Families and Households

• What is the legal dissolution of a marriage called?

  Divorce
• What are the impacts of divorce on family structures?

  • Lone parent households
  • One-person households
  • Reconstituted families (remarriage)
• What percentage of marriages end in divorce?

  40%
• What percentage of marriages last until the 60th anniversary?

  16%
• How has the number of divorces changed over time?

  • 1931: 4,000 divorces
  • 2004: 165,000 divorces
• What legal changes have made divorce more accessible?

  Divorce laws have become more equitable and accessible
• What significant change occurred in divorce law in 1923?

  Grounds for divorce were equalized for men and women
• What did the Divorce Law Reform Act of 1969 introduce?

  ‘Irretrievable breakdown’ as the sole ground for divorce
• How did the 1984 law change the minimum period for divorce?

  It reduced the minimum period from 3 years to 1 year
• How has the stigma around divorce changed?

  Divorce is increasingly socially acceptable
• Who noted the normalization of divorce since the 1960s?

  Mitchell and Goody
• What effect has secularization had on divorce rates?

  It has reduced the opposition to divorce
• How does the changing position of women affect divorce rates?

  Financial independence and changing roles contribute to higher divorce rates
• What percentage of divorce petitions come from women?

  70%
• What was the percentage of divorce petitions from women in 1946?

  37%
• What do people now expect from marriage?

  Love and personal satisfaction
• Who noted that marriage is increasingly based on love?

  Fletcher
• What role does improved contraception play in divorce rates?

  It allows for safer extra-marital relationships
• How does higher life expectancy affect marriage?

  It increases the likelihood of marital breakdown
• What social groups are at higher risk of divorce?

  • Teenage marriages
  • Childless couples
  • Couples from different social classes or ethnic backgrounds
  • Working-class families
• What are the feminist perspectives on divorce?

  • Divorce is a way for women to escape patriarchal oppression
• What is the New Right perspective on rising divorce rates?

  • It views rising divorce rates as a threat to the nuclear family and social stability
• How do functionalists view higher divorce rates?

  • They recognize that higher divorce rates could challenge the family’s function but believe the institution still persists in different forms.
• What are the complexities of life in reconstituted families?

  • Divided loyalties between children and natural parents
• What is the definition of Living Apart Together (LAT)?

  Couples in long-term relationships who live in separate households
• What factors contribute to the growth of LAT relationships?

  • Unburdened by legal or financial entanglements
  • Increased individualisation
  • Higher divorce rates
  • Technological advances
• What percentage of people are in LAT relationships according to Duncan and Phillips (2008)?

  1 in 10 people
• Where is LAT popular according to Levin (2004)?

  Europe
• What is the definition of Lone Parent Families (LPFs)?

  A single mother or father living without a partner with dependent children
• What are the key trends in Lone Parent Families?

  • Increased from 8% in 1971 to 26% in 2005
  • 25% of families with dependent children are lone parent families
• What are the reasons for the increase in Lone Parent Families?

  • Divorce
  • Cohabitating couples are more likely to separate
  • Less stigma around having children outside marriage
  • Financial support for lone parents
  • More women in paid work and career opportunities
  • IVF and reproductive technology enables women to have children without partners
• What percentage of the UK adult population is made up of same-sex partnerships?

  1. 7%
• What are the key trends in one-person households?

  • 3 in 10 households are one-person households
  • Increase due to rising divorce and delayed marriages
• What did Klinberg (2013) find about adults living alone in New York?

  50% viewed it positively
• What is the definition of a Beanpole Family?

  A multigenerational family with few members in each generation but living longer
• What does Brannen (2003) describe a Beanpole Family as?


  • A "thin" family tree with fewer cousins and aunts/uncles but more generations
• What are the myths surrounding single parenthood?

  • Teenage mothers make up less than 2% of lone parents
  • The average age of lone parents is 38
  • Teenage pregnancies are often unintended
  • Most report mixed feelings of joy and hard work
• What is domestic violence?

  Abusive behaviours within family settings to exert power and control
• What is the impact of domestic violence on family dynamics?

  • It challenges the functionalist view of the supportive family
• What fraction of women experience domestic violence?

  ¼