Trends in marriage, divorce and household diversity in the UK

Question 1

Monogamy

Answer 1

Marriage between one man and one woman

Question 2

Polygyny

Answer 2

Man married to more than one wife at a time

Question 3

Polyandry

Answer 3

Where a woman is married to more than one husband at a time

Question 4

Marriage rate

Answer 4

Number of people per thousand of the single population getting married each year

Question 5

Marriage in summary

Answer 5

• Number of first marriages have been in decline since the 1970s
• 32% of marriages involved a religious ceremony in 2004
• 2008 figure were the lowest recorded since 862
• 67% of all marriages in 2008 were civil ceremonies

Question 6

Declining rate of marriage in summary

Answer 6

• People are delaying marriage
• Woman may be delaying marriage to concentrate on their careers
• 2/5 marriages are remarriages

Question 7

Reasons for the declining rate of marriage

Answer 7

• Changing attitudes
• Secularisation
• Declining stigma
• Fear of divorce
• Changing position of women in society

Question 8

Cohabitation

Answer 8

Living together in an intimate relationship without being married

Question 9

Cohabitation rates

Answer 9

• There has been an increase in cohabitation
• Among non married women ages under 60, 28%
• For men, 25%
• 1/6 couples cohabiting
• Higher proportions of divorced in GB cohabit
• May be transitional for some, leading to marriage
• 13% of people had had at least one cohabitating relationship

Question 10

Divorce

Answer 10

Legal ending of marriage

Question 11

Separation

Answer 11

Physical separation of spouses so that they live apart

Question 12

Empty shell marriage

Answer 12

Husbands and wives continue to live together and remain legally married but the relationship has broken down

Question 13

Facts about divorce

Answer 13

• 118,140 divorces in England in 2012
• Women granted 65% of all divorces in 2012
• 1/7divorces granted as a result of adultery
• Average age at divorce was 45 for men and 42 for women
• Most divorces were for first marriages
• 9% of couples had both been divorced people
• 42% of marriages end in divorce

Question 14

Recent trends in divorce

Answer 14

In 2006 divorce rate fell a second year and by 7% compared with 2005.

Question 15

Law that led to the change in divorce

Answer 15

Divorce Reform act, 1971 in which you didn’t have to prove why you are getting a divorce

Question 16

Serial divorce

Answer 16

1 in 5 men and women divorcing in 2006 had a previous marriage ending in divorce. This proportion has doubled in 25 years

Question 17

Divorce laws

Answer 17

• 1857, martimonial causes act
• 1969, divorce reform act, no fault divorce after 2 years of marriage, if mutually agreed
• 1984, matrimonial and family proceedings act
• 1996, divorce after one year of separation

Question 18

1969 divorce reform act

Answer 18

Introduced the no-fault divorce
Couples can quickly get divorced on the grounds that their marriage has irretrievably broken down

Question 19

Divorce and changes to the law

Answer 19

Clearly changes to the law have resulted in an increase in the divorce rate
But the divorce rate has risen at time when there have been no legislative changes
Legislative changes do not in themselves explain why more people choose to get divorced

Question 20

Changing attitudes in religion towards divorce

Answer 20

Can be regarded as sinful but with the decline in the influenced of religion this attitude is outdated
Catholic church does not recognise divorce
Note how divorce is still rarer amongst many ethnic groups where religion is stronger

Question 21

Over high expectations of marriage

Answer 21

Functionalists like Fletcher argue that people expect more out of marriage and family life than they used to.
Couples are no longer prepared to be part of empty of shell marriages. Therefore divorce is more common

Question 22

Anthony Giddens

Answer 22

Sees shift towards what he calls confluent love. This is in marked contrast and obligation as reflected in traditional marriage vows

Question 23

Changes in women position in society

Answer 23

3/4 of divorce applications come from women.
Women expect more out of marriage
Allan and Crowe suggest that opportunities for women have improved in the past 50 years

Question 24

Women and divorce

Answer 24

Feminists say that the increase in the divorce rate is a reflection in the divorce rate is a reflection of what is wrong with the traditional patriarchal marriage
Divorced men are more likely to re marry than divorced women
Gittins, this is because women are disillusioned with marriage

Question 25

Women and the labour market

Answer 25

Hart, says that the rise in the working women has put more strain on marriages
The increase in the divorce rate suggests that women want a better bargain out of marriage
Employment offers opportunities to live independently of men

Question 26

What would a functionalist say about divorce?

Answer 26

High divorce rate does not prove that marriage is under threat. If this is the case there would be no re marriages. The expectations of marriage have simply gotten higher

Question 27

What would feminists says about divorce?

Answer 27

They see high divorce rates as desirable because it shows women are breaking free from the oppression of patriarchy

Question 28

What would interactionisits say about divorce?

Answer 28

Every individuals experience is different
Mitchell and Goody, state one of their interviewees described the day her father left as the best day of her life. Another described it as the worst

Question 29

What would the new right say about divorce?

Answer 29

Divorce is undesirable as it breaks up the nuclear family
Divorce creates an underclass of welfare dependent female lone parents

Question 30

Divorce and children

Answer 30

New right see divorce as being detrimental to children and parents should stay together
Rodgers and Pryor argue that children of divorced parents experience more poverty, poor housing, behavioural problems, teenage pregnancy and educational underachievement

Question 31

Divorce and society

Answer 31

New right see high divorce rates resulting in female headed households one parent families as a threat to society
Morgan, sees a direct link between the divorce rates and an increase in the crime rates
Feminists challenge this idea as a backlash arguing it is the quality not quantity of parenting that matter

Question 32

Postmodern approach to divorce

Answer 32

Beck and Beck argue that rising divorce rates are the product of a rapidly changing changing world