sociology: changing family patterns

Created by

Rob

Cards (52)

what are the patterns of divorce?
- since 60's increase in no. of divorces in UK
- no. divorces doubled between 61 + 69 + again by 72'
- rose - in 93' peaked at 165,000
- no. fallen since - 118,000 2012 - 6x higher than in 61'
- 40% marriages ended in divorce
- reason - divorces fall since 90's, fewer marrying 1st place, cohabit instead.
- 65% of petitions divorce come from women
- divorce more likely in couples marry young, child before marry or married before
explanations for the increase in divorce
- changes in law
- declining stigma & changing attitudes
- secularisation
- rising expectations of marriage
- changes in position of women
- individualisation
what are these 'changes in law'?
- equalising grounds of divorce between sexes - 1923.
- making divorce cheaper - 1949
- intro 'irretrievable breakdown' + widen grounds for divorce 1969
what is the 'declining stigma + changing attitudes'?
stigma declined and divorce now more socially acceptable
what is 'secularisation' in terms of divorce?
people may get divorced as they no longer see it sinful or influenced by religion
what are the 'rising expectations of marriage'?
func - fletcher - argue higher expectation placed on marriage. 'Romantic love'. still optimistic about marriage. people not rejecting it as institution.
what are the 'changes in the position of women'?
- women likely paid in work
- girls performing better at school
- more equal pay for women + spouses have separate pay
- welfare state
- at work women feel valued + frustrated at home that men don't help w/ housework
what is 'individualisation'?
relationships increasingly about personal fulfilment than duty. when personal needs not fulfilled, relationships breakdown. Pure relationships - Giddens.
What does the new right believe about divorce?
divorces undesirable as undermine trad family values + NF. NR arguer divorce creates underclass who depend on benefits + cause crime. Claim children not socialised properly as lack male role model.
what do feminists believe about divorce? 
changes good as show women breaking free of patriarchal NF which oppresses them. Lib fems see divorce as +ve development. Rad fems argue more needed and argue for increase in divorce + political lesbianism.
what do post-mods believe about divorce?
shows individuals making individual chores to end relationships if they don't meet their needs - freedom to individuals. Proves postmod point no single explanation of way things should be and people have choice to find individual ways of living.
what does the personal life perspective believe about divorce?
divorce can cause problems e.g financial difficulties + lack of daily contact between children + non resident parents. Smart argues divorce normalised + family life can adapt to it w/out disintegrating. Shouldn't see divorce as major social issue.
what do functionalists believe about divorce?
NF good for society + benefits all societal members. Func argue increase in divorce doesn't mean marriage of NF under threat. Argue ppl'ds high expectations from marriage is why divorce rates risen + people's continuation to re-marry shows continued commitment to marriage w/in society.
what do interactionists believe about divorce?
Understand divorce for individuals involved not society. Morgan argues can't generalise what divorce means because everyone's interpretation of it different. Mitchell + Goody support this; 1 interviewee described day dad left as best day of her life + another said never recovered from father leaving.
divorce law p1
1923 - grounds for divorce equalised between men + women

1969 - divorce law reform act - irretrievable breakdown sole ground for divorce established by proving unreasonable behaviour.
divorce law p2
1984 - minimum period after marriage before divorce petitiuon could be filed was reduced from 3 yrs to 1. so people only have to be married for 1 yr + cant get divorce

2014 - same sex marriages became law. same grounds for divorce apply to both same sex + opposite sex couples
what reasons are there for the decline in marriage?
- fewer ppl marrying - 2005 were 170,800 1st marriages less than 1/2 no. for 1970

- more re-marriages - 2005 4/10 re-marriages - serial monogamy

- ppl marrying later - 71 average woman 25 and man 23. 2005 average 32 women + 30 men

- couples less likely marry in church - 2005 35% marriages conducted w/ religious ceremonies
what are the reasons for the changing patterns of marriage?
cost of marriage
changing attitudes
secularisation
declining stigma
changes in position of women
fear of divorce
what is the 'cost of marriage'?
marriage more expensive so people can't afford it + find other ways of declaring love
what are 'changing attitudes'?
less pressure to marry + more freedom for individuals to choose type of relationship want. widespread belief quality of couples relationship more important than its legal status.
what is 'secularisation' in terms of marriage?
churches in favour of marriage but as their influence declines ppl feel freer to choose not to marry
what is 'declining stigma'?
cohabitation, remaining single + having children outside marriage, all regarded as acceptable pregnancy no longer automatically leads to a 'shot gun' wedding.
what are 'changes in position of women'?
better education + career prospects, women now less economically dependent on men. givers greater freedom not to marry. feminists may influence decisions w/ their view that marriage is oppressive patriarchal institutions.
what is the 'fear of divorce'?
w/ rising divorce rate - some may be put off marrying as see increased likelihood of marriage ending in divorce.
what is the main reason for increase in re-marriages?
rise in no. of divorces, age which couplers marry ridsing bc young people postponing marriage to spend longer in full time ed + establish career. another reason bc ppl choosing to cohabit for period before marriage. ppl less likely marry in church due to secularisation + churches refuse marry divorcess.
what did Sharpe argue? 
studied w.c. girls in 70's, found main concerns 'love, marriage,husbands,children,jobs + careers'. 1/3 wanted marriage by 20 + 3/4 by 25. same school in 90's concerns were 'job, career and being able to support themselves.
what did Sharpe say about this?
young people had witnessed adult relationships breaking up + being reconstituted all around them. Girls in particular were far warier of marriage. now only 4% wanted to be married by 20, although still a feeling of 'a wedding day, that sounds like fun'.
what is creative single hood?
men and women choosing to remain single.
what are the reasons for creative single hood?
cant find a suitable partner
not happy to settle
happy being on their own
what does the increase in men and women choosing to remain single support?
greater individualism
how many people live on their own?
more than 6.5 million
what is cohabitation?
unmarried couple in a sexual relationship living together
what are the stats on cohabitation?
- no of cohabiting couples increasing, fastest growing family type in uk.

- 2.9 mil cohabiting straight couples in UK + 69000 gay couples

- increased cohabitation reflects decline in stigma attached to sex outside marriage, young more likely accept cohabitation

- increased career opps for women mean have less need for financial security of marriage
what does Chester argue about cohabitation?
step in there process of marriage - 'try before you buy' approach
how its cohabitation diverse?
doesn't mean the same to every couple - covers diverse range of partnerships + relationship between marriage + cohabitation is complex and varied
what does stonewall estimate about same sex relationships ?
estimate 5-7% of adult pop have same sex relations. hard judge if increased/decreased bc in past. stigma + illegally mean't relationships hidden. increased social acceptance of same sex relations
what progress in social policy reflects the increased of acceptance of same sex couples?
2004 civil partnership act given same sesx couples similar Ella rights to married couples in regards to pensions, inheritance, tenancies + property. recent changes in which same sex marriages been approved by law.
what does Weston argue about same sex couples?
she describes same sex cohabitation as quasi marriage + notes many gay couples deciding to cohabit as stable partners. contrasts this w/ gay lifestyle of 70's which rejected monogamy + family life in favour of casual relationships.
what are the stats of one person households?
big rise in no of ppl living alone, 2006 - 3/10 households contained 1 person

1/2 all 1 person households of pensionable age. pensioner 1 person households have doubled since 61

increase in separation + divorce has created more 1 person households. decline in marriage + trend towards marrying later also mean more remaining single.
what are the trends of childbearing?
1) over 4/10 born outside marriage - 5x more than 71'
2) nearly all births jointly registered
3) women having children later, average age at birth of 1st child is 27.3 yrs
4) women having fewer children
5) more women remaining childless