Increase in divorce

• Changes in the law

  • Equalising the grounds for divorce between the sexes 1923
  • Widening the grounds for divorce 1937
  • Making divorce cheaper 1949
• Alternatives for divorce

  • Desertion
  • Legal separation (courts decide)
  • Empty shell marriage - continue to live together and remain married in name only
• ACTS

  • Divorce reform act 1969
  • The divorce, dissolution and separation act 2020 - No fault divorces. This reduces the stress and impact on the family.
• Declining stigma and changing attitudes

  • Stigma is a negative label or shame being attached to a person, action or relationship e.g. churches tend to condemn divorce.
  • Mitchell and Goody note that since the 1960s there has been a rapid decline in stigma with divorce.
  • So divorce becomes socially acceptable, it is now regarded as a misfortune.
  • Stigma hasn't changed for everyone e.g. The older generation and religion.
• Secularisation

  • Sociologists argue that religious institutions are losing their influence and society is becoming more secular.
  • People are less likely to be influenced by religious teachings when making decisions on personal matters. Many churches have begun to soften their views on divorce because they're losing credibility with the public.
  • 2021 census, people who identify with the 5 largest religions in the UK are 21% less likely to be divorced than those with no religion.
• Rising expectations of marriage

  • Fletcher argues that higher expectations of marriage are a major cause of rising divorce rates. It makes couples less willing to tolerate an unhappy marriage.
  • Romantic love - Belief that marriage should be based solely on love. If love dies there's no longer any justification to remain married.
• Rising expectations of marriage

  • In the past, individuals had little choice in who they married - economic reasons - individuals had lower expectations of marriage.
  • Marriage is increasingly viewed not as a binding contract but as a relationship in which individuals seek personal fulfilment - pure relationships.
• Changes in the position of women

  • Women today are working more. 1971 - 53% to 2013 - 67% to 2020 - 72%, although women still earn less then men, equal pay acts narrows the pay gap.
  • Girls' greater success in education now helps them achieve better jobs. Women have welfare benefits so they are no longer relying on their husbands. However, it's different for working class
• Changes in the position of women

  • Allan and Crow argue that marriage is less embedded within the economic system. The family is no longer a unit of production, so spouses are no longer financially dependent.
• Feminist explanations

  • Married women today bear a dual burden. Feminists argue that in the private sphere of the family + personal relationships, change has been limited and slow.
  • Marriage remains patriarchal, with men benefiting from their wives
  • Hochschild argues that for many women, the home compares unfavourably with work.
• Feminist explanations

  • Sigle-Rushton, working mothers are more likely to get divorced than non-working mothers. But where the husband of the working wife is actually involved in housework, the divorce rate is the same for couples with an equal division of labour.
  • Cooke + Gash argue that working has become the norm for married women
  • Radical feminists - Bernard - Many women feel a growing dissatisfaction with patriarchal marriage. Women are becoming conscious of male oppression.
• Individualisation

  • Beck and Giddens argue that traditional norms, such as the duty to remain with the same partner for life, lose their hold over individuals. 'Pure relationships' - it exists to solely satisfy each partner's needs and not out of a sense of duty for the sake of their children. Marriage has become more 'personal fulfilment' rather than a 'sense of duty'
• Consequences for divorce

  • Children's expectations of future relationships change
  • Children may end up taking sides
  • More single parent families