Divorce

Question 1

Divorce

Answer 1

The legal termination of a marriage

Question 2

Is divorce increasing or decreasing?

Answer 2

Increasing

Question 3

Reasons for the increase in divorce

Answer 3

Changes in law, declining stigma and changing attitudes, secularisation, rising expectations of marriage, women’s increased financial independence, individualism

Question 4

Mitchell and Goody on stigma

Answer 4

Rapid decline in the stigma attached to divorce (negative label, social disapproval). Divorce becoming more acceptable

Question 5

Evaluation of Mitchell and Goody

Answer 5

Too deterministic, not everyone. Older generations and certain religions place greater importance on marriage. Social pressure

Question 6

Secularisation

Answer 6

Decline in the influence of religion in society. Religious institutions are losing their influence + society becoming more secular

Question 7

Rising expectations of marriage

Answer 7

Fletcher - higher expectations people put on love and marriage today are a major cause of divorce. Ideology of romantic love, marriage should solely be based on love, for each individual there is a mr or mrs right out there. If love dies there’s every reason to divorce

Question 8

Feminist evaluation of functionalist fletcher

Answer 8

Feminists criticise functionalist for having a too rosy view of the family. They argue that the family is the main cause women’s oppression

Question 9

Women’s increased financial independence

Answer 9

Women now increasingly willing to file for divorce bc of their economic position.
Women more likely to be in paid work
Equal pay laws lowered pay gap
Girls success in education

Question 10

Percentage of women in work 2013 compared to 2020

Answer 10

2013 - 67%
2020 - 72.3%

Question 11

Allan and Crow

Answer 11

Marriage is less embedded within the economic system, families no longer unit production, so spouses are not dependent on each other economically

Question 12

Hoschild

Answer 12

For many women the home compares unfavourably to work, at work women feel valued, at home men’s continuing resistance to doing housework is a source of frustration

Question 13

Sigle-Rushton

Answer 13

Working mothers are more likely to petition for a divorce than women in relationship with traditional division of labour

Question 14

Cooke and Gash evaluation for sigle rushton

Answer 14

Found no evidence that working women are more likely to divorce. They argue this has become an acceptable norm for women

Question 15

Beck and giddens

Answer 15

In modern society, traditional norms such as the duty to remain with the same partner for life lose their hold of individuals. As a result, each individual becomes free to pursue self interest - individualisation

Question 16

Pure relationship

Answer 16

A relationship that focuses solely to satisfy each partners needs and not a duty