divorce, demography and family diversity

• legal aid and advice act 1949


  -gave financial assistance with the cost of solicitors and court fees making divorce more accessible
• the divorce law reform act 1969


  -divorce was messy in court and difficult

  -irretrievable breakdown was grounds for divorce with no need to prove guilty
• 1857 matrimonal causes act

  -divorce could be obtained on grounds of matrimonal offence being committed

  -wives had to prove it whereas husband just had to state
• 1937 act

  -divorce could be obtained on grounds of insanity,desertion and cruelty

  -still had to prove it
• 1984/5 act


  time limit to divorce after seperation 2 to 1 year
• the family law act-1996 


  -made divorce a carefully considered and less confrontational process

  -3 key stages in divorce

  -1 produce legal statement explaining irretrievable breakdown

  -2 agree on financial agreements of affected parties

  -3 9 month reflection period thinking time 1 year has to pass before divorce is granted after
• 2014 act


  same sex marriage and divorce legalised
• explanation for increase in divorce-changes in law

  -equalising grounds 1923 women filing divorce
• explanation for increase in divorce-declining stigma

  Mitchell & Goody- rapid decline in divorce since 1960s rapid decline in divorce as it becomes normalised so couples divorce instead of solving marital problems
• explanation for increase in divorce- secularisation


  -church attendance is at an all time low

  -churches opposition to divorce carries less weight in society
• explanation for increase in divorce- rising expectations of marriage


  -fletcher high expecations of marriage make couples less willing to tolerate an unhappy marriage
• explanation for increase in divorce-changes in womens social position

  -Hart-marriage dissatifies women, 75% of divorce applications come from women

  -women enter marriage with high expectations, when expectations are not met they leave
• explanation for increase in divorce rate-demographic changes

  -Anderson- in past marriage lasted a short time due to short life expectancy, living longer means we'll get bored of our partners
• explanation for increase in divorce rate-teenage marriage

  -brides under 21 are twice as likely to divorce than brides over 21

  -shot-gun marriages
• explanation for increase in divorce rate-individualisation

  -smart, divorce has become normalised

  -individual freedom in postmodern society
• explanation for increase in divorce rate- feminist explanation

  -Hochschild, home compares unfavourably with work, both working means less energy to deal with household disputes

  -Rushton-mothers with triple shift, dual burden and emotional work more likely to divorce
• explanation for increase in divorce rate- womens increased financial independence

  -Allan & Crowe- marriage is less embedded in economic system

  -smaller pay gap, more women in work
• birth rate 


  the number of live births per thousand of the population per year
• total fertility rate

  average number of children women will have during their fertile years
• infant mortality rate

  number of infants who die before their first birthday per thousand babies born alive per year
• death rate

  number of deaths per thousand of the population per year
• immigration 


  movement into a society
• emigration


  movement out of a society
• net migration 


  the difference between the numbers of immigrants and emigrants
• 5 types of family diversity- Rapoport&Rapoport

  -class

  -cultural

  -life course

  -cohort/generational

  -organisational
• chester- neo-conventional family

  -moved away from traditional conventional types of family

  -parents play both instrumental and expressive role

  -rise in singlehood+childfree

  -nuclear family remains dominant, just depends where you are in life we will all be part of nuclear family at some point in our life