Changing Family Patterns

Question 1

reasons for increasing divorce rates

Answer 1

40% of marriages now end in divorce due to:
- legal changes: divorce has become easier to access; equalising the grounds between both genders; widening the grounds (e.g: irretrievable breakdown)
- less stigma: divorce has become more common and widely accepted
- secularisation: decline in religious influence on society
- higher expectations of marriage: the rising expectation of marriage based upon unrealistic scenarios shown in movies has led to the dissatisfaction amongst many couples (fletcher)
- women’s financial independence: more women are now in paid employment and lone parent welfare benefits are available. women are less economically dependant on a man, and can afford divorce

Question 2

reasons for decreasing marriage rates

Answer 2

• changing attitudes: less pressure to marry
• alternatives to marriage (such as cohabitation) are less stigmatised
• women’s economic independence
• impact of feminism: some women now see marriage as a patriarchal institution
• rising divorce rates: this may put women off marrying

Question 3

other trends in marriage

Answer 3

• rise in serial monogamy: many people re-marry
• later marriages: the young spend longer in education and cohabit before marrying
• fewer church weddings: due to secularisation

Question 4

partnerships

Answer 4

• more people are living together without being marries (secularisation, stigma, cost)
• increase in same-sex partnerships (secularisation and stigma)
• more people living alone (life expectancy and stigma)

Question 5

childbearing and childrearing

Answer 5

• more children are born outside of marriage
• women are having children later
• radical feminists are still unhappy with women being the main caregivers