Demographic + Social Changes Flashcards
(15 cards)
What are the marriage trends in the UK?
ONS:
➞ since 1970, 420,000 marriages decreased to 240,000 in 2024
➞ in 1970, 80% religious marriages decreased to 17% in 2022
➞ since 1970, 15% civil marriages increased to 80% in 2022
What is marriage considered to be to sociological studies?
➞ a universal institution, practiced by most societies, although forms may differ
What is monogamy?
➞ monogamy is legally men and women can only be married to one wife or husband at any one time. Being married to more than one wife or husband at the same time – bigamy - is illegal in the UK. However, serial monogamy is increasingly becoming the marital norm in the UK. This means it is quite common for people to marry more than once during their lifetime because of divorce and/or the death of their spouse.
What does New Right thinker Morgan say about marriage?
➞ concern in decline of marriage as it’s important to society to maintain social order and helps bind the individual to society by promoting the sharing of the same legal and social duties
➞ Morgan is critical of cohabitation + divorce as they undermine marriage and commitment to duties
➞ married men are more likely to be employed than unmarried men + earn 10-20% more
➞ ONS - marriage is good for the health of couples + married people live longer [2007]
According to the New Right, marriage is in decline for what 3 reasons?
The welfare state:
➞ Rector argues that the welfare state encourages single parents as reduces financial need for marriage + acts as a substitute for a husband
Secularisation:
➞ argued that people are less likely to get married in church ‘Before God’
➞ ONS - in 2012, 30% marriages were religious + 48% of births outside marriage
➞ Bruce states church has softened view on divorce, reducing stigma associated with it (NR?)
Cohabitation:
➞ increasingly being chosen as an alternative to marriage
➞ New Right believe it’s because it’s easier to walk away form than marriage
Explain why feminists view of marriage trends is positive change for women
➞ traditional male superiority is being replaced with equal marriages e.g sharing finance, childcare responsibilities etc
➞ evidence through Mansfield + Collard found that newlyweds hold marriage in high regard + determined to succeed
➞ economic shifts during 1960/70s improved women’s economic independence, creating dual-earner families. Wilkinson’s genderquake - Sharpe
➞ ONS - 1987, 48% of people agreed a man’s job was to earn money + women’s job was to look after home + family.
Now 77% of mothers with children work + 92% of fathers
➞ ONS - age of marriage in UK in 1972 was 27 (M) + 25 (F). Now it’s 38 (M) + 36 (F). More serious + careful approach to marriage and women’s changed roles
However, what do radical feminists say?
Bernard:
➞ in every marriage there are 2 ; his and hers
➞ marriage is more beneficial for men + have better health than unmarried, however married women have worse mental + emotional health compared to their husbands + single women
(67% of families headed by a married couple in UK - ONS)
What are the trends on divorce?
➞ ONS - 55% increase in divorce from 1970s to now + 42% of marriages end in divorce
➞ 62% of women file for divorce
➞ there has been a declining stigma and changing attitudes – divorce in the past was seen as negative, churches condemned divorce E.g Catholic Church. Mitchell + Goody note that an important change has occurred since the 1960s. It now can be seen as more common and has become ‘normalised’.
➞ Bruce states that churches have softened their view on divorce, reducing the stigma associated with it
- secularisation
- easier to access divorce
- changed expectations on women
- economic independence of women
Why has cohabitation increased?
➞ due to secularisation, no longer sinful to live together outside of marriage
➞ changes in women’s position creates opportunities, delay of marriage + a practical alternative to marriage
➞ due to economic reasons such as marriage (£30,000)
➞ Smart + Stevens found level of commitment in cohabitation was = to marriage from interview on 20 mothers + 20 fathers
➞ Morgan (NR) says people choose cohabitation because they are scared of divorce and cohabiting couples are less happy than married
➞ Murphy argued children get worse results at school and leave education earlier with parents that cohabitate
➞ ONS - 3.6 million in UK cohabitate
What are the trends on single hood?
➞ significant increases , 40% of 1 person households being over 65 due to divorce / widowed
➞ by 2033, 30% of population expected to be single
➞ women don’t need to financially depend on men anymore + 48% births outside marriage
What is the trend in life expectancy?
➞ how long on average a person is expected to live
➞ ONS - 1900 males expected to live to 50, now expected to live to 84
➞ women tend to live longer
➞ WC men are 3 times more likely to die before 65
➞ Walker states those living in poorest areas in England die on average 7 years earlier than those in richest areas
➞ average age in UK in 1971 = 34 years, 2024 = 41 years
Why is life expectancy increasing?
➞ people are living longer; better medicine, hygiene, diet etc
➞ infant mortality rate is low
➞ fewer people being born in relation to older people
What are the effects of increased life expectancy?
➞ older people consume more services e.g NHS, housing
➞ increased number of pensioners living alone - 12%
What is the trend in birth rates?
➞ in 2023, 591,000 births in England + Wales which was a decrease from the previous year (605,000) and at its lowest since 1970
➞ TFR in 2023 was 1.44 per woman, lowest value since 1938
What are the reasons for declining birth rate?
Changes in women’s position:
➞ equality, educational opportunities, paid employment etc
➞ Harper states education is the most important reason for the decline in birth rates, as educated women are more likely to use family planning and have more opportunities than being a house wife
➞ Harper also notes that once a pattern of low fertility rates lasts more than a generation, cultural norms of the family change. Smaller families are now the norm
Decline in infant mortality rate
➞ measures number of infants that die in first year of living, per 1000, per year
➞ Harper argues fall in IMR leads to fall in BR. Due to if many infants die, parents replace with new child
➞ 1900, 15% IMR, now 0.36%
➞ due to better housing + sanitation e.g clean water, better nutrition + hygiene etc
Children are an economic reliability:
➞ in 19th century children were an economic asset as could work at early age + provide income
➞ however, now laws banning child labour (19th century) + in compulsory schooling (1800), children are economically dependent
➞ changing norms about what children have a right to expect from their parents in material terms, increasing cost of raising children (£200,000)
