Changing family patterns (Families)

• Divorce


  Ending of a marriage by a legal process
• Approximately 40 percent of marriages in the United Kingdom will end in divorce
• 7 out of 10 applications for divorce now come from women
• Main reasons for current divorce patterns

  • Changes in the law
  • Declining stigma attached to divorce
  • Secularization
  • Rising expectations of marriage
  • Women's increased financial independence
• Changes in the law

  Equalizing the grounds of divorce between sexes, widening the grounds of divorce, making divorce cheaper
• Declining stigma attached to divorce

  Divorce is now much more socially acceptable, almost seen as normal
• Secularization


  Decline of religious influence in society, traditional religious opposition to divorce carries less weight
• Rising expectations of marriage

  Marriage is now primarily for romantic love, rather than for security or community stability
• Women's increased financial independence

  Women are now more likely to be in paid work, have more decision-making power in relationships, and don't need to rely on men financially
• Feminist approaches argue the high divorce rate is desirable as it represents women's liberation from patriarchal oppression
• Modernist and individualization approaches argue that the high divorce rate is due to the loss of traditional norms and values, and the focus on individual self-interest
• Functionalist approaches argue the high divorce rate is undesirable, but it does not mean marriage as an institution is under threat, as the high remarriage rates suggest a commitment to the ideal of marriage
• Some people want a really good marriage, while others don't want marriage at all, but they probably do want to get married
• The high number of remarriages suggests a commitment to the ideal of marriage, even if marriages aren't lasting as long as they should
• Functionalist perspective on marriage


  It's about ensuring that society sticks together, is bound together by shared norms and values, and works in an optimal fashion
• Functionalist view on divorce

  Divorce is a form of conflict, which is a negative thing, so it should be avoided
• Feminist perspective on high divorce rates

  It's representative of women's liberation, as women are breaking free from the oppression of the patriarchal nuclear family
• New Right/Neoliberal perspective on high divorce rates

  It undermines the traditional nuclear family, which they believe is the most stable form of family setup, and it creates an underclass of welfare-dependent individuals, primarily females and parents, which is very damaging to society
• Postmodernist perspective on high divorce rates

  It's a sign of individual freedom, as people are able to end relationships that no longer meet their needs, leading to family diversity
• Personal life perspective on divorce

  Divorce can cause financial difficulties and issues of contact between parents and children, which is negative, but it has become normalised, and families have adapted, creating new family types that are useful and good for people
• Marriage rates in the UK have been falling since 1972, but there are more remarriages
• Reasons for changing patterns of marriage

  • Changing attitudes to marriage
  • Secularization
  • Declining stigma attached to alternatives to marriage
  • Changes in the position of women
  • Fear of divorce
• Remarriage


  Two individuals who have been divorced, one or both of whom decide to get married to a new person or to the old person again
• Serial monogamy


  People having regular intervals of breakups and unique, exclusive relationships with other people, including marriage, divorce, remarriage, divorce, etc.
• The average age of marriage has increased by 7 years between 1971 and 2005, with the average now being 36.5 years for men and 34 years for women
• Only 30% of couples now get married in a church, with more choosing to get married in other venues like town halls, registry offices, or private locations
• Cohabitation


  A couple in a sexual relationship living together but not married
• There are 2.9 million cohabiting heterosexual couples in Britain today, one in eight are now cohabiting, double the number in 1996
• There are 70,000 same-sex cohabiting couples currently residing in the UK
• Serial cohabitation


  Having moved in with someone, been in an exclusive sexual relationship, then moved out after the relationship has ended, and then moved in with a different person in a new exclusive sexual relationship
• Reasons for the increase in cohabitation

  • Living together is no longer stigmatized or seen as a negative thing
  • Younger people accept cohabitation much more, it's seen as the norm
  • Many women now have careers and no longer need the security of marriage
  • Secularization means traditional religions' influence has declined
  • Cohabitation seen as a trial marriage or way to test the strength of a relationship
• Cohabiting couples fall pregnant


  They often decide to get married
• Some couples see cohabitation as a permanent arrangement based more on quality and sharing than traditional marriage
• Approximately 5-10% of adults in the UK have same-sex relationships
• Homosexuality was decriminalized in the UK in 1967, and since 2002 cohabiting gay couples have had the same rights as heterosexual couples
• Since 2014, same-sex couples have been able to marry in the UK
• Increased social acceptance of homosexuality and same-sex relationships is causing same-sex relationships to behave more like heterosexual relationships
• Homosexuals are increasingly creating kinship networks, or chosen families, amongst people they may not be related to
• In same-sex relationships, roles are negotiated as there are no traditional masculine or feminine roles
• Some gays and lesbians are concerned that the new marriage framework might limit their freedom and flexibility within the homosexual community