Changing family patterns Flashcards
divorce AO2
the number of divorces had doubled between 1961 and 1969
65% of applications for divorce come from women
explanations for the increase in divorce (7)
- changes in the law
- declining stigma and changing attitudes
- secularisation
- rising expectations of marriage
- women’s increased financial independence
- feminist explanations
- modernity and individualisation
explanations for the increase in divorce - declining stigma and changing attitudes
stigma refers to a negative label , shame or social disapproval attached to a person/ relationship - divorce in the past was stigmatised
e.g churches often refused to marry if it involved divorcees
as stigmas decline more couples resort to it
when its more common - it normalises it
explanations for the increase in divorce - secularisation
As less people attend church
their opposition to divorce carries less
weight in society
people are less likely
to be influence by
religious teachings.
explanations for the increase in divorce - rising expectations of marriage
functionalists see that higher expectations make couples less willing to tolerate an unhappy marriage
marriage should be based solely on love
in the past expectations were lower because individuals had little choice over who they married and marriages were done for economic reasons - so people are less likely to be dissatisfied by the absence of romance
today marriage is viewed as not being a binding contract but as a relationship of personal fulfilment and encourages divorce if its not found
explanations for the increase in divorce - rising expectations of marriage AO3 - fletcher
fletcher -
optimistic
most adults do re-marry
explanations for the increase in divorce - rising expectations of marriage AO3 - feminists
feminists- the view is too rosy
the oppression of women in the family is the main cause of conflict and divorce = why it’s mainly women who seek a divorce
explanations for the increase in divorce - womens increased financial independence AO1
improvements in their economic position have made them less financially dependent on their husband and freer to leave an unhappy marriage
explanations for the increase in divorce - womens increased financial independence AO2
girls greater success in eduction helps them achieve better paid jobs
equal pay act has narrowed gender pay gap
can support themselves in the event of a divorce because they aren’t dependent economically and the availability of welfare benefits
explanations for the increase in divorce - feminist explanations
married women have a dual burden which has created conflict leading to higher divorce rates
big improvements in the public sphere but not in the family because - marriage remains patriarchal with men benefiting from wives triple shift
radical feminists -
many women feel a growing dissatisfaction with patriarchal marriage and the rise of divorce rates and the fact most petitions come from women as evidence of a growing acceptance of feminist ideas
explanations for the increase in divorce - feminist explanations AO2 Hochschild
Hochschild study
for many women home compares unfavourably to work
at work they feel valued
at home - mens resistance to do housework = instability and conflict in the marriage
now that both partners work = less time to do the emotional work to fix the relationship
explanations for the increase in divorce - feminist explanations AO3
Cooke and Gash found no evidence that working women are more likely to divorce - because working has now become the accepted norm for married women.
explanations for the increase in divorce - modernity and individualisation
in modern society, traditional norms such
as, the duty to remain with same partner for life becomes less normal. so - each individual becomes free to pursue their own interests
pure relationship - one that exist solely to satisfy each partners needs
rising rate of divorce nromalsies it and strenghtnes the beliefe marriage only exists to provide personal fulfimnet
modern society encourages individualism by expecting both men and women to work and pursue career ambitions.
the meaning of high divorce rate as AO3 - new right
Undesirable as it undermines marriage &the traditional nuclear family,
creates a growing underclass of Welfare dependent female lone parents who are a burden on the state and leaves boys without role model.
results in poorer educational outcomes.
the meaning of high divorce rate as AO3 - feminists
High divorce rate is desirable as it frees women from patriarchal oppression of the nuclear family.
the meaning of high divorce rate as AO3 - functionalist s
not necessarily a threat to marriage as the higher rate of re marriage shows continuing commitment to marriage
the meaning of high divorce rate as AO3 - interactionist
cannot generalise the meaning of it because every interpretation is different
changes in the patterns of marriage trends AO2
fewer people are marrying - rates at lowest since 1920s
there are more re-marriages - in 2012 1/3 of marriages were re-marriages
this is serial monogamy = the pattern of divorce and re-marriage
people are marrying later - 2012, 30yrs old for women and 32 for men
marriage - reasons for changing patterns (3)
changes in the position of women
fear of divorce
secularisation
marriage - reasons for changing patterns - changes in the position of women
with better educational and job prospects women are less economically dependent on men
the feminist view that marriage is patriarchal and oppressive may also dissuade
marriage - reasons for changing patterns - fear of divorce
with rising divorce rates some are put off as they see the increased likelihood of it ending in divorce
marriage - reasons for changing patterns - secularisation
as church influence declines, people feel freer not to choose to marry
cohabitation AO1
involves an unmarried couple in a sexual relationship living together
it can be viewed as a trial marriage
Bejin argues cohabitation among young people represents a conscious attempt to create more equal relationships than a conventional patriarchal marriage
cohabitation AO2
the number of marriages decrease and the number of couples cohabiting increases
shelton and John - women who cohabit do less housework than those married
reasons for cohabitation
young people with no religion are more likely to cohabit than those with religion
decline in stigma attached to sex outside marriage
increased career opportunities for women mean they have less need for the financials security of marriage
cohabitation AO3
cohabitation does not mean the same to every couple. the term covers a diverse range of partnerships and the relationship between cohabitation and marriage is complex
relationship between cohabitation and marriage
____ is increasing as ______ decreases
Cohabitation is increasing as marriages decrease - for some this is a step towards getting married - for others it is a permanent alternative
chester - for most people cohabitation is a part of the process of getting married
same sex relationships - AO2
5-7% of the adult population today have same sex relationships
male homosexual acts were decriminalised 1967 for consenting adults over 21
AO3 of same sex AO2s
its impossible to judge whether they represent an increase as in the past stigma and illegality meant such relationships were most likely hidden
same sex relationships - Weeks
increased social acceptance may explain a trend towards same sex cohabitation and relationships
gays create families based on the idea of ‘friendship of kinship’ - he describes these as ‘chosen families’ and argues they offer the same security and stability as heterosexual families
same sex relationships - Weston
describes same sex cohabitation as ‘quasi-marriage’ and says many gays are now deciding to cohabit as stable partners - contrasts gay lifestyle of 1970s which rejected monogamy
same sex relationships - AO3 Allan and crow
argue that because of the obscene of a framework until recently same-sex partners have had to negotiate their commitment and responsibilities more than married couples
they made same-sex relationships both more flexible and less stable than heterosexual.
one person households AO2
in 2006, 3/10 households contained one person
40% of these are pensioners
men under 65 are most likely group
one person households - reasons for the changes
increase in seperation and divorce - following divorce any children are most likely to live with mother and the father will leave the family home
decrease in numbers marrying and trend towards marrying later = people are remaining single
too few partners available in age group
LATs - AO2
1/10 adults is a LAT
Living apart together (LATs)
in a significant relationship but not married or cohabiting -
some people can’t afford to live together and a minority choose to live apart so they can keep their house
Duncan and Phillips - being a LAT is no longer seen as abnormal - public attitudes towards LATs are favourable, a majority believe a couple doesn’t have to live together to be strong
childbearing - children born outside of marriage AO2
nearly 1/2 of all children are born outside of marriage
childbearing - how many children women are having AO2
women are having fewer children in the 20th century. children per women fell from 2.95 to 1.63 in 2001
childbearing - when are women having children AO2
women are having children later - average age of woman at birth of first child = 28.1 - rose by 4 years since 1970
childbearing - reasons for the changes
decline in stigma and increase in cohabitation
e.g only 28% of 25-34year olds think marriage before parenthood
later age women are having children the smaller family sizes and the fact that more women remain childless reflect the fact that women have more choices than motherhood - e.g careers
lone-parent family trends
a child living with a lone parent is 2x more likely to be in poverty as a child with both parents
1/4 children live in a lone-parent family
lone parent families - reasons for the patterns
the number of Leo parent families has risen due to the increase of divorce
increase in unmarried women having children
few lone parent families are father headed because:
- the belief that women are by nature suited to the nurturing role
- divorce courts usually give custody of th children to mothers
- men may be less willing to give up work
lone parent families - single by choice
mothers are single by choice
they may not wish to marry or cohabit or want to limit the fathers involvement
Cashmore - some WC women with less earning power chose to live on welfare benefits without. partner often because they’ve experienced domestic abuse
feminist ideas and greater opportunities for women has increased unmarried women
lone parent families - welfare state and poverty
new right - Murray - argues that lone-parents are creating a ‘dependency culture’ in which people assume the state will support them and their children
lone parent families - welfare state and poverty - critics of Murray AO3
welfare benefits are far from generous and lone parent families are more likely to be in poverty because:
- most lone parents are women who earn less than men
- lack of affordable childcare prevents lone parents from working - 60% are unemployed
stepfamilies AO2
account for 10% of all families in Britain
in 85% of step families at leats one child is from mothers previous relationship - 11%, one child from mans
stepfamilies AO1
Ferri and Smith - stepfamilies are similar to first families in that child rearing is positive but they are at a greater risk of poverty
Allan and Crow - stepfamilies may face particular problems of divided loyalties and issues of contact with the non-resident parent
what factors are responsible for increase in stepfamilies (2)
divorce
seperation
why are more children in stepfamilies from the women’s previous relationship than the man’s
when marriages and cohabitations break up children are more likely to remain with mother
why are children in stepfamilies at greater risk of poverty
there are often more children in step families and because the father may also have to support children from previous relationship
ethnic differences - 2011 consensus Ao2
86& o fUK population = white
14% = ethnic minorities - main groups asian
ethnic differences - black families AO2
over half of families with children headed by. black person were lone-parent families
ethnic differences - black families AO1
the high rate of female headed Lone parent black families can be traced back to slavery - when couples were sold separately children stayed with the mother - this established a life pattern
male unemployment and poverty have meant that black men are less able to provide for their families
Mirza - the higher rate of alone families among blacks is because of the high value black women place on independence
ethnic differences - asian families
larger than those of other ethnic groups
reflect the value placed on the extended family
practical considerations - when migrating the need for assistance is important
the extended family - AO2 Charles ‘extinct’
the classic 3 generation family all living together under one roof is now extinct
the extended family - Willmott ‘continues’ Ao1
the extended family is not extinct but - continues to exist but as a dispersed extended family where relatives are geographically separated but maintain contact
the extended family - beanpole family Ao1
its extended vertically (grandparents etc) but not horizontally (aunts etc)
the extended family - beanpole family is the result of 2 demographic changes
increased life expectancy = more surviving grandparents
smaller family sizes = people have fewer siblings
the extended family - beanpole family - obligations to relatives AO2
people still feel a sense of obligation to help their wider extended kin
90% of people had or given financial help
