Increase In Divorce: Changes In Family Patterns Flashcards
Divorce
The legal termination of marriage
Since the 60’s, there has been a great increase in the number of divorces in the UK.
Applicants for divorce
Around 65% of applications for divorce now come from women. This is a sharp contrast to the situation in the past.
In 1946 only 37% of all petitions came from women.
Changes in the law
Gradual changes in the law have made divorce much easier to obtain. There been 3 kinds of change:
Equalising the grounds between the sexes in 1923. This led to a sharp increase by women who wanted a divorce.
Widening the grounds for divorce in 1971. Including irretrievable breakdown was particularly important.
Making divorce cheaper, in particular legal aid in 1949.
DECLINING STIGMA/CHANGING ATTITUDES:
In the past people who have divorced have faced social disapproval. For example, some churches refused to marry people who have been divorced.
Jack Goody (1997) has noted a sharp decline in the stigma attached to being divorced. Divorce is simply seen as a misfortune.
Secularisation
Secularisation refers to the decline that religion has on peoples behaviour. As a result the churches opposition to divorce carries less influence.
At the same time the church themselves have soften their stance on divorce, perhaps in a bid to prevent dwindling numbers.
Rising expectations
Functionalist sociologist Ronald Fletcher (1966) argues that the rising expectation people place on marriage makes them more likely to divorce.
We associate marriage with love, and if that dies, so should the marriage!
Fletcher remains optimistic about marriage arguing that despite the divorce rate it still remains popular. That despite being despondent about marriage divorcees are still keen on the institution.
Feminists argue that this is too rosy a picture and that female oppression in the family remains the main reason for divorce.
Changing position of women
One of the reasons that women are so willing to end their marriage is their economic independence. Things such as the Equal Pay Act, being in paid employment, greater educational success and the availability of benefits have all helped women make the decision to divorce.
Allan and Crow
Allan and Crow (2001) argue that marriage is less embedded within the economic system now. Less families have family firms and are no longer a unit of production, thus spouses are no longer economically dependant on each other.
Wendy Sige-Rushton
Feminists argue that being both a wage earner and a homemaker has itself led to more divorces. Wendy Sige-Rushton (2007) :Women who work are more likely to get divorce compared to those who chose a more traditional housewife role.
Hoschild
Hoschild (1997) argues women feel valued at work, and not so much at home. Therefore it compares unfavourably!
Cooke and Gash
Cooke & Gash (2010) found no evidence that working women are more likely to divorce. They argue that this is because working has now become the accepted norm for married women.
Radical feminists such as Bernard
Radical feminists such as Bernard (1976 observe that many women feel a growing dissatisfaction with patriarchal marriage.
Rise in divorce & more women filing petitions= evidence of their growing acceptance of feminist ideas; women are becoming conscious of patriarchal oppression and more confident about rejecting it.
Modernity and individualisation
Beck (1992) and Giddens (1992) argue that in modern society, traditional norms, such as the duty to remain with the same partner for life, lose their hold over individuals.
As a result, each individual becomes free to pursue his or her own self-interest. This has become known as the individualisation thesis.
Relationships = more fragile!
Individuals become unwilling to remain with a partner if the relationship fails to deliver fulfilment. Instead, they seek what Giddens calls the ‘pure relationship’-one that exists solely to satisfy each partner’s needs and not out of a sense of duty, tradition or for the sake of the children. This results in higher divorce rates.
Some sociologists also argue that modernity encourages people to adopt neoliberal, consumerist identity based on the idea of freedom to follow one’s own self-interest. This is likely to pull spouses apart.
