marriage, and, cohabitation

what does chester say about cohabitation?

it is a trial of marriage, to see if they get along before marriage

• cohabitation occurs before 80% of first time marriages

why is cohabitation seen as better?

• temporary, informal

• long term alternative to marriage, without the legal commitments or patriarchal definitions of a marriage

changing patterns of marriage

1. in decline because more people cohabit

2. there’s actually an increase in re-marriages

3. people marry later in life

why does changing social attitudes lead to more cohabitation instead of marriage?

AO1:

• less pressure to marry, because it’s socially acceptable to do so

• marriage is seen as ‘just a piece of paper’ → cohabitation is an easy alternative

THEORY: postmodernism

• growing individualism (own needs come before traditional norms)

• greater freedom of choice → people search for the right relationship based on confluent love.

AO3:

functionalist, Chester, says this is exaggerated since most people end up marrying after cohabiting (80%)

why does secularisation lead to more cohabitation instead of marriage?

AO1:

• secularisation = declining influence of religious beliefs

• fewer couples are getting married because they no longer have to marry for religious reasons

AO2:

• traditional religious beliefs against sex outside marriage have less impact in society

• only 25% marriages today involve a religious ceremony

AO3a:

• this demonstrates the declining influence of religion on decisions to marry

• more cohabitation because sex outside marriage no longer seen as ‘living in sin’ → young atheists are more likely to cohabitate

AO3e:

• Islam is a growing religion in the UK

• there is a secularisation debate in the UK

why does fear of divorce lead to more cohabitation instead of marriage?

THEORY: postmodernism - Beck

• fewer couples marry because they fear it will end in divorce (42% do)

• we live in a risk society → marriage no longer seen as a permanent commitment because it’s based on confluent love (conditional), people leave if it’s unfulfilling.

AO3:

• cultures within the UK look down on divorce, within many EMs divorce is low.

why does changes in position of women lead to more cohabitation instead of marriage?

AO1:

• women have careers, independent, no longer marry for financial reasons

• no longer reliant on husband either

• many women focus on careers instead

AO2:

• rise in singlehood → choose to be single

AO3a:

RAD FEMS → marriage is patriarchal, wives are subordinated and oppressed, women take on the demands associated with the triple shift

• this discourages women from marriage

AO3e:

• not all women, many think expressive role is the only viable option e.g. marxists say w/c women are led to believe so

why does expectations of marriage lead to more cohabitation instead of marriage?

AO1: marxists

• due to capitalism, marriage is a business

• social media promotes unrealistic expectations

• creates false needs, making couples think that if they can’t achieve this due to the high costs, then they can’t marry.

AO2:

• famous celebrity weddings

• idea of the best bride dress and honeymoon

AO3:

Postmodernists argue people today have more choice over relationships and marriage, meaning couples can reject traditional expectations and create weddings that suit them personally.

re-marriages:

• 1/3rd of all marriages are re-marriages

• serial monogamy is common ← functionalists, like Fletcher, claim this is a sign of commitment to the nuclear family.

• serial monogamy = more than one long term partner over the course of a lifetime.

reasons for an increase in re-marriages:

1. a consequence of the rising divorce rate (80% remarry after divorce) → functionalists say this indicates that people have higher expectations of marriage SO marriage remains a valued institution. (divorce rate for re-marriages is higher than for first marriages)

2. changing social attitudes → now acceptable to divorce and re-marry, no stigma, PM say people marry in pursuit of the “pure relationship”, meeting sexual and emotional needs. (some sections of population like older generation still hold traditional views toward marriage and divorce)

3. secularisation → losing influence in UK society, few people see marriage as a binding contract, so people willing to re-marry

reasons that people marry later in life

average marriage age is 33 and 32

1. cohabit first → test compatibility

2. marry after birth of children → widespread view that a married couple provides a stable family for a child’s upbringing.

3. changes in position of women → establish careers first, achieve financial stability, liberal feminist (wilkinson) says there’s been a ‘gender quake’ in women’s attitude to marriage. young women wish to delay marriage as they no longer prioritise traditional norms.