Partnerships

Question 1

Describe a change in the pattern of marriage in recent year

Answer 1

Fewer people are marrying and marriage rates are their lowest, with 175,000 first marriages in 2012, while a third of all marriages were re-marriages in 2012

Question 2

Outline the reasons for changing patterns of marriage

Answer 2

• Changing attitudes to marriage
• Secularisation
• Declining stigma attached to alternative to marriage
• Changes in the position of women
• Fear of divorce

Question 3

Describe changing attitudes to marriage as a reason for changing patterns

Answer 3

• There’s less pressure to marry and more freedom for people to chose the type of relationships they want
• The quality of a couple’s relationships is now more important than its legal status so it’s the norm that everyone has to get married has weakened

Question 4

Describe secularisation as a reason for changing patterns

Answer 4

• Churches are in favour of marriage but as their influences declines, people are freer to choose to not marry
• e.g. the 2001 Census shows only 3% of young people with no religion were married

Question 5

Describe declining stigma attached to alternative to marriage as a reason for changing patterns

Answer 5

Cohabitation, remaining single and having children outside marriage are more acceptable, so pregnancy doesn’t lead to marriage

Question 6

Describe changing in the position of women as a reason for changing patterns

Answer 6

• Women have better career prospects so they’re less economically dependent on men, giving them more freedom to not marry
• The feminist view hat marriage is a patriarchal institution may dissuade some women from marrying

Question 7

Describe fear of divorce as a reason for changing patterns

Answer 7

With the rising divorce rate, some are put off marrying as they see the increased likelihood of marriage ending in divorce

Question 8

Describe other changing in patterns of marriage

Answer 8

• There are more remarriages, as there’s an increase in divorces
• The age of marrying is rising as young people are postponing it to spend longer in education and establish their careers first, and they spend longer cohabiting first
• There are less church weddings due to secularisation and many churches refuse to marry divorcees.

Question 9

What is cohabitation?

Answer 9

An unmarried couple in a sexual relationship living together (this is on the rise in family types)

Question 10

Describe the reasons for the increase in cohabitation

Answer 10

• Due to the decline in stigma attached to sex outside of marriage, e.g. 2012 65% of people believed premarital sex isn’t wrong
• Increased career opportunities for women means they have less need for the financial security of marriage are more able to cohabit
• Secularisation means young people with no religion are more likely to cohabit

Question 11

Describe the relationship between cohabitation and marriage

Answer 11

• Cohabitation is increasing while marriage decreases, but this relationship isn’t clear-cut
• For some, cohabitation is a step to getting married and see it as a trial marriage while for others it’s a permanent alternative to marriage
• e.g. Coast found 75% of cohabitating couples say they expect to marry each other while Bejin argues cohabitation for young people represents an attempt to create a more personal relationship than a patriarchal marriage