marriage, divorce, cohabitation, childbearing

• Marriage is when two people are legally recognised as a couple.
• Marriage rates have been decreasing, there are 8 factors for this:

  • change in attitudes
  • secularisation
  • decreased stigma
  • women's position
  • fear of divorce
  • remarriages
  • age of marriage
  • use of religious weddings
• Change in attitudes:

  • marriage is no longer an expectation. People have more freedom over if they get married or not, the quality of the relationships is valued more than the legal status of the relationship.
  • less people are getting married as they do not feel as much pressure from society to get married.
• Secularisation:

  • religion now has less influence over society than what it used to.
  • less people are religious so less people are getting married. Marriage is typically seen as a religious act and done in a religious setting (church).
  • people do not feel like they have to live a traditional life anymore.
• Decreased stigma:

  • there is less stigma in society around not getting married compared to what there used to be.
  • being single, cohabitating or having children without being married has been normalised.
  • example: decrease in shotgun weddings. As there is less stigma around having children outside of marriage, people are less likely to get married.
• Women's position:

  • women have more freedom than they used to.
  • women now have equal access to higher education as men, women also have the same access to high paying jobs so are less likely to get married to have financial stability.
• Fear of divorce:

  • people fear getting married as they don't want a divorce (most marriages end in divorce).
  • marriage has decreased, cohabitation has increased. Cohabitation is easier than marriage (when breaking up).
• Remarriages:

  • divorces are increasing, these divorcees may want to remarry but they can't do this in a majority of churches.
  • some people may also not want to remarry which decreases marriage rates.
• Age of marriage:

  • people are now getting married later in life.
  • people now have different priorities e.g., education.
  • marriage is expensive so people decide against it.
• Religious weddings:

  • less people see the relevance in getting married as it is a religious ceremony.
• Divorce is the legal ending of a marriage. Divorce rates are increasing, there are 5 factors that influence this:

  • changes in the law
  • change of attitudes
  • secularisation
  • more expectations in marriage
  • women's financial independence
• Changes in the law:

  • pre 1857: divorce did not exist
  • 1857: men were able to divorce their wife if the wife had been unfaithful
  • 1923: women were given the right to divorce their husband
  • 1969: divorce reform act
  • 1996: family law act
• Change of attitudes:

  • in the past, divorcees were shamed
  • divorces have become more common and attitudes around divorce have changed
  • people are no longer shamed for being divorced, this means that more people will get a divorce. They are less likely to fear the consequences of divorce
  • socially accepted
• Secularisation:

  • religion has less impact on people
  • less people care about how the church views divorce which means divorces are more likely to happen
• More expectations in marriage:

  • there are lots of expectations put on marriages
  • people in a marriage may feel pressure because of these expectations
  • people are also less likely to tolerate being unfulfilled in a marriage so are more likely to get divorced
• Women's financial independence:

  • women no longer have to be dependent on their husband for financial stability
  • women are more likely to be in a paid job, they now have more freedom
  • women no longer fear getting a divorce because of finances
• Cohabitation is when a couple lives together without being married.
• Cohabitation can be seen as a trial marriage. A lot of cohabitating couples intend on marrying later on in life. Cohabitation is also seen as an alternative to marriage.
• Childbearing is giving birth to a child; childrearing is bringing a child up.
• Birth rate:

  • number of live births for every 1,000 people
  • the birth rate is decreasing. 2011: 1.91 births per 1,000; 2021: 1.51 births per 1,000
• Fertility rate:

  • general fertility rate: births per 1,000 at reproductive age
  • total fertility rate: birth per 1,000 in childbearing years
  • less women are getting pregnant. There are different reasons for this, one being that children are expensive
• Family size:

  • the number of people in a family
  • families are now made up of less children. As of 2003, 42% of families = 1 child
  • families are more childcentred
• Household size:

  • number of people living in the same house
  • 67% of households in the UK are one family, there has also been an increase in one-person households
• Lower rates of childbearing has several impacts on society:

  • decreased labour force
  • aging population
  • high dependency ratio
  • more beanpole families
  • more voluntary childlessness
  • less full-time mothers
• Role of women:

  • women are now independent and have freedom
  • the majority of women prioritise their education and career before having a child
  • less pressure to have a child
  • decreases childbearing rates
• Infant mortality:

  • life expectancy is now longer than it was before
  • people now have less children as it is more likely that these children will live until adulthood
  • decreases childbearing
• Geographical mobility:

  • people are more likely to move around for work
  • people are less likely to have a lot of children, it is cheaper to move less people around
• Changing values:

  • people are no longer expected to have children
  • women are no longer just seen as mothers
  • decreases childbearing
• Economic factors:

  • people wait until they are financially stable to have children
  • one child can cost around £100,000
• Position of children:

  • childhood never used to be a concept but it is now
  • parents take better care of their children and value them
  • more childcentred so less likely to have lots of children
  • decreases childbearing
• Contraception:

  • more people have access to contraception
  • lots of types of contraception
  • more control over fertility
  • decreases childbearing
• Education:

  • more people have access to education
  • education is highly valued
  • decreases childbearing, different priorities