Topic 5- Changing Family Patterns: Increase in divorce Flashcards
Three kinds of change in the law
- Equalising the grounds for divorce between the sexes.
- Widening the grounds for divorce.
- Making dirvorce cheaper.
What happened to the divorce petitions in 1923?
As a result of the grounds being equalised for men and women, there was a sharp rise in the number of divorce petitions from women.
How did the changes in law in 1971 affect divorce rates?
As a result of widening of the grounds in 1971 to ‘irretrievable breakdown’, divorce was easier to obtain and this made divorce rates double almost overnight.
What else can couples do to solve the problem of an unhappy marriage?
- Desertion, where one partner leaves the other buy the couple remain legally married
- Legal separation, where a court separates the financial and legal affairs
of the couple but where they remain married and are not free to re-marry - ‘Empty shell’ marriage, where the couple continue to live under the same roof but remain married in name only.
What is stigma?
The negative label, social disapproval or shame attached to a person, action or relationship.
How have some churches responded to divorce/ divorcees
They tend to condemn divorce and often refuse to conduct marriage service involving divorcees.
What did Mitchell and Goody (1997) find?
They noted that an important change since the 1960s has been the rapid decline in stigma attached to divorce.
As stigma declines and divorce becomes more socially acceptable, couples become more willing to resort to divorce as a means of solving their marital problems.
In turn, the fact divorce is now more common begins to ‘normalise’ it and reduces the stigma attached to it. Rather than being seen as shameful, today it’s more likely to be regarded simply as a misfortune.
What is secularisation?
It is the declining influence of religion in society.
How do Catholic Churches respond to divorce?
Catholic churches do not recognise divorce as they believe marriage continues forever in the eyes of God.
What did Wilson (2015) find about church attendance in Britain?
That only 5% of the population still attend church on a Sunday.
What have other sociologists found about religion?
That religious institutions and ideas are losing their influences thus making society more secular. For example, church attendance rates continue to decline.
What’s happened as a result of secularisation?
The tradition opposition of the churches to divorce carries less weight in society and people are less likely to be influenced by religious teachings when making decisions about personal matters- like whether to file fir divorce or not.
What have many churches begun to do?
They have begun to soften their views on divorce and divorcees. Some suggest this is because they have fears of losing credibility with large sections of the public and with their own members.
What reason did functionalist Fletcher (1966) give for a cause in rising divorce rates?
Fletcher argued that the higher expectations people place on marriage today are a major cause of rising divorce rates. This is because it means couples are less willing to tolerate an unhappy marriage.
What is romantic love, and how is it different to the past?
Romantic love is the belief that marriage should be based solely on love and that each individual has their soulmate out there. It follows that if love dies, there is no reason to remain married so you should divorce in search if you’re true soulmate.
This is different to the last because individuals had no choice in who they married, as often marriage was seen as something for economic reason or out of duty to one’s family. This congrats todays high expectations of marriages as they entered them with lower cele at jonás meaning they were less likely to be dissatisfied by the absence of romance and intimacy.
