Marriage/cohabitation/divorce

Marriage

A formal legal union between 2 people; sanctioned by a religious civil ceremony

Cohabitation

Where a couple in a sexual relationship live together as if married but without any legal/religious process

Why is there a decrease in marriage and increase in cohabitation

Secularisation, Destigmatisation,Economic necessity, social policy

Secularisation

When the uk was more religious cohabitation was looked down upon (living in sin)

During past 50 years the uk has become less religious over 50% of population stated they had no religion

Without religion people no longer fear religion

Parkinson

Marriage will continue to be important to people of faith

Civil marriages is looked as a registration of intimate partnership

De stigmatisation

Individuals will be influenced by how those around them respond to their social actions.

Ernestina Coast

Concluded that today cohabitation has been moved from deviant lifestyle choice to one that is normative

Economics necessity

Couples will choose to cohabit for economic reasons:they can share rental costs and save for a mortgage deposit.Weddings are expensive (average cost £20,000)

Social policy

Anne Barlow

In the past there used to be greater range of legal advantages to married.however it’s increasingly possible for cohabitation couples to draw up contracts to mitigate this.

Divorce

When 2 married people go through a formal,legal process to end their marriage

Reasons for divorce

Secularisation, Destigmatisation,Feminism,women in labour force,increase life expectancy,social policy

Secularisation

BSA survey 50% of population stated they had no religion up from 30% in the 1983

80% of 16-24year olds stated that religion is not important in their lives

Destigmatisation

Mitchell and goody

Argued that divorce as. Evoke more socially acceptable. It is now seen as a misfortunes than regarded as shameful

Feminism

Summerville

Women now have higher expectations

They expect domestic responsibilities and decisions making power to be shared

Increased financial independence

Women in labour force

Mc Robbie

Women used to stay in unhappy abusive marriages as they couldn’t afford to leave.

However more women are getting highly paid jobs and are used to making decisions in the workforce therefore this transfers to there households where they want to make decisions and if they want to leave can afford to do so

Increase life expectancy

Brown and lin

In 1990 8.7% of divorces occurred among adults 50 and older

By 2019 that percentage had grown to 36%

Social policy

Divorce reform act 1969

Made divorce easier no fault divorce

Divorce law 2022

Made it even easier

Reason for fall in divorce rates

Rise in cohabitation

Cultural differences

Cohabitation (fall in divorce rates)

Couples choose to cohabit before getting married to almost test there compatibility before marriage leading to less divorces

Cultural differences

Uk has become increasingly multi cultural and some cultures are more socially conservative when it comes to divorce

Once married remain married