Reasons for family diversity Flashcards
Marriage
-Only 32% of marriages involved a religious ceremony in 2004
-A drop of 56% of men ad 66% of women getting married since 2005
-Changing in attitudes and values- Gibson and secularisation, marriage vows are no longer sacred and traditional ideas such as life-long commitment are now seen as old fashioned
-Changing role of women- Sue Sharpe and feminism, change in female aspirations as women’ position in society has changed and now they have more freedom and choice, might choose to focus on their career and marrying might look as something that could hold them back.
-Individualisation- Beck & Beck post modernists, as people are becoming more focused on themselves as individuals they care more about their education, career, and finances, cohabitation being seen as an alternative to marriage, a wedding costa around 23k
Divorce
-1/7 divorces are caused by adultery
-13 divorces an hour in 2012 in the UK
-Changes in attitudes and values- Gibson and secularisation, not as much religious pressure to conform to rules and not sin, so more people act on free will and no prejudice on divorce anymore
-Changing role of women- Sharpe and feminism women no longer accept the empty shell marriages, or unhappy and abusive marriages and choose to divorce, additionally now most women have jobs so are financially independent and can afford to divorce.
-Individualisation- Beck and postmodernism, people started to put themselves first and find it easier to leave their marriage, people demand higher standard of marital behaviour.
Cohabitation
-Increased from 20% in 2011 to 24% in 2021 across all age groups
-1/6 couples cohabitated in 2022
-Change in attitudes and values- Gibson and secularisation, less religious guilt, people don’t wait until marriage, freely cohabitate with no pressure to get married as they don’t follow religion as much anymore.
-The changing role of women- Sharpe and feminism, women prefer to focus on their career and themselves so end up marrying later on but continue to cohabitate with their partner instead.
-Individualisation- Beck and postmodernism, people are focusing on themselves so an easier alternative for people to be together with marrying is cohabitation.
Birth rate- the no. of live births per 1000 of the population over a year
-0.86% decline in births since 2024
-2017, 1.9 children on average in UK
-Feminism- women focusing on career and leaving childbirth for later on, may become unfertile and not have children at all. Having children became expensive, easy availability for birth control, and a rise in voluntary childlessness.
Family size
-Average family size has remained the same for the past 10 years with 2.56 residents per household.
-Changes in external life circumstances such as break up, unemployment, career becoming a priority, negative experiences with child bearing
-Marriage patters reduced fertility
Age at marriage
-Men- 39, Women- 37
-Changing social norms made it so there has been les pressure for people to get married, people marry later on in life
-Cost of weddings has made marriage unappealing, many couples save u for marriage so have to wait longer
-Education- staying in education for longer and finding stable jobs afterwards takes longer, so marriage is delayed.
Mixed heritage or biracial families
-Platt, indicated that African Caribbean people are more likely than other ethnic groups to intermarry with members of other ethnicities. The number of mixed heritage children has grown considerably in recent years. Mixed children % has risen from 39% to 49%
Sexual diversity
-2004 civil partnership were introduced for same sex couples.
-Increase in same sex families because of changes in regulations. For example, the adoption and children Act 2002 gave same sex couples the right to adopt children.
Social class
-Social class variations in the quality of family relationships and lifestyles. For example, upper class family life may be very different to that experienced by middle class or working class families. Middle class parents are more child centred than working class, they take a greater interest in their children’s education and consequently pass on economic, social and cultural advantages that assist their children through the education system.
