rate of people re-marrying shows people’s continuing commitment to the idea of marriage.

Question 18

High Divorce Rates: Interactionists

Answer 18

Morgan (1996) argues that we can not generalise about the meaning of divorce, because every individual’s interpretation of it is different.

Question 19

High Divorce Rates: Personal life perspective

Answer 19

Smart ( 2011) argues that divorce has become ‘normalized’ and that family life can adapt to it without disintegrating.

Question 20

Reasons for changing patterns of marriage

Answer 20

• Changing attitudes to marriage
• Secularisation
• Declining Stigma
• Fear of divorce
• Remarriages
• Age on marrying
• Church weddings

Question 21

Marriage

Answer 21

Fewer people are marrying, there are more remarriages, people are marrying later, couples are less likely to marry in church

Question 22

Cohabitation

Answer 22

The number of couples cohabiting continues to increase, the proportion of people cohabiting increased to 22% in 2022, equivalent to 6.8 million people. This is due to a decline in stigma attached to sex outside of marriage.

Question 23

Cohabitating vs Marriage

Answer 23

Chester argues that for most people, cohabitation is part of the process of getting married. For example, according to Coast ( 2006) 75% of cohabitation is temporary phase before marriage because one or both partners are awaiting a divorce

Question 24

Same-Sex Relationships : Marriage

Answer 24

In 2004, the Civil Partnership Act gave same-sex couples similar legal rights to married couples in respect of pensions, inheritance, tenancies and property and in 2014 they have been able to marry.

Question 25

Chosen Families : Marriage

Answer 25

Weeks ( 1999 ) sees hays as creating families based on the idea of ‘ friendship as kinship’ where friendship becomes a type of kinship network & describe these as ‘chosen families’

Question 26

One - Person households

Answer 26

There has been a big rise in the number of people living alone, in 2021, almost 30% of all households contained only one person, the decline in thee number of marrying and the trend towards people marrying later, that means many more people are remaining single.

Question 27

Living Apart Together

Answer 27

The BSA ( 2013) found that about one in 10 adults are LAT

Question 28

Childbearing

Answer 28

Over half of all children are now born outside of marriage, and women are deciding to have fewer children at a later stage. The reason for this is that there is a decline in stigma and increase in cohabitation & women have more option for childbearing.

Question 29

Single By Choice

Answer 29

Renvoize ( 1985) found that professional women were able to support their child without the father’s involvement, however Cashmore ( 1985) found that some working-class mothers with less earning power choose to live on welfare benefits without a partner, often because they had experienced abuse

Question 30

Growth of lone parent families

Answer 30

Murray ( 1984 ) sees the growth of lone-parent families as resulting from an overgenerous welfare state providing benefits for unmarried mothers, he argues this has created a ‘perverse incentive’ meaning it rewards irresponsible behavior.

Critics argue that lone-parent families are more likely to be in poverty due to a failure of the father to pay maintenance

Question 31

Stepfamilies

Answer 31

Ferri & Smith ( 1998) found that stepfamilies are very similar to first families in all major respects, however, they are at a greater risk of poverty as there are often more children because the stepfather may have to support children rom another relationship.

Question 32

Black Families

Answer 32

They have a huge proportion of lone-parent households, The high rate of female-headed, lone-parent black families has sometimes been seen as evidence of family disorganization that can be traced to high rates of unemployment among black males. Mizra ( 1997 ) argues that the higher rate of lone- parent famlies reflects on the high value that black women place on independence

Question 33

Asian Families

Answer 33

Berthoud found that such households contain three generations.

Ballard ( 1982 ) found that extended family ties provided an important source of support among Asian migrants during the 1950s and 1960s

Question 34

Extended Family

Answer 34

Charles’s ( 2008 ) study of Swansea found the classic three-generation family all living together under one roof is now ‘ all but extinct’ mainly among the Bangladeshi community.

Question 35

Dispersed Extended Family

Answer 35

Willmott ( 1988) argues that it continues to exist, where relatives are geographically separated but remain in frequent contact through frequent contact through visits and phone calls

Question 36

The ‘ Beanpole ‘ family

Answer 36

Brannen (2003) describes it as long & thin three or more generations but without, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. This could be the result of two demographic changes such as increased life expectancy & smaller family sizes

Question 37

Obligations to relatives

Answer 37

Finch & Mason (1993) found that over 90% of people had given or received financial help, and about half had cared for a sick relative