FAMILIES - Changing Family Patterns (Divorce)

Question 1

When did the number of divorces in the United Kingdom begin to significantly increase?

Answer 1

Since the 1960s.

Question 2

By how much did the number of divorces double between 1961 and 1969?

Answer 2

The number of divorces doubled between 1961 and 1969.

Question 3

When did the number of divorces double again after 1969?

Answer 3

By 1972.

Question 4

In what year did the number of divorces peak in the UK, and what was the number?

Answer 4

In 1993, the number of divorces peaked at 165,000.

Question 5

How many divorces were there in the UK in 2012?

Answer 5

There were 118,000 divorces in 2012.

Question 6

How does the number of divorces in 2012 compare to the number in 1961?

Answer 6

The number of divorces in 2012 was about six times higher than in 1961.

Question 7

What is the estimated percentage of marriages that will end in divorce in the UK?

Answer 7

About 40% of all marriages will end in divorce.

Question 8

What is one reason for the decrease in the number of divorces since the 1990s?

Answer 8

Fewer people are marrying and are choosing to cohabit instead.

Question 9

What percentage of divorce petitions come from women now?

Answer 9

About 65% of divorce petitions come from women.

Question 10

How did the percentage of divorce petitions from women in 1946 compare to today?

Answer 10

In 1946, only 37% of divorce petitions came from women.

Question 11

What is the most common reason for a woman to be granted a divorce?

Answer 11

The unreasonable behaviour of her husband.

Question 12

Which couples are at the greatest risk of divorce?

Answer 12

Couples who marry young, have a child before they marry or cohabit before marriage, and those where one or both partners have been married before.

Question 13

What are the three kinds of changes in the law that have made divorce easier?

Answer 13

1. Equalising the grounds for divorce between the sexes
2. Widening the grounds for divorce
3. Making divorce cheaper

Question 14

What happened in 1923 regarding divorce laws?

Answer 14

The grounds for divorce were equalised for men and women, leading to a sharp rise in the number of divorce petitions from women.

Question 15

What was the effect of widening the grounds for divorce in 1971 to ‘irretrievable breakdown’?

Answer 15

It made divorce easier to obtain and produced a doubling of the divorce rate almost overnight.

Question 16

What was the impact of the introduction of legal aid for divorce cases in 1949?

Answer 16

It lowered the cost of divorcing.

Question 17

What happens to divorce rates with each change in the law?

Answer 17

Divorce rates have risen with each change in the law.

Question 18

Besides divorce, what are some other solutions couples find to address an unhappy marriage?

Answer 18

1. Desertion, where one partner leaves but the couple remains legally married.
2. Legal separation, where a court separates the financial and legal affairs but the couple remains married.
3. ‘Empty shell’ marriage, where the couple continues to live together but are married in name only.

Question 19

What does “stigma” refer to in the context of divorce?

Answer 19

Stigma refers to the negative label, social disapproval, or shame attached to a person, action, or relationship.

Question 20

What important change regarding divorce stigma occurred since the 1960s?

Answer 20

There has been a rapid decline in the stigma attached to divorce.

Question 21

How has the decline in stigma affected couples’ attitudes towards divorce?

Answer 21

Couples have become more willing to resort to divorce as a means of solving their marital problems.

Question 22

What is secularisation, and how has it affected divorce rates?

Answer 22

Secularisation refers to the decline in the influence of religion in society. It has led to the traditional opposition of churches to divorce carrying less weight and people being less influenced by religious teachings when deciding to file for divorce.

Question 23

How have churches’ views on divorce changed in response to secularisation?

Answer 23

Many churches have softened their views on divorce and divorcees.

Question 24

What do functionalist sociologists like FLETCHER argue is a major cause of rising divorce rates?

Answer 24

The higher expectations people place on marriage today.

Question 25

What is the ideology of romantic love, and how does it relate to divorce?

Answer 25

It is the belief that marriage should be based solely on love and that if love dies, there is no justification for remaining married, leading to higher divorce rates.

Question 26

How did past economic reasons for marriage differ from today’s expectations?

Answer 26

In the past, marriages were often contracted for economic reasons or out of duty to one’s family, with lower expectations about marriage as a romantic union.

Question 27

Despite high divorce rates, what optimistic view do functionalists like FLETCHER hold?

Answer 27

They point to the continuing popularity of marriage and the high rate of re-marriage after divorce.

Question 28

Despite high divorce rates, what optimistic view do functionalists like FLETCHER hold?

Answer 28

They point to the continuing popularity of marriage and the high rate of re-marriage after divorce.

Question 29

What do feminist critics argue is the main cause of marital conflict and divorce?

Answer 29

The oppression of women within the family.

Question 30

What do feminist critics argue is the main cause of marital conflict and divorce?

Answer 30

The oppression of women within the family.

Question 31

How has women’s increased financial independence affected divorce rates?

Answer 31

Improvements in women’s economic position have made them less financially dependent on their husbands, making them freer to end unsatisfactory marriages.

Question 32

What changes have occurred in women’s employment and education that contribute to their financial independence?

Answer 32

1. The proportion of women working has risen.
2. Equal pay and anti-discrimination laws have narrowed the pay gap.
3. Girls’ greater success in education has led to better-paid jobs.

Question 33

What do ALLAN and CROW argue about the economic basis of marriage today?

Answer 33

“Marriage is less embedded within the economic system,” meaning spouses are not as economically dependent on each other as in the past.

Question 34

What is the feminist view on the “dual burden” for married women today?

Answer 34

Married women are required to take on paid work in addition to performing domestic labour, creating a new source of conflict with their husbands.

Question 35

How does HOCHSCHILD view the impact of women’s paid work on marriage stability?

Answer 35

She argues that women’s work outside the home can make marriage less stable due to men’s resistance to doing housework and the lack of time for emotion work.

Question 36

According to SIGLE-RUSHTON, which mothers are more likely to divorce?

Answer 36

Mothers who have a dual burden of paid work and domestic work.

Question 37

What is the ‘individualisation thesis’ as argued by sociologists like BECK and GIDDENS?

Answer 37

In modern society, traditional norms lose their hold, and individuals pursue their own self-interest, making relationships more fragile and increasing divorce rates.

Question 38

What is GIDDENS’ concept of the ‘pure relationship’?

Answer 38

A relationship that exists solely to satisfy each partner’s needs, without a sense of duty, tradition, or for the sake of the children.

Question 39

How does modern society encourage individualism and how does this affect marriage?

Answer 39

Modern society encourages people to follow their own self-interest and pursue individual career ambitions, which can cause conflicts and contribute to marital breakdown.

Question 40

How does the New Right view a high divorce rate?

Answer 40

The New Right sees a high divorce rate as undesirable because it undermines marriage and the traditional nuclear family, which they regard as vital to social stability.

Question 41

What negative effects does the New Right attribute to a high divorce rate?

Answer 41

They believe it creates a growing underclass of welfare-dependent female lone parents, leaves boys without adult male role models, and results in poorer health and educational outcomes for children.

Question 42

How do feminists view a high divorce rate?

Answer 42

Feminists see a high divorce rate as desirable because it shows that women are breaking free from the oppression of the patriarchal nuclear family.

Question 43

What do postmodernists and the individualisation thesis say about a high divorce rate?

Answer 43

They see a high divorce rate as indicating that individuals now have the freedom to end a relationship when it no longer meets their needs and as a major cause of greater family diversity.

Question 44

What is the functionalist perspective on a high divorce rate?

Answer 44

Functionalists argue that a high divorce rate is not necessarily a threat to marriage as a social institution but rather the result of higher expectations of marriage today.

Question 45

What evidence do functionalists say to show people’s continuing commitment to marriage?

Answer 45

The high rate of re-marriage shows people’s continuing commitment to the idea of marriage.

Question 46

What do interactionists aim to understand about divorce?

Answer 46

Interactionists aim to understand what divorce means to the individual, recognizing that each person’s interpretation of it is different.

Question 47

How do MITCHELL and GOODY illustrate the varying personal impacts of divorce?

Answer 47

They provide examples of interviewees with contrasting experiences: one described her father’s departure as the best day of her life, while another never recovered from her father’s desertion.

Question 48

What does the PLP say about the effects of divorce?

Answer 48

The PLP accepts that divorce can cause problems, such as financial difficulties and lack of daily contact between children and non-resident parents, but argues that family life can adapt to it.

Question 49

How does SMART view divorce in the context of family life?

Answer 49

SMART argues that divorce has become ‘normalised’ and should be seen as just ‘one transition amongst others in the life course,’ rather than a major social problem.