Marrige, Divorce, And Cohabitation 9F Flashcards
When was civil partnerships introduced for gay couples ?
2004
When was same sex marriage introduced ?
2014
Why has marriage decreased ?
Change in attitudes- less pressure to Marry and more freedom of individuals to choose their relationships.
Secularisation - religion is less influential in the UK. People feel freer to choose today, than in the past
Declining Stigma - remaining single or having children outside of marriage are considered acceptable
Changes in the position of women - less economically dependent on men - wider career prospects and opportunities
Fewer of divorce - some people may be put off marriage from the rising divorce rate
Other changes in the patterns of marriage
Remarriage - rise in divorce
Age on marrying - young people in education for longer, establish a career first, cohabit first
Church weddings - secularisation and many churches refuse to marry divorcees
How many marriages in 2018 were between same sex couples
6,925
How many same sex couples currently cohabit, what % has this increased by ?
232,000 currently co habit
Increased by 50% by 2022 from 2019
How many straight couples in Britain are currently cohabiting
Nearly 3 million
As of 2020 what is the fastest cohabiting family type in the uk ?
Heterosexual cohabiting couple families at 3.2 million
Reasons for the increase in cohabitation
Decline in stigma attached to sex outside marriage
Young are more likely to accept cohabitation - 88% of 18-24 year olds believed it okay for people to live together without being married compared to 40% over 65
Women have less need for financial security - compared to the past women have more freedoms allowing them to opt for cohabitation
Secularisation - decline in influence of religion
What does Coast 2006 say about cohabitation
75% of cohbaiting couples expect to marry each other
Chester 1985
For most people cohabitation is part of the process of getting married
Since when has divorce rates started to decline
1970’s
In 2019 how many divorces were there between straight couples
107,600
What was the divorce rate
8.9 dovirces per 100,000 couples
Reasons for increase in divorce: changes in law
Legal aid was introduced for divorce in 1949 which made it cheaper.
The Divorce Reform Act 1971 - no longer had to prove there had been a ‘marital offence’ committed making divorce easier to obtain
Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 removed the requirement to apportion blame for the breakdown of
Reasons for increase in divorce: expansion of welfare benefits
Benefits for single parents have increased along with child support Agency to ensure absent parents contribute to their children.
Single parents (often women) have more financial security after divorce than previously
Reasons for increase in divorce: the rise in individualism
Traditional norms such as lifelong marriage have declined in importance. Meaning individuals are freer to persue their own self-interests
People are less likely to stay unfulfilled relationships and seek out a ‘pure relationship’ (Giddens)
What does the new right have to say about divorce
High divorce rates create a problem for society - leads to more single parents creating a welfare dependency
Two parent households are more effective at rearing stable children
Benson argues that marriage is more stable than cohabitation. The rate of marriage breakups is lower than the rate of cohabitation couples break up. New right says this is because marriage requires a deliberate commitment
