changing patterns of divorce Flashcards
changing patterns in divorce
roughly 65% of divorce petitions now come from women.
in 1946, 37% of petitions came from women
who are most at risk of divorce?
those who marry young
those who have a child before they marry or cohabit before marriage
where one or both partners have been married before
what is happening to the divorce rate?
it is increasing
explanations for increase in divorce
changes in the law
declining stigma and changing attitudes
secularisation
rising expectations of marriage
women’s increased financial independence
feminist explanations
modernity and individualisation
changes in the law
equalising the grounds for divorce between the sexes (1923), there was a sharp rise of female divorce petitions
widening the grounds for divorce (1971) - ‘irretrievable breakdown’ doubled divorce rates alomst overnight
making divorce cheaper by introducing legal aid (1949)
divorces due to what has increased?
unreasonable behaviour
1970s - 28% of all cases
now - 50%
unreasonable behaviour most common reason for opposite-sex and same-sex couples divorcing in 2020
most common reason for wives petitioning for divorce among opposite-sex couples in 2020, accounting for 47.4% of petitions
for husbands, the most common reason for divorces was a two-year separation, accounting for 34.7% of divorces followed by 33.8% for unreasonable behaviour.
for same-sex divorces, unreasonable behaviour was the most common reason for divorce in 2020 for both female and male couples - unreasonable behaviour accounted for 55.2% of female
divorces and 57% of male divorces.
declining stigma and changing attitudes
9,439 divorces where the husband was over 60 in 2011, up 73% since 1991
among women over 60 it has risen by 81% in two decades
couples no longer feel social pressure to stay together
rising life expectancy also means fewer marriages end in death
lawyers warn the grass is not always greener and new partners struggle
in the past, churches tended to condemn divorce and refused to conduct marriage services involving divorcees
juliet mitchell and jack goody - this change is important
what is divorce now seen as?
misfortune rather than shameful
secularisation
many sociologists argue that religious institutions and ideas are losing their influence and society is becoming more secular
some sociologists challenge whether secularisation is occurring:
still many first-time marriages taking place in a religious context.
church of england allowing divorced people to remarry in church.
suggests still demand for religious weddings, even amongst divorcees.
church attendance rates declining
traditional opposition to divorce carries less weight in society
less likely to be influenced by religion when making decisions
what does fletcher argue?
people’s higher expectations of marriage are a major cause of rising divorce
linked to the ideology of romantic love
rising expectations of marriage
historical views
historically, little choice who one married; if family was a unit of production
marriages often ‘contracted’ for economic reason
individuals unlikely to have high expectations of romance
less likely to be dissatisfied by absence of romance
rising expectations of marriage
allan and crow
‘love, personal commitment and intrinsic satisfaction are now seen as the cornerstones of marriage. the absence of these feelings is itself justification for ending the relationship’
evaluation of rising expectations of marriage
functionalists like fletcher: optimistic, cite marriage’s continued popularity: most adults marry; high rate of remarriage after divorce - divorcees have not rejected marriage institution
feminists - this view is ‘too rosy’: women’s oppression in family is main cause of conflict & divorce - ignored by functionalists
functionalists explain rising divorce rates; fail to explain why mainly women initiating divorce
although most adults marry, rates have fallen significantly in past 50 years
women’s increased financial independence
women in paid work: 1971 53%; 2022 72.1%
welfare benefits
narrowing gender pay gap
girls’ education = better paid jobs
women’s increased financial independence
allan and crow
‘marriage is less embedded in the economic system’ now fewer family firms’
family no longer a unit of production so spouses not so co-dependent economically
