Week 11 - Marriage and Divorce

Question 1

Who are the main authors of Marriage and Divorce?

Answer 1

Hewitt & Baxter 2005

Smart, C 2000

Question 2

What does Hewitt & Baxter 2005 theorise about in marriage and divorce?

Answer 2

The social correlates that determine the probability of marriage breakdown.

Question 3

According to Hewitt & Baxter 2005 what are the social correlates of marriage breakdowns?

Answer 3

• 1. Temporal à socio-historical context, social trends
• 2. life course à timing of specific life events that precede MB. Two groups:
  
  • A. family background
  • B. the measuring of relationship and fertility histories
• 3. Attitudinal à attitudes towards gender roles and religious beliefs.
• 4. economic factors à Husband’s lack of socio-economic resources, or wife’s access to resources that create destabilizing forces for marriage.

Question 4

Who is the other referred theorists in marriage breakdown?

Answer 4

Bracher et al. (1993):

Question 5

What are the temporal social correlates?

Answer 5

• Major social changes in contemporary times.
  
  • Legislative changes
  • Increased women work participation.
  • The generational historical context of morals, believes, values, and economic conditions.
• Marriage breakdown more evident in recent generations. Why?
  
  • Change in attitude towards marriage and divorce. à no fault ect..
  • Older generations less likely to divorce, but younger marriages have had shorter duration, thus less risk of separation

Question 6

According to who, what are the life courses and the correlates of marital breakdown in especially in relation to ‘Family Background’?

Answer 6

• A. Family background:
  
  • Life courses dependant on race and ethnicity.
  • Different divorce patterns according to immigration patterns and place of origin’s use of English language.

Question 7

According to who, what are the life courses and the correlates of marital breakdown in especially in relation to Relationships and fertility background?

Answer 7

• B. Relationship and fertility background
  
  • Age of marriage à reduced maturity when married younger
  • Cohabitation prior marriage
  • Premarital childbirth à unrealistic partnering
  • Post-marital childbirth à reduced likelihood of divorce.
  • Presence and ages of children
  • People’s whose parents separated during youth.

Question 8

Briefly explain the attitudinal factors and marital breakdown.

Answer 8

• Religious attitudes à gender roles
• Religious affiliation = strong negative association with marriage breakdown
• More religious = more traditional = stronger commitment to marriage.

Question 9

Explain the economic factors that correlates with marital breakdown.

Answer 9

• Increased marriage breakdown in Wester = overall improvement in women’s socioeconomic position of women.
• Women economic independence = confidence and removal of financial barriers of marriage breakdown
• The economic independence hypothesis

Question 10

According to Hewitt & Baxter what is the pattern of marriage breakdown over time?

Answer 10

• Probably of MB increases with marriage duration for both Males and Females (MF)
  
  • The cumulative effect of marriage breakdown adds up over time

Question 11

According to Hewitt & Baxter what is statistically important about the 25th year of marriage?

Answer 11

• Marriage Survival (MS) drops in the first 25 years à most MB happens in the 25^th year.
  
  • MS remains consistent after 35-40years of Marriage, not dropping below 67%

Question 12

According to Hewitt & Baxter what is the pattern of marriage breakdown between English and non-English speaking backgrounds?

Answer 12

• Women born overseas English-speaking country have 42% higher for MB than women boring in AUS. Where has women from NESB were least likely for MB
  
  • Explanation (Speculation) - different cultural expectation from NESB may put a strain, but ESB has fewer barriers for workforce participation.
  • Economic independence argument Women from ESB have a better position to economically cope to leave an unsatisfactory relationship.

Question 13

According to Hewitt, B, Baxter, J & Western what is significant about cohabitation?

Answer 13

• Cohabitation Before Marriage (CBM) = higher odds of MB for MF..
  
  • However, may not be significant as CBM is normalised as society progresses

Question 14

According to Hewitt, B, Baxter, J & Western what is significant about having children before marriage?

Answer 14

• Child before marriage (PMC(Pre married child)) = higher odds of MB of MF.
  
  • Interesting sidenote PMC/MEN = 63%+ of MB | PMC/WOMEN = 2.5 x ~63% of MB

Question 15

Hewitt, B, Baxter, J & Western, M 2005 finding on delayed marriages?

Answer 15

• Delayed marriage in age = 6 to 9% reduced of MB PER YEAR.
  
  • Young marriage age factors may diminish as the social trend towards older marriage age.

Question 16

Hewitt, B, Baxter, J & Western, M 2005 on children and marriage

Answer 16

• Post Married children REDUCES % of MB by 85%

Question 17

Hewitt, B, Baxter, J & Western, M 2005 on religion importance

Answer 17

• Higher Religiosity = SIGNIFICANT negative association with MB.
  
  • People who expressed no religion importance = +33% odds of MB compared to above.

Question 18

Hewitt, B, Baxter, J & Western, M 2005 on marriage breakdown and education

Answer 18

• MENà Higher education DECREASED likelihood of MB compared to diplomas | in trades = +30% of MB.
• Women with HSC or LESS education are SIGNIFICANTLY less likely to MB compared to women in higher education qualifications.