Topic 2 - Changing Family Patterns Flashcards
1
Q
Marriage and divorce statistics
A
- 40% of all marriages now end in divorce
2
Q
Explanations for the increase in divorce
A
- Changes in the law
- Declining stigma and changing attitudes
- Secularisation
- Rising expectations of marriage/love
- Women’s increased financial independence
- Feminist explanations
- Modernity and individualisation
3
Q
Divorce: Changes in the law
A
- 1923 equalising the grounds of divorce
- 1949 making divorce cheaper
- 1971 widening the grounds for divorce
4
Q
Other ways of ending an unhappy marriage
A
- Desertion
- Legal separation
- “Empty shell” marriage
5
Q
Divorce: Decline in stigma and changing attitudes
A
- Stigma = negative label, social disapproval, or shame
- MITCHELL and GOODY aruge since the 1960s there has been a significant decrease in the stigma attached to divorce
- Divorce has now become “normalised”
6
Q
Divorce: Secularisation
A
- Influence religion has in society
- Religion losing its influence and society is becoming more secular (church figures declined)
7
Q
Divorce: Rising expectations of marriage/love
A
- FLETCHER suggests the high expectations people place on marriage is the reason for the increase in divorce = “ideology of romanitc love”
- ALLAN and CROW people no longer see marriage as a binding contract but a relationship where people seel personal fulfillment so divorce if they dont find that
8
Q
Divorce: Changing position of women
A
- More women in paid work: 73% in 2021
- Women still earn less than men but anti-discrimination and equal pay helped narrow pay gap
- Girls achieve greater success in education
- Welfare benefits means women no longer have to remain financially dependent
9
Q
Divorce: Feminist explanation
A
- Women suffer a dual burden of paid work and somestic labour = source of conflict between husbands and wives leading to a higher divorce rate
- HOCHSCHILD argues home life for women is unfavourable compared to working life where they are treated more equally, at home there is conflict between man and women
- RUSHTON women whi have a dual burden are more likely to divorce
- BERNARD radical reminist: increase in divorce rate is a reaction to growing acceptance of feminist ideas and acknowledgement of the oppressive patriarchal marriage
10
Q
Divorce: Modernity and individualisation
A
- BECK and GIDDENS argue that in a moden society, traditional norms lose infleunce = more interested in pursuing our own self interests
- Relationships become fragile
11
Q
Theorist views on divorce: Feminists
A
- Women breaking free from patriarchal oppression of the nuclear family
11
Q
Theorist views on divorce: Postmodernists
A
- Freedom to end a relationship that no longer meets their needs
11
Q
Theorist views on divorce: Functionalists
A
- Not a threat as re-marriage rates are also high = importance of marriage is still there
12
Q
Theorist views on divorce: Interactionists
A
- What divorce means to individuals
12
Q
Theorist views on divorce: The Personal Life Perspective
A
- Divorce caused problems like financial difficulty and lack of contact with children
- However, SMART argues divorce has become normalised
13
Q
Reasons for the changes in marriage
A
- Changing attitudes to marriage
- Secularisation
- Decline in stigma
- Changing position of women
- Fear of divorce
13
Q
Marriage
A
- 2019: 14.7% of marriages were re-marriages
- Couples today less likely to marriage in church
14
Q
Marriage: Changing attitudes to marriage
A
- Less pressure to marry and more freedom for individuals to choose a relationship they want
15
Q
Marriage: Secularisation
A
- 2001 Census found young people with no religion were less likely to marry compared to those with religion
16
Q
Marriage: Decline in stigma
A
- Remaining single, having sex before marriage, having children outside of marriage, cohabitation is now widely accpeted
17
Q
Marriage: Changing position of women
A
- Women now have greater financial independence they are less dependant on men and more freedom not to marry
18
Q
Marriage: Fear of divorce
A
- As divorce rates rise some people may be put off from marrying
19
Q
Other reasons for patterns in marrying
A
- Remarriages
- Ages on marrying
20
Q
Cohabitation
A
- Unmarried couple in a sexual relationship living together
- This has increased
- 69,000 same sex cohabiting couples
21
Reasons for the increase in cohabitation
- Decline in stigma
- Young people more accpeting
- Increased career opportunities for women
- Secularisation
22
Same-sex relationships
- STONEWALL 71% of Gen Z identify as straight
23
More social accpetance for same-sex relationships
- Male homosexuality was discriminated against in 1967 for consenting adults over 21
- 2002 right to adopt
- 2004 civil right partnership act gave same-sex relationships similar rights to married couples in terms of inheritance, properties, and tenancies
- 2014 same-sex couple able to marry
24
Chosen families
- WEEKS same-sex relationships are starting to resemble heterosexual relationships: increased social acceptance
- WESTON "quasi-marriage"
- ALLAN and CROW absense of legal frameworks means same-sex partners have had to negotiate their commitment and responsibilities more than marries couples
25
One-person households
- Fewer people living in couples
- 2022: 13% of all households are one-person
- 51% of all person households are over 65
26
Reasons for the increase in one-person households
- Increase in separation and divorce
- People opting for a "creative singlehood": deliberate choice to live alone
27
Living Apart Together (LATs)
- DUNCAN and PHILLIPS 1 in 10 adults are in a LAT
- 20% see LATs as the ideal relationship
28
Reasons for LATs
- Choice and constraint e.g., cannot live together
- Some choose to live apart e.g, keeping thier own home, previous troubled relationships
- DUNCAN and PHILLIPS being a LAT is no longer seen as abnormal
29
Childbearing
- 2021 = 51% of babies born outside of marriage
- Women are having children later (31 in 2021 compared to 26 in 1974)
30
Reasons for the changes in childbearing
- Decline in stigma around birth outside marriage and an increase in cohabitation
- Women want to establish a career before motherhood
31
Lone-parent families
- 15% of UK familes are lone-parent
- 84% headed by lone mothers
- Child with a lone-parent twice as likely to live in poverty than a child without
32
Reasons for the change in lone parent families
- Increase in divorce and separation
- Decline in stigma
- Single by choice = RENVOIZE found professional women were able to support their child without the father
- CASHMORE some working class women chose to live alone on benefits due to domestic violence
33
Why lone-parent families are often headed by the mother
- Expressive role = socialisation
- Men may be less willing to give up work for a child
34
New Right view on lone parent families
- Problematic for society
- Produce delinquent boys that lack a male role model
- Perverse incentive = non-workers get benefits, workers get taxed
- Dependancy culture
- Rely on welfare state = wish to abolish this
35
A03 Welfare benefits
- Welfare benefits are not generous and lone parent families are far more likely to be in poverty
- Lack of affordable childcare means parents can't work = 31% unemployed
- Most lone parents who are women generally earn less than men
- Failure of maintenance pay from fathers especially if they have a second family to support
36
What are step families often referred to
- Reconstituted families
37
Step families
- 10% of all families in Britain
- FERRI and SMITH step families are similar to first families (positive), but are at greater risk of poverty
- ALLAN and CROW found stepfamilies face problems of divided loyalty = tension
- McCARTHY ET AL = diversity in step families
38
Reasons for the change in step families
- Increase in divorce and separation
- More children from womans side as more likely to stay with the mother
- Greater risk of poverty = supporting other children
- Tensions due to lack of social norms
39
Ethnic differences in family patterns - Black families
- Higher proportion of lone-parent families
- 24% of families with this ethnic background were lone parent (2011) compared with only 9% of Asian families
- Links to Black slavery = unemployment and discrimination amongst Black males = cannot provide for their family = conflict and breakdown
- Children stayed with the mother
40
A03 Ethnic differences in family patterns - Black families
- MIRZA argues the high rate of lone parent families is not a result of disorganisation but reflects the independance that is placed on black women
- REYNOLDS says the statistics are misleading as what appear to be lone parent families are often LATs
41
Ethnic differences in family patterns - Asian families
- Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian households tend to be bigger than those of other ethnic groups
- Larger households reflect the close family dynamic but there are also practical considerations, such as the need for assistance when migrating to Britain
- BALLARD extended family offered important role for migrants in the 1950s and 1960s with housing, financial, and childcare
- More likely to live in extended family units
42
The extended family today
- WILLMOTT "dispersed extended family" = do not live together but still remain frequently in contact
- Provided emotional, financial, and childcare support
- Middle class families = financial help from father to son
- Working class families = domestic help from mothers to daughters and had more contact
43
Beanpole family
- BRANNEN = "long and thin" extended family
- Extended vertically = grandparents, parents, and children
- Not extended horizontally = does not include uncles, aunties, cousins etc
May be the result of 2 demographic changes
- Increased life expectancy
- Smaller family sizes
44
Obligations to relatives
- FINCH and MASON 90% of people have given or received financial help and around 50% helped care for a sick relative
CHEAL found gender patterns in terms of obligations:
- Daughter or daughter-in-law preferred when care for an elderly woman is needed
- Sons are rarely chosen to help care
- Daughters are rarely chosen to help financially
