Changing Family Patterns

Question 1

How can changes in the Law explain increase in divorce?

Answer 1

DRA makes divorce easier, cheaper and faster
-Equal and wider grounds for divorce

Question 2

How can declining stigma and changing attitudes explain increase in divorce?

Answer 2

Divorce becomes more socially acceptable and is thus normalised so more indivduals likely to do it

Question 3

How can secularisation explain increase in divorce?

Answer 3

-The influence that the church has to reduce divorce is decreased
-The church has also softened their views on divorce
-Church attendance declining

Question 4

How can rising expectations of marriage explain increase in divorce?

Answer 4

Fletcher- indivduals want romantic love (Mr and Mrs Right) and expect that. If this is not there, they will divorce
-In past, expectations were lower so more willing to deal with unhappiness

Question 5

How can womens increased financial independence explain increase in divorce?

Answer 5

Women more likely to be in paid work so More able to support yourself in the event of a divorce
-Not relying on husband financially so are less tolerable of conflict

Question 6

How can feminist explanations explain increase in divorce?

Answer 6

-Women more aware of patriarchal nature of marriage and so are less lily to tolerate it

Question 7

How do feminists criticise fletchers view of the rising expectations of marriage?

Answer 7

Thay argue that marital conflict is the main cause of divorce, not pursuit of romantic love
-They also argue it ignores why more women who seek divorce

Question 8

How can modernity and individualisation explain increase in divorce?

Answer 8

Giddens and Beck- in modern society, we pursue relationships out of self interest so leave if not fulfilled (not a pure relationship) = more fragile relationships=more divorce

Question 9

What do different sociological perspectives believe about high divorce rates?

Answer 9

New right-undesireable as undermines trad nuclear family
Feminists-desireable=women not oppressed
Postmodernists-shows choice relationships, explains greater family diversity
func-result of higher expectations,but remarriage rates show commitment to marriage
interactionalists- divorce has different meanings to different ppls

Question 10

What are the pattern in marriage in recent years?

Answer 10

-low marriage rate
-1/3 of all marriages are remarriages
-People marrying later
-Less likely to marry in a church

Question 11

What are the reasons for the changing patterns in marriage?

Answer 11

-Secularisation
-Declining stigma attatched to alternatives
-Changes in womens position
-Fear of divorces

Question 12

How can the increase in remarriages, age on marrying and decline in religious weddings be explained

Answer 12

Remarriages- increase in divorce
Age of marrying-More focus on career/education as well as cohabitation
Religious weddings- secularisation, churches refuse to marry divorcees

Question 13

What are the trends in cohabitation?

Answer 13

-Increase
-3.5 million cohabiting heterosexual couples in britain

Question 14

What are the reasons for an increase in cohabitation?

Answer 14

-decline in stigma around sex before marriage
-secularisation
-women have more oppurtunities so dont need financial support of a marriage

Question 15

What are the two ways couples see cohabitation?

Answer 15

-A temporary phase before marriage (trial marriage)
-Permanent alternative to marriage

Question 16

What did Shelton and John find about cohabiting couples?

Answer 16

Women who cohabit do less housweowkr than their married counterparts

Question 17

What are the trends in same sex relationships?

Answer 17

5-7% of the population are in same sex relationships (2012)

Question 18

Why are the reasons behind an increase in same-sex relationships?

Answer 18

-increased social acceptance
-Changes in law e.g decriminalisation of gay marriage in 1967, 2014 legalisation of gay marriage

Question 19

What are the trends in one person households?

Answer 19

-3/10 households are one person households
-1/2 of one person households are over 65

Question 20

What are the reasons behind the trends in one person households?

Answer 20

-Increase in seperation and divorce
-Decrease in marriage and trend in marrying later
-‘Creative singlehood’; choosing to live alone
-Too few partners for them (older widows)

Question 21

What are the trends in LAT couples?

Answer 21

1/10 couples are LAT
-Increase

Question 22

What are the trends in childbearing?

Answer 22

-Nearly half of all children are born out of wedlock
-Women having children later (30.7 years old)
-Women having fewer children (1.5)
-More women remaining childless

Question 23

What are the reason for the changes in childbearing

Answer 23

-births out of marriage= declining stigma
-later age of having children, smaller family sizes, more childlessness= women have more options, not just motherhood; may chose a career

Question 24

What are the trends in lone parent families?

Answer 24

1 in 5 child lives in a lone parent household
-90% of lone parent families are matrifocal
-A child living with a single parent is 2x as likely to be in poverty

Question 25

What are the reasons behind the increase in lone parent household?

Answer 25

-Increased divorce and seperation
-decline in stigma to births outside of marriage

Question 26

Why are lone parent households more likely to be female-headed?

Answer 26

-divorce courts usually give custody to mother
-More women choosing to be single by choice
- belief women are more suited to nurturing role

Question 27

According to Murray, why has there been a growth in lone parent households and how should this be tackled?

Answer 27

-over generous welfare state, leads to perverse incentive and thus dependency culture
-Welfare benefits should be abolished

Question 28

How can the New right view of lone parenthood be criticised?

Answer 28

-Welfare state is not overgenerous
-LPH more likely to be in poverty due to ; fathers failing to pay child support, lack of affordable childcare leads to unemployement

Question 29

What are the patterns in stepfamilies and why?

Answer 29

Increase= more lone parens due to divorce/seperation
Greater risk of poverty= man might have to pay child support to previous children

Question 30

What are the differences in family patterne between ethnicities?

Answer 30

Asian; high marriage rate+fertility, low cohab+divorce,arranged marriage common
White british; later/ lower marriage+fertility rates, high cohab+divorce
Black carribean: lowest marriage rate, low fertility rates, high loneparenthood

Question 31

What are the changes in British Asian families?

Answer 31

-Changing attitudes in younger generation; attitudes to divorce

Question 32

What are the reasons behind the lone parenthood stats of black british families?

Answer 32

Mirza- black women place high value on independence
-Reynolds, not lone-parent but relationships that are non-cohabiting but still supportive

Question 33

What does Wilmott suggest about the extended family today?

Answer 33

Although it had decreased, the dispersed extended family is now prevelant (geographically sepreated but still in contact through visits/calls)