PAPER 2 (Families - marriage, divorce THEORIES) Flashcards
Bernard
In marriage there is ‘his’ and ‘hers’ and men get more out of marriage. Which equals in them living longer.
Divorce reform act 1969.
You do not have to prove any matrimonial offence. It is whether or not you can prove your marriage has irretrievably broken down.
Jeff Bezos and Mackenzie
Bezos’ net worth is $137bn
Divorced after 25 years
If the APR applied, she would get half the money.
She didn’t.
2007 Appeal court ruling
If you get divorced, you split the money equally.
Fletcher
Divorce rates are a positive sign of marriage as it shows people don’t put up with being unhappy.
Beck and Giddens
Argue that traditional norms have weakened. People are free to pursue self-interests. Now, relationships are more fragile because we stay with someone as long as they make us happy. Giddens calls these relationships ‘pure love’
Functionalist view on divorce
It doesn’t threaten marriage - suggests people have high standards.
Postmodernist view on divorce
Increase in divorce is a good thing, people are able to choose relationship best for them.
New right view on divorce
Increase in divorce is bad. Creates lone-parent families and lack male role-models.
Feminist view on divorce
It is good. Women are able to break away from the male-dominated nuclear family.
PLP view on divorce
Interested in what divorce means for each individual. For some it is positive; some negative.
Wedding ceremonies in 1981 versus 2012
1981 - 60% of weddings had a religious ceremony.
2012 - 30% of weddings had a religious ceremony.
Average cost of a wedding in 2018:
£30,000
How many marriages were 2nd or 3rd marriages & how many adults in England & Wales are married?
- 1/3 marriages were 2nd or 3rd marriages.
- 1/2 of adults in England and wales are married.
What percentage of young people who aren’t religious are married?
3%
Percentage of people who think you should marry before having children in 1989 and in 2012:
- 70% of people thought you should be married before having children in 1989.
- 42% believed this in 2012.
Coast
Says that 75% of couples expect to marry who are cohabiting.
Bejin
Young people see marriage as old-fashioned and patriarchal
2002
2003
2013
2002 - same-sex couples allowed to adopt.
2003 - section 28 was repealed.
2013 - gay marriage is legal.
New Right
Oppose same-sex relationships. They think that children need male and female role-models & those in non-nuclear families are inadequately socialised.
Weeks - Chosen families
Argues that LGBT people have created families of choice that are kinship networks rather than being based on traditional heterosexual nuclear families.
Einasdottir
Same-sex couples are reluctant to adopt heterosexual norms.
Patterns of one-person households:
3 in 10 households contain only 1 person.
How many women are childless?
1 in 5
How many children are in lone-parent families?
25%
Renvoize
Found that professional women were able to support their children without a fathers involvement.
New Right (Rodger’s and Pryor)
Found that children of divorced parents are less likely to gain educational qualifications; more likely to leave home and become a parent at a young age.
Berthoud
Individualism - Black women place higher value on independence than white women.
Bollard
British Asian families stick together because of poverty and racism.
Parsons - extended families in modern society.
It isn’t beneficial to society as families need geographical and social mobility.
Charles - extended families
Studied Swansea in 2008, found classic 3 generation family is ‘all but extinct’ (very nearly extinct)
