divorce

Question 1

empty shell marriage

Answer 1

couple no longer love eachother and arent intimate but they remain married and living together

Question 2

separation

Answer 2

couple agrees to live apart and lead separate lives but remain legally married

Question 3

divorce

Answer 3

legal ending of marriage

civil partnerships end in dissolution

Question 4

trends in divorce

Answer 4

divorce rates more than doubled between 1969 and 1972 because of legal changes

divorces continued to rise until 2000 and then started to fall because marriage rates decreased

42% of marriages end in divorce

people get divorced in their 40s and average length of marriage is 8-10 yrs

Question 5

trends in dissolution of civil partnerships

Answer 5

steadily increasing since 2006

3% of men’s and 6% of women’s civil partnerships end in dissolution

Question 6

reasons for divorce- legal changes since 1969

Answer 6

Divorce has become easier, cheaper and quicker to obtain
Up until 1969, a spouse had to prove in court either cruelty, desertion or adultery in order to get a divorce granted.
Since the 1969 Divorce Law Reform Act, it is enough to show that they can no longer live together so it has become easier to get a divorce.
The Legal Aid Act of 1949 made divorce more affordable as it gives financial help to couples who can’t
afford the fees, makes divorce cheaper.
The Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act of 1984 reduced the time limit on divorce from 3 to 1 year so now divorce is quicker to get.

Question 7

reasons for divorce- Influence of the Feminist movement

Answer 7

women have the double and triple burdens which can lead to divorce as women become fed up.
Evidence -75% of all divorces are instigated by women thus indicating that more and more women are freeing themselves from patriarchy.

Question 8

reasons for divorce- Changing social attitudes

Answer 8

Today, divorce has become socially acceptable, there is no more stigma attached to getting divorced.

Question 9

reasons for divorce- increase in secularisation

Answer 9

marriage’s less of a sacred, spiritual union, which can’t be broken, and now more of a personal commitment which can be abandoned if it fails.
as more people abandon religion, religious teachings about sin become irrelevant to their lives so they are more likely to divorce.
Today 65% of marriages do not involve a religious ceremony.

Question 10

reasons for divorce- pressure of working lives on relationships

Answer 10

lots of men and women work full time in demanding, busy jobs. This leaves them with less time to spend with each other so they are more likely to drift apart and divorce.

Question 11

reasons for divorce- Rising expectations of marriage

Answer 11

the media promotes the idea of marriage based on ‘romantic love’. If a couple fall out of love or if their romantic expectations are not met, they are more likely to divorce and search for the ‘right person’.

Question 12

reasons for divorce- Increasing life expectancy

Answer 12

life expectancy in Britain has risen to over 80 which increases the number of years a couple may be together before one of them dies.
This creates more time for a marriage to ‘go wrong’ and for divorce to happen.

Question 13

reasons for divorce- The growth of the privatised nuclear family

Answer 13

the nuclear family is becoming increasingly isolated and
privatised from the extended kin. This means that it is not easy for spouses to seek advice from relatives if the
marriage is in crisis.

Question 14

reasons for divorce- Increasing employment opportunities for women and Welfare provision.

Answer 14

Women are financially independent from their husbands and freer to seek divorce as they can support themselves (and their children).
There’s a range of welfare benefits to help divorced women making them less financially dependent on their husbands so marriage is less of a financial necessity for women.

Question 15

why are teenage married couples more likely to divorce?

Answer 15

marriage may test the maturity of the couple. They may have overly romantic views of marriage and may be unable to cope with the responsibility of a long term
relationship.

Question 16

why are w/c couples more likely to divorce?

Answer 16

more likely to face financial problems which can lead to arguments and eventual marital breakdown.

Question 17

why are childless couples more likely to divorce?

Answer 17

may feel less obliged to stay together in comparison to couples with children who may stay together for the children’s sake.

Question 18

why are couples of different social or ethnic background more likely to divorce?

Answer 18

the couple may have opposing expectations of
conjugal roles.
they may face opposition from families and wider society.

Question 19

why are couples with four or more children more likely to divorce?

Answer 19

increased financial burden which can lead to arguments.

also the couple may not have any time to spend together so can drift apart.

Question 20

why are couples who are married for 20+ years more likely to divorce?

Answer 20

couples may stay together for the sake of the children and divorce once the children have grown up.
Increasing life expectancy.

Question 21

why are people who have divorced previously more likely to divorce?

Answer 21

they’re more familiar with the process of
divorce so have nothing to fear.
Also, people whose parents got divorced are more likely to divorce as they have fewer skills in maintaining a relationship since when they were growing up, they didn’t have positive role models.

Question 22

why are couples who got married after only a short acquaintance more likely to divorce?

Answer 22

the couple may not know each other well enough, their
relationship is more likely to be based on overly
romanticised ideas
family disapproval.

Question 23

feminist theory on divorce

Answer 23

Marriage is a social institution based on inequalities with
regard to housework and childcare.

Divorce allows women who are trapped in violent or empty shell marriages to leave and start again.

Cohabitation allows a woman to ‘test’ the man is right for
her before they enter into a marriage.

Question 24

postmodernist theory on divorce

Answer 24

Today’s families are more about a changing set of relationships than a fixed set of duties and obligations regulated by legal and social responsibilities.
Therefore, divorce is socially acceptable and common.

Marriage is a relationship based on agreed wished and needs of the couple.

Cohabitation is just another family form in which a couple may choose to live.

Question 25

new right theory on divorce

Answer 25

This theory is in favour of marriage and against cohabitation and divorce.

Divorce should not be so easy to obtain. Couples should try to work on their relationship.

Governments should make divorce more difficult to obtain and encourage marriage.

Marital breakdown causes social instability such as high crime rates, alcoholism and drug abuse.

Cohabiting couples are more likely to split up. This may create a lone parent family which can’t socialise kids properly thus leading to social instability.