changing Family Patterns (11-15)

Question 1

Divorce

Answer 1

• since 1960s, increases in divorce
• one reason for fall in divorces since the 1990s is that fewer people are marrying, choosing to cohabit instead.
• about 65% of petitions for divorce come from women.
• couples whose marriages are at risk are, those who married young, have a child before marriage/cohabit, and those who have been married before.

Question 2

Divorce, Explanations for the increase

Answer 2

• changes in the law
• declining stigma and attitudes
• secularisation (decline in religion/influence in society)
• rising expectation of marriage, Fletcher argues higher expectations people place on marriage today are a major cause of rising divorce rates.
• women’s increased financial dependence
• feminist explanations
• modernity and individualisation

Question 3

Divorce - the meaning of a high divorce rate, the new right

Answer 3

• see a high divorce rate as undesirable because it undermines marriage and the nuclear family, which they regard as vital to social stability.
• in their view, high divorce rate creates growing underclass of welfare-dependant female lone parents who are burden to state and leaves boys without adult male role model they need.
• believe also results in poorer health and educational outcomes for children.

Question 4

Divorce - the meaning of a high divorce rate, feminists

Answer 4

• see as desirable because shows women breaking free from the oppression of the patriarchal nuclear family.

Question 5

Divorce - the meaning of a high divorce rate, postmodernists/individualisation thesis

Answer 5

• see high rate as showing that individuals now have the freedom to choose to end a relationship when it no longer meets their needs.
• see as major cause of greater family diversity.

Question 6

Divorce - the meaning of a high divorce rate, functionalists

Answer 6

• argue high rate not necessarily threat to marriage as a social institution. Simply the result of peoples higher expectations of marriage today.
• high rate of re-marriages shows people continuing to commitment to the idea of marriage.

Question 7

Divorce - the meaning of a high divorce rate, interactionists

Answer 7

• aims to understand what divorce means to individual.
• Morgan argues we cannot generalise about meaning of divorce,because every individuals interpretation of it is different.

Question 8

Divorce - the meaning of a high divorce rate, the personal life perspective

Answer 8

• accepts divorce can cause problems, such as financial difficulties (especially for women) and lack of daily contact between children/non-resident parents.
• however, Smart argues divorce has become normalised and that family life can adapt to it without disintegrating.

Question 9

Partnerships - reasons for changing patterns of marriage, changing attitudes to marriage

Answer 9

• less pressure to marry, more freedom for individuals to choose the type of relationship they want.
• now a wide spread belief that the quality of a couples relationship is more important than its legal status.

Question 10

Partnerships - reasons for changing patterns of marriage, secularisation

Answer 10

• churches in favour of marriage, but as influence gradually declines people feel freer to choose not to marry.

Question 11

Partnerships - reasons for changing patterns of marriage, declining stigma attached to alternatives to marriage

Answer 11

• cohabitation, remaining single, and having children before marriage are all now widely acceptable, so that pregnancy no longer leads to a shotgun wedding.

Question 13

Partnerships - reasons for changing patterns of marriage, changes in the position of women

Answer 13

• many better educational and career prospects, many women less economically dependant on men.
• gives greater freedom not to marry.
• feminist view is an oppressive patriarchal institution may also dissuade some from marrying.

Question 14

Partnerships - reasons for changing patterns of marriage, fear of divorce

Answer 14

• with rising divorce rate, some may be put off marrying because see increased likelihood of marriage ending in divorce.

Question 15

Partnerships - cohabitation

Answer 15

• cohabiting couples with children are fast growing family type.
• about 1/8 adu;to now cohabiting , double 1996 number
• about 1/5 cohabitants are ‘serial cohabitants’ who have had another cohabitation prior.

Question 16

Partnerships - reason for increased cohabitation

Answer 16

• young more likely to accept cohabitation
• secualrisation
• result in declined stigma to not get married

Question 17

Partnerships - chosen families
⭐️weeks

Answer 17

• argues increased social acceptance may explain a trend toward same-sex cohabits/stable relationships that resemble those found among heterosexuals.
• weeks sees gays as crating families based on the idea of friendship as kinship, where friendship becomes a type of kinship network.
• describes as chosen families, argues they offer same security/stability as heterosexual families.

Question 18

Partnerships - how have same-sex realtionships changed since the 1970s?
⭐️Weston

Answer 18

• describes same sex cohabitation as ‘quasi-marriage’ and notes many gay couples now deciding to cohabit as stable partners.
• contrasts gay lifestyle of 1970s, largely rejecting monogamy and family life in favour of casual relationships.

Question 19

Partnerships - impact of legal acceptance of same-sex couples
⭐️Allan/crow

Answer 19

• argue because of absent framework until recently, same sex had to negotiate commitment/responsibilities more than married couples. May have made same sex more flexible/less stable than heterosexual relationships.

Question 20

Partnerships - why might some gay people see legal recognition of same sex relationships as limiting?
⭐️Einasdottir

Answer 20

• notes gays/lesbians welcome opportunities to have their partnership legally recognised, others fears may limit flexibility/negotiability of relationships.
• rather than adopt what they see as heterosexual relationship norms, wish relationships to be different.