With increasing qualifications, more women are now in employment and are establishing careers. Hence, they are more likely to delay marrying and cohabit instead until their career is established.

Men may also wish to establish their careers before marriage. This can be seen in the increase in the number of people studying for longer in both sexes. Putting one’s education and career first only serves to delay the age of marriage.

Fear of Divorce

With such a high divorce rate, many people now wish to live together as a ‘trial period’ before marriage to ensure they are compatible. You are able to go through the same obstacles but have a better understanding of a person’s character, habits and spending quality time together daily. This is the real test of whether you get married.

Also people who have been in previous married relationships may wish for this more or even see it as a long term alternative.

Note: link to Beck’s concept of risk society/risk consciousnes

Increased cost of Weddings

The UK Wedding Report (2024) found that the average cost of a wedding is upwards of £25,952 (including ring and honeymoon) or £20,775 (excluding ring and honeymoon).

Couples may see marriage as a 'waste of money' or quite simply have to save up longer for it. All this leads to an increase in cohabitation.

The Relationship Between Marriage and Cohabitation

Cohabitation as a Trial Period

• Functionalism: Chester

• For most cohabitation is part of the process of getting married

• Supported by Coast’s research which found that 75% of cohabitating couples intended to get married if it went well.

• Those who have children together are more likely to progress onto marriage.

• In some cases cohabitation is a temporary phases whilst one or both partners are awaiting divorce.

Cohabitation as a Long Term Alternative

• Cohabitation can represent a conscious attempt to create a more personally negotiated and equal relationship than conventional patriarchal marriage

How should the changes in marriage and cohabitation be viewed

New Right

• Without marriage, children will suffer. The institution of marriage provides the most stable method of bringing up and socialising children.

• Murray: children from lone parent families are shown to be the cause of a number of ‘social ills’ such as juvenile delinquency and educational underachievement.

• Benston: 20% of cohabiting couples had broken up within the first 3 years of their baby’s life compared to only 6% of married couples.

Postmodernism

• They reflect increasing individualisation and choice that we now have in our personal relationships. This is positive.

• Beck and Giddens: individuals are exercising personal choice for fulfilment and satisfaction we are no longer controlled by social expectations or tradition.

• Beck and Beck-Gernsheim: lovers can make their own rules and focus on the quality of their relationship rather than its legal status.

Feminism

• Alternatives to marriage can be positive for society. It can reflect more negotiation and equality in roles.

• Bott: increase in joint conjugal roles

• Delphy and Leonard:more women escaping the patriarchal institution of marriage

Same sex relationships

Same sex relationships involve a couple where both partners belong to the same sex. Stonewall (campaign for LGBT rights) estimate 5-7% of the adult population today are in a same sex relationship.

Decriminalisation

• Male homosexual acts were decriminalised in 1967 for consenting adults over 21

• The age of consent was reduced to the age of 16 (same as heterosexuals) in 1994.

Opinion Polls

• There is more tolerance and social acceptance of homosexuality.

• This has been due to removed stigma which used to mean these relationships were more hidden.

Policy

• 2002: cohabiting couples had same rights to adopt as married couples

• 2004: introduction of civil partnerships

• 2013: same sex marriage legalised

WEEKS: Chosen Families

Weeks argues that increased social acceptance may explain the rise of same sex cohabitation and stable relationships that resemble those found amongst heterosexuals.

Weeks sees homosexual people as creating families based on the idea of ‘friendship as kinship’, otherwise known as ‘chosen families’ which offer the same security, support and stability as those for heterosexual couples.

Allan and crow: flexiblility

Allan and Crow consider the impact of imposing a legal framework to same sex relationships e.g. civil partnerships and marriage.

The absence of this until recent years meant that same sex couples had to negotiate their commitment and responsibilities more than married couples. This was positive as it was more Flexible but could also mean they are less stable compared to heterosexuals.arguably this ,made them less stable.

EINASDOTTIR: Difference

Einasdottir supports Allan and Crow’s view and notes than many same sex couples welcome the opportunity for these legal partnerships. BUT other fear that it may limit the flexibility and negotiability of relationships.

Rather than adopt the heterosexual relationship norms, they wish to retain a status of difference. This demonstrates a postmodern criticism of same sex marriage.

Single person households

• Fewer people are living in couples today:

• In 2013, roughly 30% if households contained only one person - nearly three times the figure for 1961

• 40% of all one-person households are over 65

• Pensioner one-person households have doubled since 1961

• Non-pensioned one-person households have tripled since 1961

• Men under 65 are the group most likely to live alone

Note