Divorce

• Grounds for Divorce:

  > adultery

  > unreasonable behaviour

  > desertion

  > two year separation (if both partners agree)

  > five year separation (if partners do not agree)
• Explanations for Increase in Divorce:

  > changes in the law

  > declining stigma

  > secularisation

  > rising expectations of marriage

  > changes in the position of women

  > feminist arguments

  > modernity
• Divorce - Changes in the Law:

  > changes in the law have made divorce easier

  > 1969 - Divorce Reform Act (included 2 and 5 year separation as grounds for divorce)

  > 1984 - reduced the amount of time people had to be married before divorce, from 3 years to 1 year

  > 2007 - appeal court ruling - in divorce settlements, the starting point is a 50/50 split of all assets
• Divorce - Declining Stigma:

  > Mitchell and Goody - there has been a rapid decline in the stigma attached to divorce

  > as stigma declines and divorce becomes more socially acceptable, couples become more willing to resort to divorce

  > divorce becoming more common 'normalises' it, so rather than being as shameful, it is more likely to be regarded as a misfortune
• Divorce - Secularisation:

  > refers to the decline in the influence of religion in society

  > the traditional opposition of the Church to divorce carries less weight in society, and people are less likely to be influenced by religious teachings

  > churches may have also begun to soften their views on divorce, perhaps out of fear of losing credibility with the public
• Divorce - Rising Expectations of Marriage:

  > Fletcher - higher expectations of marriage make couples less willing to tolerate an unhappy marriage

  > influenced by the ideology of romantic love - the belief that marriage should be based solely on mutual love rather than economic reasons or duty

  > encourages people to consider divorces if they do not find personal fulfilment in their marriage
• Divorce - CPOW:

  > women are less financially dependent on their husband due to improvements in women's economic position, so they are freer to end an unsatisfactory marriage

  > for example, proportion of women in work has increased, changes in the law have narrowed the pay gap, girls' greater success in education and availability of welfare benefits
• Divorce - Feminist Arguments:

  > feminists argue that women now perform a triple shift - paid work, housework and emotion work

  > Hochschild - women felt more valued at work than at home, as men remained resistant to housework and this was a source of frustration

  > Sigle-Rushton - divorce was less likely when mothers stayed at home and had a more traditional division of labour, or when the husband of a working wife has an active role in housework
• Divorce - Modernity:

  > Beck and Giddens - modern society results in traditional norms disappearing e.g. duty to remain with same partner for life

  > many individuals are pursuing their own self-interest (individualisation thesis) - more people are seeking 'pure relationships', meaning higher divorce rates