Changing patterns: Marriage and Cohabiting

Question 1

Trends in Marriage and Cohabition

Answer 1

• Marriage is generally in decline although there are blips during the baby bloom eras. The number of re-marriages is rising. The age of first marriage is also rising.
• Cohabiting couples are rising particularly in the 25-34 age range

Question 2

Changing role of women

Answer 2

• Career aspirations of women have meant that there has been a rise in the average age which people first marry
• Greater control over reproductive rights and increased medical technology means women can delay having children
• Finanical and social independence of women mean they are more likely to look for right partner to satisfy their needs rather than a finanical arrangement

Question 3

Changing social attitudes

Answer 3

• Alternative to marriage such as cohabition or living apart together relationships as a response to changing attitudes to relationships
• Giddens’ ideas of confluent love and bauman’s liquid love suggest that people will opt for serial monogramny over long-term relationships
• Greater reflexivity and self-improvement has led to more individualism, rather than romantic love

Question 4

Rising divorce and insecurity of relationships

Answer 4

• People delay marriage until they are certain that their partners is the right person due to fear of divorce
• Increase instability in relationships (and society) has led people to attempt to control the risks that they face in relationships
• However divorce rate is declining and the number of remarriages increasing

Question 5

Economic reasons

Answer 5

Women are more economically independent so do not need to marry for security.

• Rising house prices mean that people will cohabit in order to buy a house before marriage. Weddings are also expensive: 30k 2018

Question 6

Increase in Cohabitation

Answer 6

• Alongside LATs and lone person households, many couples chose to live together before they get married
• Sociologists have suggested that this acts as a form a trial marriage- for couples to see if they can live together harmoniously
• Often temporary- 88% of couples who married in 2017 were previously cohabiting

Question 7

Impacts

Answer 7

• Cohabitation has led to more negotiation and equality in roles
• Cohabition is the new norm
• Cohabition causes decrease in divorce by 5th anniversary