Changing Family Patterns Flashcards
What happened to the number of traditional nuclear family households?
It has fallen.
What happened to the amount of divorces?
The number of divorces doubled between 1961 and 1969 and doubled again by 1972. This trend continued.
Give a reason for the fall of divorce after the rise of it.
Fewer people decided to marry, decided to cohabit instead.
List the reasons for the increase in divorce.
- Changes in law
- Declining stigma and changing attitudes
- Secularisation
- Rising expectations of marriage
- Women’s increased financial independance.
List changes in law that caused divorce to increase.
- Cheaper divorce
- Legal segregation
- Equalising the grounds with divorce
- Legal aid for divorce
Describe what uliet Mitchell and Jack Goody said about the declining stigma towards divorce.
They note that an important change since 1960’s has been the rapid decline in stigma attached to the divorce.
What happens as stigma towards divorce changes?
Divorce becomes more socially acceptable.
Why does secularisation affect divorce rates?
Religion and religious people disapprove of divorce since a marriage is considered a holy matrimony. With secularisation, this stigma goes away.
Describe what Ronald Fletcher, a functionalist sociologist has stated about higher expectations of marriage.
He said that higher expectations people place on marriage today are a major cause of rising divorce rates. Higher expectations make couples less willing to tolerate an unhappy marriage.
Describe what Graham Crow said about rising expectations.
'’Love, personal commitment and intristic satisfaction are now seen as the cornerstones of marriage. The absence of these feelings is itself justification for ending the relationship.’’
How much did the proportion of women working rise between 1971 and 2013?
It rose from 53% to %67.
Describe what Hochschild said as a feminist about women in work and divorce.
She argues that for many women, the home compares unfavourably with work. At work, women feel more valued while at home they are forced to do the housework and this makes the marriage less stable.
Explain what Wendy Sigle-Rushton said about mothers.
She said that 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 labour.
Describe what Cooke and Gash said about feminist explanations.
They have found no evidence that woking women are more likely to divorce. They argue that this is because working has now became the accepted norm wor married women.
What did radical feminist Bernard say about divorce?
She observes that many women feel a growing dissatisfaction with patriarchal marriage. She sees the rising divorce rate as an objection to patriarchy.
