Marriage Flashcards
What trends have occurred in UK marriage over the last 100 years?
First marriages have decreased - from 480,000 in 1972 to 175,000 in 2012
Remarriages have increased - in 2012, 1/3 of marriages were remarriages
People are marrying later - average first marriage age rose 7 years between 1971 and 2012
Couples are less likely to marry in a religious context - from 60% in 1981 to 30% in 2012
What are the 4 factors which contribute towards the trends in marriage?
Secularisation
Decline in stigma to alternatives
Changing position of women
Fear of divorce
How has secularisation contributed to the trends in marriage?
People no longer feel they need to get married for religious reasons. They are freer to choose the kind of relationship they would like
How can we evaluate secularisation as a reason for the trends in marriage?
The majority of first marriages still take place in a religious context, suggesting that religion is still important to people’s marriages or lives as a whole
How has a decline in stigma to alternatives contributed to the trends in marriage?
It is now more acceptable to cohabitate, remain single, and have children outside of marriage. Therefore people no longer feel the need to get married so strongly
How can we evaluate a decline in stigma to alternatives as a reason for the trends in marriage?
Most couples who cohabit do tend to get married later in life. Cohabitation is seen as a stepping stone before marriage, rather than an alternative to marriage altogether
How has the changing position of women contributed to the trends in marriage?
Many women are now financially independent from men thanks to better education and career prospects. This means they don’t need to get married to become financially stable, as they did in the past
McRobbie’s and Sue Sharpe’s studies both provide evidence for this
How can we evaluate the changing position of women as a reason for the trends in marriage?
Women becoming financially stable/meeting their career goals doesn’t mean they don’t want to get married, it simply suggests they are getting married later in life
How has fear of divorce contributed to the trends in marriage?
Some people fear divorce, or have seen the negative impacts of divorce in others, so don’t want to get married in the first place. These impacts could be financial, emotional, stigma-related, or other
How can we evaluate fear of divorce as a reason for the trends in marriage?
Remarriage statistics go against this idea. They show that remarriages are on the increase, showing that people who have been through divorce clearly don’t think it’s bad enough to avoid marriage entirely
What was McRobbie’s study?
She looked at what girls’ magazines were encouraging girls to do in the 1970s and 1990s.
1970s: become a housewife, get married, have kids
1990s: have a career, work hard, achieve personal goals
What was Sue Sharpe’s study?
She interviewed young girls in the 1970s and 1990s about their life aspirations.
1970s: become a housewife, get married, have kids
1990s: have a career, work hard, achieve personal goals
