Family - Marital Breakdown Flashcards
What are 3 different forms of marital breakdown
divorce
separation
empty-shell marriage
What is divorce
legal ending of a marriage
What is separation
agree to live apart after the breakdown of a marriage and people who have religious or moral obligations to divorce may elect to separate instead
What is empty sell marriage
stay together in name only e.g. no longer in love and just for the children and there are no reliable estimates of the number of empty shell marriages as it is hard to operationalise any definition of empty shell marriages
Give patterns in divorce before 2010
divorces are increasing from 60,000 in 1970 to 180,000 in 1993 by 200 it had fallen but then rise
divorce rate risen 5.9 in 1974 - 14.2 In 1994
2005-2009 saw a gradual decline to 10.5
Give patterns in divorce after 2010
- age of divorce M(43.5) F(41)
- marriage duration - 11.4 years
- 1/3 of marriages at least 1 partner had been widowed or divorced
- 67% of divorce were initiated and awarded by women , 33% men
What couples are at greater risk
marry young
child before marry or cohabit before marriage
where one or both partners had been married before
What do New right sociologists argue on stats
that the rising divorce statistics are a symptom of serious crisis in the family
What do New right sociologists claim
easy accessibility of divorce - people are no longer as committed
direct relationship between divorce, one-parent families and anti-social behaviour among the young
people who experience divorce of their parents suffer from a range of problems as they get oder such as prone to crime and unemployment and experience divorce when they marry
Who looks at this clam made by new right sociologists :
people who experience divorce of their parents suffer from a range of problems as they get oder such as prone to crime and unemployment and experience divorce when they marry
Rodgers and Pryor
Flouri and Buchanan’s
What did Rodgers and Pryor
find
children from separated families are more likely than children from 2 parent families to suffer behavioural problems, underachieve at school , become sexually active, become pregnant, smoke, drink,do drugs and when adults more likely to experience poverty
What did Flouri and Buchanan’s find
stay of 17,000 children divorced but father still involved = child more successful in education and continued to seek educational opportunities in adult life.
Less likely to be in trouble with the police and less likely to be homeless
children grow up to enjoy more stable and satisfying relationships however they found if the conflict continued after divorce between parents children could become vulnerable to mental health problems
Give 5 reasons for why divorce rate is increasing
- changes in divorce law
- changes in social attitudes
- secularisation
- decline of extended families and community controls
- recession
Explain secularisation for why divorce rate is increasing
Gibson divorce is no longer associated with stigma and shame due to secularisation which has loosened rigid morality
many churches have also begun to soften their views on divorce and divorcees
Explain recession for why divorce rate is increasing
couples who experience poverty because of unemployment have higher divorce rates than other social groups
unemployment and downturns in the housing market can cause family instability
Explain decline of extended families and community controls for why divorce rate is increasing
close nit communities and extended families exerted pressure on couples to stay together
the view that divorce can lead to greater happiness is more acceptable and even more so if it is escaping from an abusive relationship
Goode divorce increased as nuclear family has become more isolated from extended kin which may have acted as peace makers
Geographical mobility - divorce may be the outcome of couples no longer having family nearby to hep them cope or resolve marital problems
Who looked at the postmodern approaches to divorce and what did they argue
Beck and Beck-Gernsheim argue the modern world is characterised by individualisation, choice and conflict
Explain individualisation as a postmodernist view to divorce
we now have the freedom to pursue individual goals making people more selfish - they put there own interests before those of others
Explain choice as a postmodernist view to divorce
cultural and economic changes mean that we have a greater range of choices available to us in terms of lifestyle and living arrangements
Explain conflict as a postmodernist view to divorce
There is now potential conflict between men and women because there is a natural clash between the selfishness encouraged by selflessness required by relationships , marriage and family life
However what do Beck and Beck-Gernsheim say about the future of marriage
People still generally want to find love with others in order to help them cope with a risky, rapidly changing word
in particular love helps compensate for the stress and particularly the impersonal and uncertain nature of the modern world.
Conclusions of divorce
divorce trends suggest monogamy will be replaced by serial monogamy
however new right also mention panic about divorce is over exaggerated as although 4/10 marriages tend in divorce, 6/10 succeed and over 75% of children living with both natural parents who are legally married and so showing society still places a high value on marriage
Explain changes in divorce law as to why divorce rate is increasing
1857 Matrimonial Causes Act = matrimonial offence
1950 Divorce Law added mental cruelty + desertion
1969 Divorce reform act
1984 Divorce Law Act
1996 Family Law Act
2004 Civil Partnership Act
