Divorce

• Divorce is a major cause of changing family patterns and increased family diversity.

  • Break up of nuclear and symmetrical families.
  • The creation of lone parent families.
  • The creation of single-person households.
  • The creation of reconstituted families.
• 65% of the time women initiates divorce.
• Since the 1960s the number of divorces has greatly increased. The number of divorces per year was 1993- approximately 165,000 divorces. Between 2004 and 2018 the number of divorces has fallen, but the number of divorces is now rising again.
• The average length of a marriage before it ends in divorce is 12.3 years.
• the average age for men and women getting divorced is rising.

  37 in 1966; 45 in 2016.
• 74% of divorces are first marriages; 26; of divorces occurred in a marriage where one or both partners has been previously married.
• sociologists identify six key reasons for the changing trends and patterns for divorce in society:

  • Changes in law.
  • Declining stigma and changing attitudes.
  • Secularisation.
  • Rising expectations of marriage.
  • Changes to the position of women.
  • Modernity and individualisation.
• changes in law

  • The Divorce Reform Act 1969
  • The Civil partnership Act 2004
  • Same-sex couples Act 2013
• Laws allowing divorce to be more easily obtained has caused the rate of divorce to increase.

  The legal aid and advice act 1949 made divorce and legal advice accessible to those with low incomes.
• The grounds for divorce has also changed, making it easier for a divorce to be obtained. If there are more reasons to grant a divorce, the number of divorces will rise.
• changing social attitudes

  • Less negative stigma attached to divorce.
  • Divorce is more socially acceptable.
  • Divorce is 'normalised'.
• Mitchell and Goody(1997)

  • The rapid decline in the stigma of divorce since the 1960s is linked closely to the rising rates of divorce we see in society today.
  • As stigma decreases, the number of divorces increases.
  • People increasingly choose divorce as the solution to their marital problems.
• secularisation

  "the process whereby religious beliefs, practices and institutions lose their importance or influence; the decline of religion".
• secularisation

  • religion as an institution has traditionally encouraged and supported marriage.
  • church attendance figures, and the number of church weddings, are at their lowest recorded level.
• secularisation

  • these factors combined suggests people are less likely to be influenced by religion and its teachings about personal matters, such as seeking a divorce, which is typically disapproved by the church.
• Rising Expectations of Marriage

  Fletcher(1966)

  • 'Romantic love' and the idea of Mr/Mrs Right has become dominant in the last hundred years or so.
  • Higher expectations of marriage in today's society makes divorce more likely, as people are less likely to tolerate unhappiness in marriage.
• Rising Expectations of Marriage

  • Individuals believe there is one 'true soulmate' for them out there.

  If the 'love dies' couples will divorce rather than stay in an unhappy marriage, and continue the search for their 'true soulmate'.
• Rising Expectations of Marriage

  Fletcher (1966)

  • Remarriage rates support this theory.
  • In the past, marriage also had an economic component; the family was a unit of production and couple's married based on family wishes, or through a sense of duty to family.
• Changes in women's position

  • Improvements to women's economic position has made them less dependent on men, and able to more freely end a marriage.
  • With increased financial independence, women are increasingly able and likely to leave an unhappy marriage.
• changes in women's position

  • The dual burden is contributing to divorce rates.
  • Feminists argue men's failure to take on their share of the domestic labour increases conflict between couples, and is contributing to divorce rates.
• changes in women's position

  • progress for women in the public sphere may have occurred, but progress in the private sphere is slow and limited.
  • women still do the majority of domestic work.
  • women are choosing to end marriages if domestic labour is not shared evenly.
  • 65% of divorces are initiated by women.
  • "show him the door"- Somerville.
• modernity and individualism

  • Modernity, and postmodernity, encourages consumer culture and increased choice.
  • there is more choice in society than ever before in many ways.
  • The diversity of family/relationship types available and the increase in the consumer culture encourage individuals to choose to kinds of relationship they want based on their needs.
• modernity and individualism

  • individualism is also encouraged in many aspects of modern life, including relationships and careers.
  • the combination of individualism and consumer society is encouraging individuals to pursue the perfect relationship.
  • the rising divorce rate throughout society normalises divorce.
• Individualisation thesis - traditional social structures such as family, and the norms associated with them, have lost their influence over individuals.
• relationships and marriages have become more fragile; if an individual's personal fulfilment is not being met, they are unwilling to remain in the relationship/marriage.

  This leads to increased divorce rates.
• Giddens (1992)

  • Individuals in modern society seek a 'pure relationship'.
  • Both parties aim to satisfy their needs rather than follow traditions, stay for the sake of children or out of a sense of duty to each other or their families.
  • Individuals define their own relationships, and the fulfilment it provides, rather than conform to roles and expectations as previous generations have done.
• Giddens (1992)

  • Individuals also enter and leave relationships as they see fit in pursuit of the 'pure relationship'. This leads to increased divorce rates.
• Beck (1992)

  Individuals are no longer dictated by social norms and they are free to make their own decisions.

  • Traditional patriarchal family structures have been undermined by individualism and greater gender equality.
  • This has led to 'negotiated families', which do not conform to traditional family norms and structures, and where expectations and desires of the family are met through negotiation.
• postmodernism and Divorce

  • Critical of Functionalists, Marxists and Feminist perspectives for two reasons:
  • They're all structural theories
  • They ignore the increased diversity of family types in modern society.
  • Argues we should study families and households from the perspective of the individuals, and how these perspective shape and define relationships.
  • Interpretive theory!
  • Micro, bottom-up approach.
• The meaning of 'family' has changed and people now take a wider view of 'family'.

  'Family' now goes beyond blood ties and marriage; others can be 'family' too.

  For example; pets, close friends.

  People have increased choice in creating families and family relationships.

  An individual may emphasise social relationships as 'family' over genetic ones.
• Smart (2011)

  • Divorce can cause social problems for families.
  • Financial difficulties.
  • Emotional distress for children.
  • Lack of daily contact between parents and children.
  • Despite this, divorce has become 'normalised' throughout postmodern society.
  • Families are able to adapt to divorce, and change in structure, rather than simply disintegrating as a consequence of it.
  • Divorce should no longer be seen as a 'social problem' but rather as 'one transition, among others, in the life course'.
• smart (2011)

  • Agrees with Giddens and Beck that there is greater family diversity, but is critical of the individualisation thesis:
  • It overemphasises the amount of choice and freedom people have in their lives; traditional norms may not have weakened as much as is thought.
  • Ignores that decisions are often made in a social context and people are connected to each other and not 'free floating' individuals.
  • Ignores the role inequalities and structural factors, such as patriarchy and social class, play in our relationship choices.
• Smart (2011)

  Connectedness Thesis- people aren't independent individuals who have absolute freedom of choice over their lives and relationships; there is a web of connectedness.
• Smart (2011)

  • This 'web of connectedness' to our personal histories and our networks of existing relationships still plays a huge influence in the decision making process for individuals when choosing relationships.
  • This challenges Giddens idea of the 'pure relationship'.
• The Modern and Postmodern perspectives and their theories of divorce are almost the same as the postmodern theories of the family itself.