Feminist theory - explanations for the divorce rate

p214

Feminist explanations for the increase in the divorce rate - dual burden and triple shift

• Dual burden has created source of conflict between husband and wife and therefore an increase in divorce

• Improvements in women’s position in public spheres don’t negate lack of improvement in private spheres

  • Marriage remains patriarchal, men benefit from triple shift (Duncombe and Marsden)

Feminist explanations for the increase in the divorce rate - Hochschild (1997) - home vs. work

• Home compares unfavourably to work for women

  • Work: women feel valued

  • Home: men’s resistance to housework source of frustration, decreases stability of marriage

• Both parents now go to work so have less time and energy to do emotion work

  • Higher divorce rate as less working through of problems done

Feminist explainations for the increase in the divorce rate - Sigle-Rushton (ESRC, 2007) - working women and divorce

• Mothers with dual burden more likely to divorce than non-working mothers in marriages w/trad division of labour

• When husband actively involved in housework for dual-earning couples, divorce rate same for those w/trad. division of labour

Feminist explainations for the increase in the divorce rate - Cooke and Gash (2010) - working women and divorce

• No evidence that working women more likely to divorce as working now become accepted norm for married women

Feminist explainations for the increase in the divorce rate - Bernard (1976), radical feminist - rejection of patriarcal oppression

• Women feel growing dissatisfaction with patriarchal marriage

• Rising divorce rate and fact that petitions come from women shows growing acceptance of feminist ideas

• Women becoming conscious of patriarchal oppression and more confident in rejecting it

Feminist reaction to high divorce rate

• Desirable

• Shows women breaking free from oppression of patriarchal nuclear family