Changing family patterns

Question 1

changes in the law to increase divorce

Answer 1

1. equalising grounds between genders
2. widening grounds for divorce (allowed ‘irretrievable breakdown’ in 1971 that doubled divorce overnight)
3. making divorce cheaper

Question 2

alternatives to divorce

Answer 2

1. desertion - one partner leaving but remaining married
2. legal separation - financial and legal affairs are separated by the court but they remain married
3. empty shell marriage - living together but married only by name

Question 3

women’s increased financial independence as a reason for divorce

Answer 3

• women more involved in paid work
• equal pay and anti-discrimination laws
• girls’ educational success
• welfare benefits

women are more likely to be able to support themselves in the case of a divorce

Question 4

changing attitudes towards divorce

Answer 4

no longer a stigma

Question 5

Mitchell and Goody

Answer 5

rapid decline in stigma since the 1960s makes divorce more permissible

Question 6

feminist explanations for divorce increase

Answer 6

• domestic division of labour is a source of tension
• the private sphere is patriarchal
• work makes women feel more valued than demotivated husbands at home
• women are more confident at rejecting oppression

Question 7

(Fem) Hochschild

Answer 7

women feel valued at work, especially in comparison to their frustration towards husbands who wont do housework - tension causes higher divorce rates

Question 8

(Fem) Bernard

Answer 8

divorce rate is higher because women are aware of patriarchal oppression in marriages and are more confident in rejecting them

Question 9

Secularisation in increasing divorce

Answer 9

decline of religious influence means that opposition to divorce is softening

Question 10

(Func.) Fletcher

Answer 10

higher expectations of marriage (i.e., pure romantic love) will make the real hardships less tolerable and head straight for a divorce, whereas past couples saw marriage as a unit of production and tolerated unhappy marriage

Question 11

(modernity) Beck and Giddens

Answer 11

traditional norms like monogamy have less influence over people in modern society

1. individualisation thesis - individuals pursue their own self-interest
2. relationships become fragile if it isn’t personally fulfilling
3. rising divorce rates normalise divorce

Question 12

changing patterns of divorce

Answer 12

• just under half of marriages end in divorce
• 65% of divorce petitions come from women
• couples like the young, children before marriage, and cohabiting before marriage are more likely to divorce

Question 13

(TNR) what does a higher divorce rate mean

Answer 13

undermines marriage and the nuclear family, which are vital to social stability

Question 14

(Fem) what does a higher divorce rate mean

Answer 14

women are becoming free from patriarchal oppression

Question 15

(PM) what does a higher divorce rate mean

Answer 15

shows individuals have more freedom, explains high family diversity

Question 16

(Func) what does a higher divorce rate mean

Answer 16

doesn’t threaten marriage, acts as a response to high marriage expectations

Question 17

(Int) what does a higher divorce rate mean

Answer 17

we cant generalise the meaning of divorce

Question 18

(PLP) what does a higher divorce rate mean

Answer 18

accepts issues of divorce to the family but argues that the family can adapt the more divorce is normalised

Question 19

marriage stats

Answer 19

• the number of first time marriages has halved since 1970
• 1/3 of marriages are re-marriages - serial monogamy
• people marry later
• couples less likely to marry in a church

Question 20

Allan and Crow (marriage)

Answer 20

love, personal commitment, and intrinsic satisfaction are the cornerstones for marriage

Question 21

reasons for marriage pattern change

Answer 21

• less pressure to marry
• secularisation
• less stigma around marriage alternatives (i.e., civil partnership / cohabiting)
• changing in women’s position (no need to marry for econ benefits)
• fear of divorce

Question 22

Stonewall

Answer 22

5-7% of the adult population are in gay marriages

Question 23

Weeks

Answer 23

social acceptance means that more same-sex couples are cohabiting

Question 24

Weston

Answer 24

same-sex cohabitation = quasi-marriage

Question 25

cohabitation

Answer 25

unmarried couple who live together with or without children, cohabiting couples with children are the fastest growing family type

Question 26

why has cohabitation increased

Answer 26

- less stigma around sex before marriage - secularisation

Question 27

Chester

Answer 27

most people see cohabiting as part of the process of getting married

Question 28

Coast

Answer 28

75% of cohabiters intend to marry

Question 29

one person households

Answer 29

- rise in people living alone - 40% of this household type are 65+

Question 30

reasons for one person households

Answer 30

- increase in separation and divorce - decline in marrying - 1 in 10 adults are LAT

Question 31

childbearing

Answer 31

- women are having children later - women are having less children - more women are childless

Question 32

LP families

Answer 32

- 1/4 of children are in a LP family - 90% of this family are LP mothers - 2x more likely to be in poverty than children with two parents

Question 33

reasons for LP families

Answer 33

- increase in divorce - matriarchal due to divorce courts believing women have a natural childrearing role - some women are single by choice

Question 34

Cashmore

Answer 34

WC women will choose LP family structure and the welfare system to avoid abuse

Question 35

Murray

Answer 35

LP families have increased over-generous welfare state perverse incentive - state rewards irresponsible behaviour dependency culture - underclass (including LP families) expect support

Question 36

AO3 of Murray (LP families)

Answer 36

LP families are more likely to actually be in poverty and in real need of welfare benefits - unaffordable childcare prevents parents from working - inadequate welfare benefits - more LP families are women (who are paid less) - fathers fail to pay maintenance, especially if they have a second family

Question 37

stepfamilies

Answer 37

- 10% of families with dependents - more likely to include children from the woman than the man

Question 38

Ferri and Smith

Answer 38

stepfamilies are entirely similar to first families

Question 39

Allan and Crow (step families)

Answer 39

stepfamilies suffer from divided loyalties

Question 40

reasons for stepfamilies

Answer 40

- result of LP families and divorce - children are more likely to stay with their mum - more at risk of poverty as the father may be paying support to his first family - tensions rise from lack of social norms

Question 41

black families

Answer 41

- higher amount of LP families - matriarchal families = proof of family disorganisation - couples are separated during slavery, normalising children staying with their mother

Question 42

asian families

Answer 42

- Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and Indian families have bigger households (Pakistani = 4.3 people per household) - households often contain 3 generations - asian households reflect their culture and practicality of help needed to move to the UK - Sikhs, Muslims, and Hindus are most likely to live in extended families

Question 43

Charles - Study of Swansea

Answer 43

3 generations living together is essentially extinct, excluding Bangladeshi communities

Question 44

Chamberlain

Answer 44

Caribbean families are dispersed by location but always provide support (multi-nuclear families) - the extended family remains providing important functions

Question 45

Brannen

Answer 45

the beanpole family (3+ generations, excluding aunts/uncles and cousins) comes from demographic changes (increased life expectancy, smaller family size)

Question 46

Bell

Answer 46

MC extended families - fathers offer financial support to sons WC extended families - mothers and daughters remain in contact for domestic aid and childcare