changing family patterns

declining stigma and changing attitudes

P: changes in law making divorce more accessible normalises it

E: Mitchell and Goody- since 1960s rapid decline in stigma around divorce- becomes more normalised- couples become more willing to resort to it

R: Smart- divorce has become normalised and families can adapt to it- should be seen as a transition amongst the life course not major social issue

C:Fletcher- argues marriage remains popular- high rate of remarriage shows it has not been rejected as an institution

rising expectations of marriage

E: Fletcher- higher expectations means couples less willing to tolerate unhappy marriage

dominant ideology of romantic love in society- if love dies no reason to continue- should end marriage to search for soulmate

in past the family was a unit of production so marriages were due to necessity not love- lower expectations

R: Allan and Crow- love, personal commitment and intrinsic satisfaction are cornerstones of marriage

C: Firestone- oppression of women is main cause for divorce

women’s increased financial independence

P: less financially dependent on their husband

E: 1970 Equal Pay Act & 1975 Sex Discrimination Act have narrowed pay gap

welfare benefits means no longer have to be dependent

R: Allan & Crow- marriage is less embedded within the economic system- family is no longer a unit of production, decline in family firms

C: Marx- view of family as no longer being unit of consumption invalid

feminist explanations

P: married women bear a dual burden which creates conflict- the family and private relationships remain patriarchal

E: Hochschild- women feel valued at work in comparison to home- men’s resistance to housework makes marriage less stable—> both partners working leaves less time and energy to address problems

R: Bernard- sees rising divorce rate and petitions from women as growing acceptance of feminist ideas & rejection of patriarchy

C: Cooke & Gash- found no evidence that working women are more likely to divorce as working is norm for married women

individualisation

E: Giddens and Beck- individualisation thesis → loss of influence of tradition means individuals become free to pursue their own interests

R: Giddens- leads to pure relationship based solely on satisfying needs not duty = makes relationships less stable

C: May- ignores significance of structural factors eg. class and gender in limiting choices

cohabitation

P: increase in cohabitation could be viewed as reason for rise in divorce

E: Chester- views it as part of process

R: Coast- 75% of cohabitating couples expect to marry each other

C: Bejin- views cohabitation amongst young people as attempt to create more equal relationship than conventional patriarchal marriage

same sex couples

E: Weston- gay couples choosing to cohabitate → due to lack of legal framework till recently gay couples had to negotiate their relationships

R: Einasdottir- many gays fear legal recognition of their relationships would limit its flexibility and don’t want to conform to heterosexual norms

C: gay marriage is increasing → 121000 in 2018 to 167000 in 2022

one person households

E: in 2013 3/10 households were one person → 3X figure in 1961

R: British Social Attitudes survery 1/10 adults living apart together → significant relationship but not cohabitating → 20% of couples see LATs as ideal relationship

C: Duncan and Phillips- likely doesn’t mean rejection of traditional relationships → could lead to marriage

increase in women’s freedom

P: lone parent families typically female headed

E: Renvoize- many women were single by choice and were able to support child without fathers involvement

R: Cashmore- some w/c mothers choose to live on welfare benefits without a partner due to past abuse

C: Murray- lone parents are due to over generous welfare state which has created a dependency culture

stepfamilies

E: 10% of all families with dependent children

R: Ferri and Smith- similar to first families and involvement of stepparents often positive

C: Allan and Crow- stepfamilies may face problems of tension and are at greater risk of poverty

black families

E: in 2012 over half black families were lone parent

R: Mirza- reflects value black women place on independence

C: Reynolds- statistics are misleading and that many ‘lone’ parents are in stable non cohabitating relationships

asian families

E: larger households than other ethnic households approx 4 persons per household → value of extended family in asian culture

R: Ballard- extended family ties was important source of support for asian migrants during 1950s and 60s

C: asian families are typically nuclear now with relatives nearby → sikh, muslims, hindus more likely to be extended

extended family today

E: 2.1% of families in UK were extended in 2021

R: Charles- study of Swansea found extended family ‘all about extinct’

C: Willmott- continues as dispersed extended family where family are geographically separated but remain in close contact

survival of extended family

P: survives as it performs important functions

E: Brannen- beanpole family extended vertically → increased life expectancy and smaller family sizes = more grandparents and less siblings (horizontal ties)

R: Finch and Mason- over 90% had given or received financial help and ½ cared for sick relative

C: Cheal- gender inequality → daughters preferred as caregivers and rarely chosen to provide money