Marriage and marital breakdown Flashcards
Quick info
> Most people continue to marry at some point in their lives.
number of re-marriages is also very high
average age for first marriage for women is 30
men marry at 32
cohabitation procedes marriage in most cases
Why do people cohabit before marriage?
> changing attitudes towards marriage have emerged over time
marriage is expensive, better to cohabit.
Secularisation in society
there are now alternatives to marriage to choose from.
peoples fear of divorce may deter from marriage.
changing values in society
EVALUATION - have attitudes changed that much? most people still have the desire to marry.
Secularisation
> there has been a decline in number of religious beliefs
most religion says marriage is important
pre-marital sex was stigmatised however it isnt anymore due to less religion and more open-minded thoughts about marriage.
EVALUATION - is secularistion really having a powerful impact on marriage? many people choose to marry or not if they are religious or not.
Also ethnic minority groups religious beliefs are still strong, not good to make generalisations.
Sue Sharpe (1976)
> 1970s - interview year 11 girls about future aspirations.
they prioritised becoming wives, mothers
1990s - interview again
she found that they care more about a career than a husband
this shows a huge shift in girls priorities.
Rising divorce rates
> become more socially acceptable over the years and have increased.
consequence of high divorce rates is it will put young peope off wanting to marry. this can explain falling rates of marriage.
same-sex marriage
> been able to enjoy civil partnerships since 2005
same-sex couples have same rights.
BBC radio 4 - did an opinion poll on introduction of same-sex marriages, 68% agreed with it and 26% opposed it. Found that younger people are more accepting of it.
Sociological views of marriage
> functionalist and new right believe marriage is very important, keeping families stable and society stable.
feminists are less supportive as they believe marriage is patriarchal institution that oppresses and exploits women
Secularisation on divorce
declining influence of religion = growing divorce rates.
> religion said that contemplating divorce was a very negative thing to do.
> divorce was a sin
> couples care less about religion, meaning they divorce regardless
EVALUATION - secularisation doesnt explain the original causes of divorce, it is not clear that secularisation caused divorce.
> not all groups experience secularisation and still get a divorce despite being religious
Allan and Crow (2001)
relationships see marriage as a “relationship, not a contract” - they dont see it as themselves entering a contract, but rather a satisfying relation ship,.
> when feelings are absent, couples believe they should divorce
> as society normalises divorce people dont worry about doing it.
Changes in law
1969 Divorce Reform act - removed the need for a matrimonial offence to be proven, such as adultery.
EVALUATION - Change in law allows people to divorce, it doesn’t give a reason for it to be requested.
