Divorce Flashcards
What are some of the patterns in divorce since the 1960’s?
- Been a great increase in divorces
- The no. of divorces doubled between 1961 and 1969, and doubled again by 1972
- Since its peak in 1993, divorce rates have fallen but are still 6x higher than what they were in 1961
- About 65% of divorce applications come from women, which contrasts to in 1946, where only 37% of women applied for divorce
How have changes in the law contributed to an increase in divorce?
- 3 kinds of change in the law
1. Equalising the grounds
2. Widening the grounds for divorce
3. Making divorce cheaper - After the grounds were equalised, there was a sharp increase in divorce petitions from women
- The widening the grounds of divorce in 1971 to ‘irretrievable breakdown’ made it easier to obtain
What are the other solutions to the problem of an unhappy marriage?
- Desertion
- Legal separation
- ‘Empty shell’ marriage
How have declining stigma and changing attitudes contributed to an increase in divorce?
- As stigma declines and divorce becomes more socially acceptable, couples become more willing to resort to divorce as a means of solving their marital problems
How has secularisation contributed to an increase in divorce?
The traditional opposition of the churches to divorce carries less weight in society and people are less likely to be influenced by religious teachings when making decisions about personal matters such as whether or not to file for divorce
How have the rising expectations of marriage contributed to an increase in divorce?
- Functionalists: higher expectations that people place on marriage today are a major cause of rising divorce rates
- Links to the romantic love ideology: the idea that marriage should be solely based on love. Therefore if the love dies, it’s natural and right to move on
- Allan and Crow (2001): marriage is increasingly viewed as a relationship in which individuals seek personal fulfilment, which encourages divorce if they don’t find it
How has women’s increased financial independence led to an increase in divorce?
- Women are now less financially dependent on their husband and therefore freer to end an unsatisfactory marriage
- Women today are more likely to be in paid work
- Equal pay and anti-discrimination laws have helped to narrow the pay gap
- Girls’ greater success in education helps them achieve well-paid jobs
- Welfare benefits mean that women no longer have to remain financially dependent
How do feminists explain the increase in divorce?
- Married women today take on a dual burden, which has led to a new source of conflict between husbands and wives, which has led to a higher divorce rate than in the past
- Although there have been institutional improvements, marriage remains patriarchal
- Sigle-Rushton (2007): if the male has a high involvement rate in childcare the divorce rates are less
How has modernity and individualisation led to an increase in divorce?
- Beck and Giddens (1992): in modern society, traditional norms, such as the duty to remain with the same partner for life, lose their hold over individuals
- Relationships become more fragile
- Individuals seek what Giddens calls the ‘pure relationship’ which is one that exists solely to satisfy each partner’s needs and not out of a sense of duty, tradition or for the sake of the children, which results in higher divorce rates
- At the same time, the rising divorce rate ‘normalises’ divorce
How do the different perspectives see a high divorce rate?
- The New Right: a high divorce rate is undesirable as it undermines marriage and the traditional nuclear family. A high divorce rate increases the underclass and boys without male role models
- Feminist: a high divorce rate is desirable as it shows that women are escaping from the traditional nuclear family
- Postmodernists and the individualisation thesis: a high divorce rate shows that individuals now have the freedom to end a relationship when it no longer meets their needs
- Functionalists: a high divorce rate doesn’t necessarily threaten marriage as a social institution, as the high rate of re-marriage shows people’s lasting commitment
- Interactionists: aim to understand what divorce means to the individual and divorce can’t be generalised
- The personal life perspective: divorce can cause problems. Smart (2011): divorce has become normalised and families can undergo it without becoming disintegrated
