Changing patterns of marriage

Question 1

Statistics

Answer 1

• over 400,000 marriages in total from 1950 to 1980 then it slowly started to decrease
• were over 300 thousnad marriages in 1950 and then it started to decline

Question 2

Reasons for the decline in marriage

Answer 2

• changing attitudes to marriage
• secularisation
• declining stigma attached to alternatives to marriage
• changes in the position of women
• fear of divorce

Question 3

changing to attitudes to marriage

Answer 3

• less pressure to marry and more freedom for individuals to choose the type of relationship they want
• changed the norm that everyone should get married

Question 4

secularisation

Answer 4

• decline of religion and the loss of religions influence over state issues
• means people feel freer to choose not to marry as their influence declines

Question 5

declining stigma attached to alternatives to marriage

Answer 5

• people are more open to cohabitation, remaining single or having children outside of marriage as it is now more acceptable

Question 6

changes in the position of women

Answer 6

• better educational and career opportunites so many women are less economically dependent on men
• Sue sharpe studied working class girls in london and found their priorities were different and marriage and love came before their careers

Question 7

fear of divorce

Answer 7

• there is a rising divorce rate so people are put off marrying due to this as they believe there is more of a chance of it ending in divorce
• value being fulfilled in a relationship so dont want to be legally connected if they start being unhappy

Question 8

Reasons for other changed in the pattern of marriage

Answer 8

• remarriage, rise of umber in divorce which provides a supply of people who want to remarry
• age on marrying, age which couples marry is rising
• church weddings, many churches refuse to marry divorcees

Question 9

Other point of views and what they would say

Answer 9

• feminist, would agree that the trends in marriage is good as it means women aren’t being oppressed
• new right, would be concerned as they believe it would cause more LPF and family is important for socialisation
• functionalist, would be concerned as they believe the traditional nuclear family is essential for society to function