divorce

what are the changing family patterns?

• less traditional nuclear families

• increased divorce

• more re-marriage and fewer 1st marriage

• women are having fewer children later

• more lone-parent families

since when has there been an increase in divorce?

60s

when did divorce peak?

1993 → 165k

what proportion of marriages will end in divorce?

40%

what proportion of petitions for divorce come from women?

65%

what proportion of divorce petitions came from women in 1946?

37%

what is the most common reason for women to be granted divorce?

unreasonable behaviour of her husband

what are the marriages most at risk?

• marrying young

• have a child before marriage

• cohabit before marriage

• where one or both partners have been married previously

what are the explanations for the increase in divorce?

• changes in the law

• declining stigma

• secularisation

• rising expectations

• women’s increased financial independence

• feminist expl.

• postmodern expl.

how have changes in the law caused the increase in divorce?

• grounds equalised in 1923

• widening of grounds in 1969 to include irretrievable breakdown

• introduction of legal aid for divorce in 1949

what are the advantages of the changes in the law regarding divorce?

• easy escape from abuse

• feminist view as liberating

• enables smoother society as individuals become happier

• can remain economically stable after divorce

what are the disadvantages of the changes in the law regarding divorce?

• New Right - increases lone-parent families so children will lack role models

• family breakdown reflects societal breakdown

• decreases quality of childhood

• economic disadvantage when one partner is less well off or given financial responsibilities

what are the other solutions for unhappy marriages?

• desertion

• legal separation

• empty shell

what is desertion?

one partner leaves the other but they remain legally married

what is legal separation?

court separates the financial and legal affairs of the couple but they remain married

what is an empty shell marriage?

partners continue to live under the same roof but remain married

how has declining stigma & changing attitudes caused the increase in divorce?

Mitchell & Goody → change in attitudes since 60s has led to less stigma

how has secularisation caused the increase in divorce?

• traditional opposition of churches to divorce carries less weight

• people less influenced by religion in personal matters

• churches have softened views on divorce

how has the rising expectations of marriage caused an increase in divorce?

• Fletcher → major cause

• ideology of romantic love

• marriage is no longer an economic decision

• Allan & Crow → love, personal commitment & intrinsic satisfaction are the cornerstones of marriage

what are the criticisms of changes in law as an explanation for divorce?

still expensive - £550 for divorce + potential more in settlements

what are the criticisms of declining stigma as an explanation of increasing divorce?

remaining stigma around lone-parent families

what are the criticisms of secularisation as an explanation of increasing divorce?

religious views are still influential but are not labelled as religious

what are the criticisms of rising expectations of marriage as an explanation of increasing divorce?

• feminists - too rosy a view - oppression of women in the family is the main cause of marital conflict

• functionalists - fail to explain why women seek more divorce than men

• patronising as few marriages are perfect

how is women’s increased financial independence?

• less financially dependent on husband so can end unsatisfactory marriage

• women more likely to be in paid work

• equal pay + anti-discrimination

• greater success in education

• welfare benefits

• Allan & Crow - marriage is less embedded within the economic system

what are the criticisms of women’s increased financial independence as an explanation of increasing divorce?

• does not automatically mean women will want a divorce

• doesn’t explain men’s petitions for divorce

• women are still not equal to men

what is the feminist explanation for divorce?

dual burden and triple shift

what does Hochschild say about the dual burden?

women feel valued in paid work but not at home so the home compares unfavourably with work

what does Sigle-Rushton say about the dual burden?

mothers with a dual burden are more likely to divorce than non-working mothers with a traditional division of labour, but when the husband is actively involved in the housework, the divorce rate is the same as the traditional couple

what does Cooke & Gash say about the dual burden?

no evidence that working women are more likely to divorce as work is now the norm

what does Bernard say about the dual burden?

many women feel a growing dissatisfaction with patriarchal marriage

what is the modernist explanation of divorce?

individualisation thesis

who came up with the individualisation thesis?

Beck & Giddens

what is the individualisation thesis?

each individual is free to pursue their own self-interest and relationships are more fragile as a result

what is a pure relationship as described by Giddens?

one that exists solely to satisfy each partner’s needs and not out of a sense of duty, tradition or for the sake of the children

what is the meaning of a high divorce rate to the New Right?

• undesirable

• undermines marriage and nuclear family

• creates underclass

what is the meaning of a high divorce rate to feminists?

• desirable

• shows women are breaking free from oppression

what is the meaning of a high divorce rate to postmodernists?

• shows individuals have the freedom to choose to end a relationship that does not meet their needs

• major cause of family diversity

what is the meaning of a high divorce rate to functionalists?

• high divorce rate is not a threat to marriage

• result of higher expectations

• high rate of re-marriage shows commitment to marriage as an institution

what is the meaning of a high divorce rate to interactionists?

• Morgan - we cannot generalise about the meaning of divorce

• Mitchell & Goody - one interviewee described the day her father left as the best day of her life, where another said she never recovered

what is the meaning of a high divorce rate to the personal life perspective?

• can cause issues

• Smart - divorce has become normalised so the family life can adapt to it