Changing Pattersn Of Marriage And Divorce

Question 1

What is cohabitation

Answer 1

Invloves an unmarried couple in sensual relationship living together
- numbers of marriage decreasing while cohabitation increasing

Question 2

What are some reasons for increase in cohabitation

Answer 2

Secularization - decline in importance of religion in society -reduced stigma associated with cohabiting - people feel less need to get married

Divorce rate - increase in this may of put people off marriage

Expense - too expensive to get married

Pure relationships - giddens - people today are searching for the perfect relationship - always imagine there might be something better

Question 3

What does Chester suggest about cohabitation

Answer 3

cohabitation Is part of process to getting married - 75% of cohabiting couples say they expect to get married
- not necessarily and alternative to marriage but a trial run - over 80% of uk marriages have previously cohabited

Question 4

When was there changing patterns in divorce

Answer 4

significant increases divorce after 1969 divorce act

Question 5

What are some reasons for the increase in divorce

Answer 5

Changes in the law
Declining stigma and changing attitudes
Securlaisation
Rising expectation of marriage
Women increased financial independence
Feminist explanations
Modernity and individualisation

Question 6

Changes in the law

Answer 6

Widening the grounds for divorce
Making divorce cheaper

• the introduction of legal aid for divorce cases 1949 lowered the cost of divorcing
• divorce rates have risen with each change in law

Question 7

Alternatives to divorces

Answer 7

Desertion - one partner leaves the other but couple remain. Legally married
Legal separation - court separates financial and legal affairs but couple remain married and are not free to re-marry
‘Empty shell’ marriage - couple continues to live under same roof but remain married in name only

However divorce becoming easier to obtain = these solutions becoming less popular

Question 8

Declining stigma and changing attitudes

Answer 8

In past divorce been stigmatized - negative label - now rapid stigma decline
-eg church often refuse to conduct marriage involving divorcees

Question 9

Secularisation

Answer 9

Decline in the influence of religion - religious institutions + ideas are losing influence - society becomes more secular eg church attended rates decline = less likely to be influenced

Question 10

Rising expectations of marriage

Answer 10

Fletcher - Higher expectations on marriage = makes couples less willing to tolerate an unhappy marriage

Eg - ideology of romantic love - become dominant idea (there’s mr or Mrs right out there) - if love dies there’s no longer justification for to remain married (divorce to search for soulamte)

However in past some had little choice with who they married - less likely too have high expectations so enter the marriage with this = therefore less likely to be dissatisfied by absence of romance and intimacy

Question 11

Womes increased financial independance

Answer 11

Improvements in economic position - less financially dependant on their husbands = feer to end unsatisfactory marriage
- more likely to be in paid work - anti-discrimination laws = narrow pay gap
- welfare state availability

Question 12

What is childbearing + childrearing

Answer 12

Childbearing is having children (birth)
Childrearing is bringing them up

Question 13

How do these link to trends in marriage and divorce etc

Answer 13

Women having children later (delayed marriage + focus on careers)
Women have fewer children
Higher % of women choosing no to have any children
More than 40% children born outside marriage = decline in marriage and increase in cohabitation

Question 14

Reasons for these changes

Answer 14

Increase in births outside marriage - decline in stigma & increase in cohabitation
- eg some adults think marriage should come before parenthood

Later age having children, smaller family size + fact women remain childless = reflect how women are more options than motherhood now

Question 15

Why are majority of lone-parent female headed

Answer 15

-widespread belief women are by nature suited to an ‘expressive’ or nurturing role
-divorce courts usually give custody of children to mothers
-men may be less willing than women to give up work to care for children

Single by choice - renvoize - professional women were able to support without fathers involvement

Question 16

Overview on stepfamilies

Answer 16

Account for approx over 10% of all Sam’s with dependant children in Britain

Ferri + smith - step families very similar to first + stepparents are positive in childrearing - however greater risk of poverty

Question 17

Reasons for formation of step families

Answer 17

Increase in divorce, Lone-parent + separation = increase in stepfamilies
Stepparents at greater risk of poverty - more children + other half may have to support children from previous relationships

Question 18

When did same sex marriage become legal

Answer 18

2014, same-sex couples have been able to marry

Question 19

How has increase in separation + divorce created more one-person households

Answer 19

This occurs especially amongst men
-following divorce any children are more likely to live with mother & father more likely to leave family home

Question 20

How does marriage additionally lead to this

Answer 20

Decline in marriage + marrying later = more people remain alone & single

However while some this a a choice for some - some have too few partners available in their age group

Question 21

Living apart together

Answer 21

Assumed those not living with a partner, don’t have one

Duncan + Phillips - British social attitudes survey - found about 1 in 10 adults ‘LAT’
- also say how both choice and not and not play a part - some say they can’t afford to = more likely to occur in working class

Question 22

What are some of the changes in patterns with marriage

Answer 22

-fewer people marrying - rates lowest since 1920 - however more re-marriages = 2012 1/3 marriages are re marriages
-leads to ‘serial monogomy’ = pattern of marriage divorce, remarriage
-people marrying later
-couples less likely to marry in church - 1981 60% conducted in church -2012 fallen to 30%

Question 23

6 reasons for changing patterns in marriage

Answer 23

-Changing attitudes - less pressure, more freedom, quality more important than legal status
-secularisation - churches influence declines some people -feel freer not to marry
-declining stigma to other options - cohabitiation, single, children outside marriage accepted
-change position of women - better ed + career prospects - women less economically dependant on men - feminists = marriage is oppression patriarchal - puts women off
-fee of divorce - rising divorce rate = worry it will happen to them

Question 24

What are some other patterns of marriage

Answer 24

Remarriage - main increase = rises in divorce

Age - young people postponing to send longer in ed + maybe establish themselves in a career

Cohabitation - people do this for time period before marriage

Question 25

Ethnic differences in family patterns

Answer 25

Immigration into Britain since 1950s - helped create ethnic diversity = contributed to changing family patterns

Question 26

Black families overview on family patterns

Answer 26

Black Caribbean + African - have a higher proportion of lone-parent households
-high rate of this + female headed = sometimes been seen as evidence of disorganisation

Black male unemployment + poverty - less able to provide for family = higher rates of desertion or marital break down

Question 27

What did mirza + Reynolds say about this

Answer 27

Higher rate of lone-parent fams among black people is not result in reorganization - reflects high value back women place on independence

Statistics - misleading - many lone-parents are stable, supportive but non-cohabiting relations

Question 28

Asian families and changing patterns of family

Answer 28

Pakistani, indian households tend to be larger than those of other ethnic groups
-sometimes contain 3 generations = most nuclear rather than extended
-reflect value placed on extended family in asian cultures