5 - Changing family patterns

What percentage of marriages end in divorce?

What's the most common reason for divorce?

42%

- most common reason for divorce is unreasonable behaviour of the husband

What are the 7 reasons for increase in divorce rates?

1 - changes in law

2 - declining stigma and changing attitudes

3 - secularisation

4 - rising expectations of marriage

5 - women's increasing financial independance

6 - feminist explanations

7 - modernity and individualisation

How have changes in the law increased divorce rates?

- you used to have to prove fault and that the other person had commited something bad such as adultry

- The Matrimonial Causes Act in 1923 equalised the grounds for divorce between men and women and caused a sharp rise in divorces from women

- lowered cost of divorcing making it more accessible to working class people

- The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 allowed couples to divorce without fault and removes the possibility of contesting the divorce

Evaluate how changes in the law lead to higher divorce rates?

- however even under the current law you have to be married for 12 months otherwise you would have to wait 6 months

- there are other solutions to an unhappy marriage such as desertion, legal seperation and empty shell marriages however as divorce has become easier to obtain these solutions have become less popular

- some would say they just make divorce easier but don't change social attitudes towards divorce so people won't divorce because of it

How does declining stigma and changing attitudes cause a decline in divorce rates?

- divorce no longer has a negative social label as it did in the past and it's becoming more normalised

- Mitchell and Goody say rapid change since the 1960's have led to the decline in stigma attached to divorce

- churches tended to condemn divorce in the past and people were more religious then which caused an overall negative feeling attached to divorce

Evaluate how declining stigma and changing attitudes cause a decline in divorce rates?

- ethnic minorities may still have a big stigma against divorce due to religious or cultural reasons

How does secularisation cause declining divorce rates?

- because of the decline in influence of the church in society and religious institutions are losing their influence so society is becoming more secular

- people are less likely to be influenced by religious teachings

- many churches have also been seen to become less harsh about their views on divorce now

- 46% more in 8 years are now secular

- this is supported by the fact couples are now less likely to marry in churches

How does the rising expectation of marriage lead to higher rates of divorce?

- Fletcher argues higher expectations are causing couples to be less willing to tolerate an unhappy marriage

- now there is an idea of love in marriage and if there is no love they just divorce whereas in the past marriages were usually based on economic reasons as the family was a unit of production

Evaluate the rising expectation of marriage leading to higher rates of divorce?

- functionalists like Fletcher still take an optimistic view saying despite people may divorce they will still eventually re marry and have not rejected marriage

- feminists argue the oppression of women within the family is the reason for higher divorce rates due to stereotypical gender roles

How is women's increased financial status causing increasing levels of divorce?

- anti-discrimination laws have helped to narrow the gender pay gap

- percentage of women in employment is 72 and rising each year due to changing attitudes of women and their greater success in education

- welfare benefits mean women no longer need to remain reliant on husbands

- Alan and Crow say marriage is less embedded within the economic system now so the family is no longer a unit of production and women aren't so dependant on husbands and can leave if the marriage is unhappy now

Evaluate women's increased financial status causing increasing levels of divorce?

- welfare benefits are being cut

- Bryant's glass ceiling

What are feminist explanations for the increased levels of divorce?

- Oakley says women take on a dual burden today where they take on paid work and domestic work which can cause conflict between husbands and wives

- Duncombe and Marsden say about the triple shift showing how the family is still patriarchal and how men oppress and benefit from their wives

- Hochschild argues for many women home compares unfavourably with work as at work women are valued whereas in the home the constant resistance of men in relation to housework causes frustration

Evaluate feminist explanations for the increased levels of divorce?

- Cooke and Gash say there's no evidence working women are more likely to divorce

- symmetrical family is becoming more popular (Young and Wilmott)

What do all the ism's and views believe about divorce?

New Right

Feminists

Postmodernists and individualisation thesis

Functionalists

Personal life perspective

New Right - high divorce rates are undesirable as it undermines the nuclear family which they regard as vital to social stability, it creates an underclass of welfare-dependant female lone parents (Murray)

Feminists - desirable as it shows women are breaking free from oppression

Postmodernists and individualisation thesis - individuals now have the freedom to choose to end or carry on with a relationship leading to greater family diversity

Functionalists - they argue marriage isn't a threat as people are likely to re marry showing their commitment to the nuclear family

Personal life perspective - divorce can cause problems such as financial difficulties however Smart says divorce has become normalised and life can adapt to it

How have changes in the position of women lead to marrying later in life?

With better education and career prospects many women are now less economically dependant on men which gives them greater freedom not to marry

Why has there been an increase in cohabitation?

- secularisation

- increased career opportunities and cost of living crisis meaning marriage is expensive and not economically viable or women don't need to marry to be economically stable

- Chester argues cohabitation is now a part of the process of getting married and not an alternative to marriage (75% of cohabiting couples say they intend to marry) however this isn't the trend among working class people only middle class

- Bejin says cohabitation among young people represents a conscious effort to create a more equal relationship and not a conventional patriarchal marriage, women who cohabit do less housework than married women

What has happened in relation to same sex couples?

Stonewall says 5-7% of the population are in same sex relationships however it's hard to know because of stigma effecting whether people want to come out and some people say it isn't the governments business to know about their relationships however it's hard to know if there has been an increase or not because of illegality in the past

- 2013 same sex couples act allowing same sex marriage now

What is a chosen family in relation to same sex couples?

A family of choice that isn't biologically related and they offer support and stability to each other just like heterosexual families

Giddens said chosen families and same sex families are pioneers of people being who they truly are

How many people in the UK are living alone in one-parent households, why and what are LAT's?

- 8.4 million people live alone and 50% of them are elderly

- This is due to the decline in people marrying, easier divorce and increased financial stability of women

- however elderly widows are usually alone because of very few partners available in their age group

- LAT'S (living apart together) are where people are in a significant relationship but not married or cohabiting however lots of people can't afford to live apart but lot's of people keep their old home because of a previously bad relationship or it being "too early".

Why do lone parent families seem to usually be female headed?

- widespread belief that women are more suited to the expressive role or nurturing

- divorce courts usually give custody to the man

- women may be more likely to give up their job for childcare

What are the patterns of childbearing now? Why?

- 51% of children are born outside of marriage (secularism)

- Women having less children and having them later

- More women remaining childless (women having more options in careers other than motherhood)

What does the new right say about lone parenthood?

Murray says the growth of single parent families is due to the over-generous welfare state and people taking advantage of it and becoming dependant on it making a dependancy culture.

Evaluate lone parent families?

- criticisms of the new right say the lack of affordable childcare prevents parents from working causing them to be unemployed

- welfare benefits are inadequate and also being cut

- some people are single by choice and are able to support themselves and their children without the father's involvement eg: Emma Watson called herself "self partnered" however she is now in a relationship which could show how people go back to the nuclear family

What are sociologists views on stepfamilies and some patterns? And why may stepfamilies be a good thing?

- 85% of stepfamilies have a child from the woman's previous relationship compared to 11% of men because children are more likely to remain with the woman

- Ferri and Smith found stepfamilies are similar to nuclear families and have good levels of involvement in childcare however they would stepfamilies are at greater risk of poverty because step-parents may also have to support their previous family

- Allan and Crow say stepfamilies face issues with divided loyalties and issues with non-resident parents which can cause tension because of unclear social norms

- However, they can provide more positive role models and teach resilience in children while also providing more emotional support

What are the trends in Black families and reasons why?

- 50% of black families are headed by a female lone mother

- high male unemployment due to racism and economic disadvantages can lead to relationship breakdown

- however, people like Mirza may believe black women choose lone parenthood instead of staying in an unsatisfactory marriage showing their independence and they high value they place on it

What are the trends in Asian families and why?

- generally have larger households of 3/4 people due to 3 generations which could be due to the younger age profile of British Asians and they reflect the value placed on the extended family in Asian cultures (Ballard)

- extended families can provide increased support and may be due to religious traditions emphasising strong family bonds

Evaluate ethnic differences in family patterns?

- recognises diversity more and isn't a "one size fits all" approach

- overgeneralisation as not all black families are single-parent and not all Asian families are extended

- ignore social class effecting family structures

What are the 2 views about the extended family today?

- Charles says the extended family is extinct apart from in the Bangladeshi community

- Willmotts says the extended family is now dispersed but still exists as they connect via technology and visits frequently to provide support for both the middle and working class

What does Brannen say about the beanpole family and the reasons for it?

- it's vertically extended but not horizontally due to increasing life expectancy so there are more surviving grandparents but not horizontally as there are smaller family sizes now so less siblings

Why can the beanpole family be good and bad?

Good

- older relatives can provide financial and emotional support

- children get a relationship with grandparents and can gain wisdom from them and see them as a positive role model

- free childcare

Bad

- can cause parents stress trying to look after the older relative

- can cause grandparents stress as they may be used as childcare

- can cause parents to be too busy looking after grandparents and not focus on children

What did Finch and Mason say about obligations to relatives in the extended family?

- more is expected of daughters and female relatives instead of male whereas women are rarely chosen as appropriate people to provide money in times of need