Theoretical Perspectives On Divorce

• 5 Reasons 4 Divorce

  Changes In Law, Secularisation, Changes In The Position Of Women, rising expec for marriage and decline in social stigma towards divorce
• Feminist View On Divorce

  •Compared with the progress they have made in the workplace, women feel undervalued in the home so are increasingly filing for divorce.•Working women with a dual burden are most likely to file for divorce.As a result of feminism and their advancement in the workplace, women now feel more confident rejecting oppression
• Postmodernist View On Divorce

  •Growing individualism in society has led people to pursue personal fulfilment in relationships – and to be more likely to seek divorce if marriage does not meet their expectations.•Traditional norms such as the duty to stick with a partner have declined in importance.•Pursuit of career ambitions may also lead to relationship conflict.
• Views On Divorce

  The New Right

  See high divorce rate as undesirable as it undermines the traditional nuclear family. It creates an underclass of welfare dependent female lone parents and leaves boys without the male adult role model they need.
• Views On Divorce

  Feminists

  Disagree…they see the high divorce rate as desirable as it shows women breaking free of the oppression of patriarchy.
• Views On Divorce

  Postmodernists

  View a high divorce rate as giving individuals the freedom to choose to end a relationship when it no longer meets their needs. They see it as a cause of greater family diversity.
• Views On Divorce

  Functionalists

  A high divorce rate does not prove that marriage is under threat. It is simple a result of high expectations of marriage. The high rate of re-marriage shows peoples’ commitment to the idea of marriage
• Views On Divorce

  Interactionists

  They aim to understand what divorce means to the individual.

  Morgan (1996) argues that we cannot generalise about the meaning of divorce because every individual’s interpretation is different.

  Mitchell and Goody provide an example of this. One of their interview was described the day her father left as one of the happiest in her life, where another said she had never recovered from her father deserting the family.
• Views On Divorce

  Personal life perspective

  Accept divorce can cause problems e.g. financial difficulties and lack of contact between children and non-resident parents. But they argue divorce has become normalised and family life can adapt to it without disintegrating. We should not see divorce as a major problem but one among many changes in life course.