Marital breakdown

Question 1

Why is the divorce rate increasing?

Answer 1

1) Changes in the law e.g 1984 divorce reforms act
2) Changes to social attitudes towards women
3) Rising expectations of marriage – Functionalists say divorce rates have increased because of couples expecting more
4) Growing secularization – led to marriages becoming less sacred and important
5) The growth of the privatized nuclear family – The increase in privatization of families has led to much less support and advice for a couple having issues.

Question 2

What is an empty shell marriage?

Answer 2

When a husband and wife stay together in name only

Question 3

What’s the postmodernist approach to divorce?

Answer 3

Beck argues that rising divorce rates are a product of the rapidly changing world where traditional views on romance don’t exist.

Question 4

What do postmodernists think the modern world is characterised by?

Answer 4

Individualisation- freedom to pursue own careers with less pressure from peers
Choice-cultural and economic changes mean greater choices
Conflict-Natural clash of interests

Question 5

key statistics on divorce?

Answer 5

the mean (average) age of divorce for men was 43.4 and for women it was 41 
average duration was 11.4 years

Question 6

what is the new right argument for divorce?

Answer 6

• due to availability of divorce people are no longer as committed to relationships
• it is argued that children who experience the divorce of their parents are more likely to have problems that then leads to them having problems with relationships when they are older

Question 7

what are some examples of changes in divorce law?

Answer 7

• 1984 divorce reform act reduced the time before divorce could be petitioned for from 3 years to 1
• 1949 legal aid became available to finance divorce making it more affordable
• 1969 divorce law reform act removed the idea that one person had to be found guilty of adultry

Question 8

What are some of the trends of marriage?

Answer 8

• only 32% of marriages involved religious based ceremony

- 1972 was the year with the highest number of marriages due ti baby boom generation of 1950

Question 9

What do New right thinkers see the decline in marriage as a threat to?

Answer 9

• Health of nuclear family
• decline in BR
• increase in divorce

Question 10

Why do the New right fear that marriage statistics are exaggerated?

Answer 10

1) People are delaying marriage rather than rejecting it, it is still regarded as a life goals and people still want a family
2) Women are delaying marriage as they want to develop carers and have financial freedom