Changing Patterns of Family Life: Divorce

In 2018 how many divorces were there of same sex couples?

428

In 2018 how many divorces were there of opposite sex couples?

90,000

What are the reasons for the increase in divorce?

• Changing attitudes to relationships

• Reduced stigma and secularisation

• Increased life expectancy

• Changing gender roles

• Growing individualism in society

Why is changing attitudes to relationships a reason for the increase in divorce?

• Giddens- confluent love has replaced romantic love and people are more willing to leave partners in search of greater fulfilment

• Beck- family is negotiated in late modern society and if conditions placed upon a relationship are broken divorce ensues

• Higher expectations of marriage- while divorces have declined in recent years, so have marriages- people demand more satisfaction from relationships

Why is reduced stigma and secularisation a reason for the increase in divorce?

• The process of secularisation has led to people no longer being guided by the morality of the church and therefore making their own judgements on relationships

• As the number of divorces has increased, attitudes to divorce as a failed marriage are vanishing

• Less social disapproval of divorces (particularly of female divorces) with the rise of feminism

Why is an increased life expectancy a reason for an increase in divorce?

• People are living longer and this is impacting both the age when they marry and their likelihood of divorce

• ONS reported increased divorce rates for over 65s in 2018- with an increase in males by 23% and females by 38% in previous years

• With longer to live, people are more likely to leave unhappy marriages and seek out new partners- as seen by the increase in remarriage

Why are changing gender roles a reason for an increase in divorce?

• The rise of feminism and greater career aspirations have been cited as reasons for the increase in divorce

• Two-thirds of divorces are requested by females which reflects a growing dissatisfaction with married life for women

• Male’s lagged adaption to changing gender roles, combined with growing individualism and the crisis of masculinity can be seen as contributing to divorce rates also

Why is growing individualism in society a reason for an increase in divorce?

• The Individualisation Thesis suggests that people are increasingly looking to satisfy their own needs rather than sacrifice their needs for the good of the family

• Concepts such as confluent love (Giddens) and liquid love (Bauman) are based on individuals having choices and looking to satisfy their own needs

• Relationships have become a transaction, one that ends when the relationship has fulfilled its purpose

What are the consequences of divorce for family members?

• Conflict within the family- impact on children of parental conflict over access, finance and new relationships

• Formation of new families- reconstituted families- could bring increased conflict over parenting of children

• Greater number of remarriage, more lone-parent families and more lone-parent households within society

• Financial issues for partners- loss of second income, additional costs of living apart