Gilhespy: Patterns and trends relating to marriage.

Question 1

What are the four main patterns and trends relating to marriage?

Answer 1

1) fewer people are marrying
2) Remarriages are increasing
3) People are marrying later
4) civil ceremonies have increased.

Question 2

Trend: Fewer people are marrying.
Explain the reason - Changing role of women

Answer 2

With the rise of second- and third-way feminism, women’s career aspirations have increased. Greater involvement in higher education and challenging for higher status positions in organisations has meant that for many women, career has become a priority over getting married and having a family. While the idea of marriage has not been replaced, many women are choosing to become financially independent before entering a marriage, and this has been accelerated by their career aspirations.

Question 3

Trend: Fewer people are marrying.
Explain the reason - Changing social attitudes

Answer 3

In contemporary society, there are many different alternatives to traditional marriage, such as cohabitation or living together apart relationships. These have developed as a response to changes in social attitudes. Greater reflexivity in society means people question their choices and look to improve themselves, rather than look for a family unit. In contemporary society, people look to replace the security and stability of romantic love with the freedom and personal satisfaction of confluent love and serial monogamy. This leads to people opting for a series of relationships rather than one lifelong relationship.

Question 4

Trend: Fewer people are marrying.
Explain the reason - Secularisation

Answer 4

The process of secularisation has impacted on the decline of marriage. More people are moving away from the collective morality of religious Institutions and instead basing their decisions on their own moral codes. This has led to a decline in the stigma attached to living together before marriage or being single for a longer period of time. In 2017, only 23% of weddings were in religious premises, others being destination weddings or civil ceremonies.

Question 5

Trend: Fewer people are marrying.
Explain the reason - Rising divorce and the insecurity of relationships

Answer 5

Many people wait to get married to ensure the person they intend to be with is the person for them. Rise in divorce rates and the perception of relationships being more fragile in contemporary society has led to people wanting to control the emotional risks of a relationship ending, either by choosing not to commit to a long-term relationship or to adopt other alternatives (LATs or cohabitation).

Question 6

Trend: Remarriages are increasing
Explain the reason - Divorce increase

Answer 6

The amount of remarriages is increasing due to the number of divorces increasing. The rising number of divorces provide a supply of people who are now available to marry.

Question 7

Trend: People are marrying later
Explain the reason - Women focusing more on their education and careers

Answer 7

With the rise of second- and third-way feminism, women’s career aspirations have increased. Greater involvement in higher education and challenging for higher status positions in organisations has meant that for many women, career has become a priority over getting married and having a family. This may mean women want to become financially independant before marrying, postponing marriage until later on in their lives.

Question 8

Trend: People are marrying later
Explain the reason - Cohabitation before marriage

Answer 8

Today, many couples view cohabitation as a stepping stone to marriage - an important part of the process. It is seen as a short-term premarital relationship, where a couples compatibility can be tested before they decide legally commit to each other.

Question 9

Trend: Civil ceremonies have increased
Explain the reason - Secularisation

Answer 9

As religious institutions and values have less influence in todays society, people are increasingly choosing to opt for civil ceremonies because they do not see the relevance of religious ceremonies.

Question 10

Trend: Civil ceremonies have increased
Explain the reason - Churches refusing to remarry divorcees.

Answer 10

Churches refuse to marry divorcees. Divorcees now make up a growing proportion of those marrying. Divorcees may have less desire to get married in church.

Question 11

Give a statistic for the trend - Fewer people are marrying.

Answer 11

From 1992 to 2022, marriage rates have decreased by 20.8%.

Question 12

Give a statistic for the trend - Remarriages are increasing.

Answer 12

Among married adults older than age 50, the share in a remarriage increased from 19% in 1980% to 30% in 2015

Question 13

Give a statistic for the trend -
People are marrying later.

Answer 13

The average age for fist time marriage in 1971 was 25 for men and 23 for women. In 2012 it was 32 for men and 30 for women.

Question 14

Give a statistic for the trend - Civil ceremonies have increased.

Answer 14

In 1981, 60% of weddings were conducted with religious ceremonies, but 2022 this had fallen to 17%.

Question 15

Define Cohabitation:

Answer 15

When an unmarried couple in a sexual relationship live together.

Question 16

Trend: Cohabitation is increasing.
Explain the reason - Changes in the position of women.

Answer 16

In todays society, women have more career prospects and can be financially independent. There is a feminist view that marriage is an oppressive patriarchal institution, dissuading women from marrying. This means many women will choose to permanently cohabit instead.

Question 17

Give a statistic for the trend -
Cohabitation rates have increased.

Answer 17

In 1996, 2.9 million people aged 16-59 were cohabiting, by 2012 this had increased to 5.9 million.

Question 18

Trend: Cohabitation is increasing
Explain the reason - Secularisation

Answer 18

The churches are in favour of marriage but as religious values and influence decrease, people feel freer to choose not to marry. Young people with no religion are more likely to cohabit than those with a religion.

Question 19

Trend: Cohabitation is increasing
Explain the reason - Changing social attitudes and declining stigma.

Answer 19

Young people are much more likely to cohabit compared to older people and this can mean they are much more accepting. There is a decline stigma attached to sex outside of marriage. Therefore people feel more free in there decision to cohabit.

Question 20

Trend: Cohabitation is increasing
Explain the reason - Fear of divorce.

Answer 20

With rising divorce rates, some may be putting off marrying because they see the increased likelihood of marriage ending in divorce.

Question 21

Explain how cohabitation can be used as evidence for the declining popularity and social significance of marriage.

Answer 21

Barlow et al (2001) found that marriage has become more of a lifestyle choice than an expected part of life. Cohabitation can be viewed as a permanent alternative to marriage. This links to the post-modernist view, that greater freedom in society today means people should be able to satisfy their needs and wishes (cohabitation in this instance), instead of feeling the pressure to marry.

Question 22

The relationship between cohabitation and marriage…
Explain the view - Cohabitation as a permanent alternative to marriage.

Answer 22

Barlow et al (2001) found that marriage has become more of a lifestyle choice than an expected part of life. Cohabitation can be viewed as a permanent alternative to marriage. This links to the post-modernist view, that greater freedom in society today means people should be able to satisfy their needs and wishes (cohabitation in this instance), instead of feeling the pressure to marry.

Question 23

The relationship between cohabitation and marriage…
Explain the view - Cohabitation is a stepping stone to marriage.

Answer 23

Chester argued that in most cases, cohabitation is a temporary phase before marriage. Many couples nowadays choose to cohabit before marrying, so they can test their compatibility before legally committing to each other.

Question 24

Explain the view that New right members have on cohabitation:

Answer 24

They believe that this type of arrangement is too casual and does not involve the same sort of commitment and loyalty that marriage does. The new right emphasise the value of the traditional nuclear family, so they criticise cohabitation by saying either partner could leave at any time, creating ‘dysfunctional’ lone parent families.

Question 25

Explain the view that feminists have on cohabitation:

Answer 25

Feminsists like cohabitation because they do not believe should feel the pressure to follow typical societal norms. They believe that cohabitation suggests that there is more equal power in the relationship.

Question 26

Define serial monogamy:

Answer 26

The fact or custom of having a number of sexual relationships one after another, but never more than one at a time.

Question 27

Explain the factor influencing the likelihood of divorce: Age of marriage

Answer 27

The age at which people first marry has been increasing, and previous research in population trends has shown that those marrying when they are older have a lower risk of divorce

Question 28

Explain the factor influencing the likelihood of divorce: Year of marriage.

Question 29

Explain the factor influencing the likelihood of divorce: Whether married before.

Question 30

What was the legislation: Matrimonial causes act 1857
How has this contributed to an increase in divorce?

Answer 30

Matrimonial causes act of 1857 meant that divorce was available through the courts rather than having to obtain an act of parliament. This meant that divorce was no longer only available to the very wealthy.

Question 31

Divorce trend evaluation…
Why should divorce trends be treated with caution? Do they prove the declining importance of marriage in society?

Answer 31

Divorce statistics should be treated with caution and assessed against legal, financial, and social circumstances so that misleading conclusions about the declining importance of marriage are avoided. For example, an increase in divorce rates may simply reflect easier and cheaper divorce proceedings enabling the legal termination of already unhappy marriages, instead of an increase in marital breakdowns. (Basically, just because theres more divorces doesn’t mean theres an increase in the amount of marital breakdowns).

Furthermore, conclusions regarding the state of marriage cannot only be made with reference to divorce alone, but should also encounter the amount of remarriages. For example in 1996, there were nearly as many remarriages as divorces, showing that the importance of marriage is not declining, as people still choose to get married again after a marital breakdown.

Question 32

Trend: Divorce rates are increasing
Explain the reason - Changes in divorce legislation.

And provide a criticism of this explanation:

Answer 32

Changes in divorce law have generally made it easier and cheaper to end marriages: equalising grounds for divorce; widening the grounds for divorce; providing legal aid. For example, the Matrimonial causes act of 1857 meant that divorce was available through the courts rather than having to obtain an act of parliament. Previously people may have separated or remained in ‘empty-shell marriages’ , but now divorce is easier, so more people opt for it.

Criticism: It should be noted that although changes in legislation have given people greater freedom to divorce more easily, this does not explain why people choose to take advantage of this freedom. Other changes within society have affected divorce rates.

Question 33

Trend: Divorce rates are increasing
Explain the reason - Changing social attitudes.

Answer 33

Divorce is no longer associated with shame and stigma and is increasingly accepted as a fact of life. Since the 1960s norms and values associated with both marriage and divorce have relaxed and divorce has become more ‘normalised’. A long-term social trend is the shift away from monogamy to serial monogamy , as people are increasingly viewing monogamy as unrealistic, and putting less pressure on staying within a failing marriage.

Question 34

Trend: Divorce rates are increasing
Explain the reason - Secularisation

Answer 34

The decline in influence of religious beliefs and vows on large sections of the population means there a fewer people who believe that marriage has to be ‘till death do us apart’. This means less people feel pressured to stay in a failing marriage. Furthermore, many religions have softened their opposition to divorce. This may be because they do not want to lose credibility with such an increasing proportion of the population.

Question 35

Trend: Divorce rates are increasing
Explain the reason - Rising expectations in marriage

Answer 35

Social expectations of marriage have changes, and people demand higher standards partners - wanting sexual and emotional compatibility, equality and companionship. Now that divorce is more accepted within society, people are less likely to tolerate an unfulfilling relationship and stay in an empty shell marriage, so will opt for divorce instead. This links to the individualisation thesis, where individuals feel free to pursue their own self interest.

Question 36

Trend: Divorce rates are increasing
Explain the reason - Changing role of women.

Answer 36

Women’s expectation of marriage has drastically changes, and this reflects their improved status within society. These days women have much greater career prospects - they are more likely to be in paid work; the pay gap has narrowed; they have greater success in education. Therefore because they have greater economic dependance, they no longer feel pressured to stay in failing marriages because they are financially dependent.

Question 37

Explain the feminist explanation of divorce rates increasing:

Answer 37

Feminists say that women’s dual burden of paid work and domestic labour creates a new source of conflict which can lead to an increase in divorce rates. They argue that despite improvements in women’s career prospects, marriage is still patriarchal, with men benefitting from their domestic, emotional and paid work. Many women feel undervalued and there is less time and energy to address problems which may arise contributing to higher divorce rates.

Question 38

What are the four main patterns and trends relating to Childbearing?

Answer 38

• There is an increase in the number of children born outside of marriage
• Women are having children later
• Women are having fewer children
• More women are remaining childless

Question 39

Give a statistic for the trend -
There is an increase in the number of children born outside of marriage.

Answer 39

In 1961, 94% of births were registered to married couples. In 2022, the figure had decreased to 51%.

Extra info: 2022 was the first year that the number of live births registered outside of a marriage or civil partnership exceeded the number of births registered within a marriage or civil partnership since records began in 1845.

Question 40

Give a statistic for the trend -
Women are having children later

Answer 40

In 2012 the average age a women her first child was 28, by 2021 the average age of mothers who gave birth in England and Wales increased to 30.9.

Question 41

Give a statistic for the trend -
Women are having fewer children

Answer 41

The average number of children per woman in 1964 was 2.95, in 2021 it was 1.92.

Question 42

Give a statistic for the trend -
More women are remaining childless

Answer 42

In 2020, 18% of women reaching the age of 45 were childess.

Question 43

Trend: More children born outside of marriage
Explain the reason - Declining stigma

Answer 43

• People are becoming more accepting of children being born outside of marriage in society today. This means that people are no longer judged for having children ‘out of wedlock’, so feel more free to do so.

Question 44

Trend: More children born outside of marriage
Explain the reason - More people are cohabiting

Answer 44

• As the rates of couples cohabiting are increasing, more children are likely to be born to these cohabiting couples, due to their being a greater opportunity of them becoming pregnant before marrying.

Question 45

Trend: More children born outside of marriage.
Explain the reason - Changes in the role of women.

Answer 45

-Women have greater career prospects in society today, which incentivises them to focus on education and become economically independent. This means women are more likely to remain childless, to prioritise their career.

Question 46

Trend: Women are having children later
Explain the reason - Changes in the role of women.

Answer 46

-Women have greater career prospects in society today, which incentivises them to focus on education and become economically independent. This means women are more likely to establish themselves in a career before starting a family, meaning they have children later on in their lives.

Question 47

Trend: Women are having fewer children
Explain the reason - Changes in the role of women.

Answer 47

-Women have greater career prospects in society today, which incentivises them to focus on education and become economically independent. This means women are choosing to establish themselves in a career before starting a family, leaving less years of fertility because they want children later in life.

Question 48

Give the main pattern and trend for Single person households and living apart together -

Answer 48

-There has been a big increase in the number of people living alone

Question 49

Give a statistic for the trend-
There has been an increase in the number of people living alone

Answer 49

In 2006, almost 3 in 10 households contained only one person, nearly three times the figure for 1961.

Question 50

Trend: There has been an increase in the number of people living alone
Explain the reason - Increase in separation of divorce

Answer 50

The increase in separation and divorce has created more single person households, especially in men under 65. This is because, following a divorce, children are more likely to live with their mother. Their father is more likely to leave the family home and become a single person household for some time.

Question 51

Trend: There has been an increase in the number of people living alone
Explain the reason - Changes in marriage patterns

Answer 51

The decline in the numbers marrying, coupled with the trend towards people marrying later, means that more people are remaining single or experience some time living in a single person household.

Question 52

Trend: There has been an increase in the number of people living alone
Explain the reason - The ageing population

Answer 52

the ageing population explains the increase in single-person households over 65 due to people already living alone living longer, while the statistics still increase. There are more women living alone than men who are aged 65+, due to womens higher life expectancy.

Question 53

Trend: There has been an increase in the number of people living alone
Explain the reason - Choice

Give a criticism of this

Answer 53

A number of people in society are deliberately choosing to live alone, Stein (1976) calls his ‘creative singlehood’.

However, it is often assumed that pople living alone do not have a partner, which is not always the case as 1 in 10 adults are ‘living apart together’ - in a significant relationship just not living together.

Question 54

extra info.

Answer 54

It is thought that about half of all the people officially classified as single are LAT. It has been suggested that this reflects a trend towards less formalised relationships and ‘families of choice’. People may be actively choosing to live apart because: they want to keep their own home; of a previous troubled relationship; it was ‘too early’ to cohabit. however, it should not be noted that people may not live together because they cannot afford it.

Question 55

What are the main trends of reconstituted families:

Answer 55

-In most reconstituted families there is at least one child from the woman’s previous relationship.
-There has been an increase in the number of reconstituted families in the uk.
-a growing number of children experience co-parenting - where they spend part of the week with their mother/stepfather and the other part with their biological father.

Question 56

Give a statistic for the trend-
The amount of reconstituted families has increased.

Answer 56

Reconstituted families now account for 10% of all families with dependent children in Britain.

Question 57

Give a statistic to the trend -
In most reconstituted families there is at least one child from the woman’s previous relationship.

Answer 57

In 85% of reconstituted families, at least one child is from the woman’s previous relationship.

Question 58

Give a statistic to the trend- a growing number of children experience co-parenting - where they spend part of the week with their mother/stepfather and the other part with their biological father.

Answer 58

-In 2021, 12.6% reported staying at a second parent or guardians address for more than 30 days a year.

Question 59

Trend: In most reconstituted families there is at least one child from the woman’s previous relationship.
Explain the reason - Children usually remain with their mother.

Answer 59

• Women are more likely to take the main caring responsibilities for any children when relationships fail, and therefore become lone-parents. The courts usually provide the mother with custody of the children, a result of the widespread belief that women are by nature suited to a nurturing role. This means that in stepfamilies, more children come from the woman’s previous relationship.

Question 60

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Question 61

What are the main patterns and trends for Same-sex couples and families:

Answer 61

-

Question 62

Give a statistic for the trend -The amount of same-sex families has increased

Answer 62

There were estimated to be 217,000 same-sex couple families in the uk as of 2022, compared with only 16,000 in 1996.

Question 62

Give a statistic for the trend - The amount of same-sex couple families who are cohabiting has decreased.

Answer 62

In 2021, 60.4% of all same-sex families with children were cohabiting couples, a large decrease from 87.0%.

Question 63

Trend: The amount of same-sex couples has increased.
Explain the reason - changing social attitudes towards same-sex couples,

Answer 63

In recent years, society as a whole has had an increased acceptance of same-sex relationships. For example, in 2004, same-sex couples were given the same legal rights as married couples in respect of pensions, inheritance, tenancies and property, and in 2014 same-sex couples were allowed to marry. Opinion polls also show more tolerance of homosexuality.

Question 64

Trend: The amount of same sex families has increased.
Explain the reason - Changing social attitudes towards same-sex families.

Answer 64

-More recently, the campaign group stonewall has worked hard to ensure that all lesbian, gay and bisexual people have the same legal rights to parenthood as everyone else because they know that same-sex couples are just as capable of creating loving and supportive families. According to the British association for adopting and fostering, growing numbers of gay men and lesbians have been entering into joint adoption proceedings since adoption for same sex couples became legal in 2005, showing that same-sex couples feel more free and able to choose to start a family.

Question 65

What are the main trend regarding Lone-parent families and matrifocals?

Answer 65

-There has been an increase in the amount of lone-parent families
-Lone-parents are most likely to be headed by single mothers.

Question 66

Give a statistic for the trend: Lone-parents are most likely to be headed by single mothers.

Answer 66

-8 out of 10 lone-parent families are headed by single mothers.

Question 67

Give a statistic for the trend: There has been an increased in the amount of lone-parent families.

Answer 67

in 2022, there were 2.9million lone-parent families, a figure which has grown significantly from 1.7million in 2001.

Question 68

Trend: Lone-parents are most likely to be headed by single mothers.
Explain the reason - Changes in parental relationship status.

Answer 68

-in 2011, 51% of lone-parents with dependent children had never been married, meaning that single women were the biggest group of lone mothers. Furthermore, there has been an increase in cohabiting couples, and in 2010, 25% of live births in the uk were to cohabiting women. If these cohabiting relationships break down, then the mother is classed as ‘single’ rather than ‘divorced’

Question 69

Give three reasons for matrifocal lone-parent families:

Answer 69

1 - women are more likely to take on the main caring responsibilities for any children when relationships break down. This reflects the idea that women are more suited by nature to take on a nurturing role.
2- Divorce courts usually give custody of children to the mother
3- Research shows that in general men are less willing than women to give up work to care for children.

Question 70

What 3 things do conservatives think lone-parent families are:

Answer 70

-expensive
-dysfunctional
-lacking moral responsibility.

Question 71

Give some reasons for the link between: Low living standards and Lone-parent families

Answer 71

-lack of affordable childcare which prevents lone-parents from working.
-inadequate welfare benefits
-most lone-parents are women who earn less than men.
-failure of fathers to pay maintenance, especially if they have formed a second family.