Marriage / Divorce

Question 1

(stat) Increase in divorce

Supporting statistics

Answer 1

Around 40% of marriages end in divorce
1961-1969- divorces doubled
2012= 118,000, 6x higher than 1961

Question 2

Explanations for rise in divorce

Supporting statistic

Answer 2

Changes in Law
Declining stigma (Mitchell +Goody 1997)
Secularisation
Rising marriage expectations (Fletcher 1966)
Womens increased financial independence

53% women in paid work 1971, 72% 2020

Question 3

Postmodernist expanation for rising divorce

Answer 3

Traditional norms breakdown, individuals free to pursue self interest
-Relationships more fragile
-Seek a pure relationship, fulfilling needs not traditional wants

Giddens (1992)- Individualisation thesis

Question 4

Reasons for declining marrige

Supporting statistic
Contradicting group

Answer 4

Changing attitudes
Secularisation
Declining stigma
Changing womens position
Fear of divorce

2012 only 42%

1989 70% thought marrige = kids
South Asian families

Question 5

Increase in Cohabitation

Spporting theorist

Answer 5

-3.5million couples
-20% serial cohabitants (repeated)
-Many see t as a stepping stone, trial marrige

Coast (2006)- 75% have plans to marry

Question 6

Other family types

Supporting statistic

Answer 6

Chosen families- Weeks (1999)
LATs- Duncan and Phillips (2013)
Same sex- 7% adult population

LATs account for 50% ‘single’ people (4million)