Topic 5 - Changing Family Patterns

Question 1

What are the 7 explanations for the increase in divorce ?

Answer 1

1.changes in the law
2.declining stigma and changing attitudes
3.secularisation
4.rising expectations of marriage
5.womens increased financial independence
6.feminist explanations
7.modernity and individualisation

Question 2

Explanations for the increase in divorce - changes in the law - what are the 3 changes in the law which have made divorce easier ?

Answer 2

-equalising the grounds (the legal reasons) for divorce between the sexes
-widening the grounds for divorce
-making divorce cheaper

Question 3

Explanations for increase in divorce - changes in the law - what are the other 3 solutions to the problem of an unhappy marriage apart from divorce ?

Answer 3

-desertion - where one partner leaves the other but the couple remain legally married
-legal separation - where a court the financial and legal affairs of the couple buy where the couple remain married and not free to re marry
-empty shell marriage - where the couple continue to live under the same roof but remain married in name only
However ,as divorce has become easier to obtain , these solutions have become less popular

Question 4

Explanations of increase in divorce - declining stigma and changing attitudes - what is meant by stigma and how is it applied to divorce ?

Answer 4

-stigma refers to the negative label , social disapproval or shame attached to a person , action or relationship
-in the past divorce and divorcees have been stigmatised .
-for example , churches tended to condemn divorce and often refused to conduct marriage services involving divorcees

Question 5

Explanations for the increase in divorce -declining stigma and changing attitudes - what do Mitchell and Goody note an important change since the 1960s has been ?

Answer 5

-Mitchell and Goody note that an important change since the 1960s has been the rapid decline in the stigma attached to divorce

Question 6

Explanations for the increase in divorce - declining stigma and changing attitudes - what does declining stigma mean for divorce ?

Answer 6

-as stigma declines and divorce becomes more socially acceptable , couples become more willing to resort to divorce as a means of solving their marital problems
-in turn , the fact that divorce is now more common begins to normalise it and reduces the stigma attached to it , rather than being seen as shameful today it is more likely to be regarded simply as a misfortune.

Question 7

Explanations for increase in divorce - secularisation - what is meant by secularisation and how does this lead to an increase in divorce ?

Answer 7

-secularisation refers to the decline in the influence of religion in society
-many sociologists argue that religious institutions and ideas are losing their influence and society is becoming more secular
-As a result of secularisation , the traditional opposition of the churches to divorce carries less weight in society and people are less likely to be influenced by religious teachings when making a decision whether to file for a divorce

Question 8

Explanations for an increase in divorce - secularisation - evaluation that churches don’t hold same views so not as big impact on divorce ?

Answer 8

-as the same time ,many churches have also begun to soften their views on divorce and divorcees , perhaps because they are losing credibility with large sections of the public and with their own members

Question 9

Explanations for the increase in divorce - rising expectations of marriage - what do functionalists such as Fletcher argue is leading to higher divorce rates ?

Answer 9

-Functionalists such as Fletcher argue that the higher expectations people place on marriage today are a major cause of the rising divorce rates , higher expectations make couples less willing to tolerate an unhappy marriage

Question 10

Explanations for the increase in divorce rates- rising expectations of marriage - although functionalists explain rising divorce rates , what do they fail to explain according to feminists ?

Answer 10

-feminists argue that although functionalists offer an explanation of rising divorce rates , they fail to explain why it’s mainly women rather than men who seek divorce

Question 11

Explanations for the increase in divorce - women’s increased financial independence - what are some examples of how improvements in women’s economic position have made them less financially dependent on their husbands so more likely to divorce ?

Answer 11

-women today are much more likely to be in paid work. The proportion of women working rose from 53% in 1971 to 67% in 2013
-although women generally still earn less than men , equal pay and anti discrimination laws have helped to narrow the pay gap
-girls’ greater success in education now helps them to achieve better paid jobs than in previous generations
-the availability of welfare benefits means that women no longer have to remain financially dependent on their husbands
These developments mean that women are more likely to be able to support themselves in the event of a divorce

Question 13

Explanations for the increase in divorce rates- feminist explanations - what do feminists believe is leading to a higher divorce rate compared to in the past ?

Answer 13

-feminists argues that married women today carry a dual burden ; they are required to take on paid work in addition to performing domestic labour (housework and childcare)
-in the view of feminists , this has created a new source of conflict between husbands and wives , this is leading to a higher divorce rate than in the past

Question 14

Explanations for the increase in divorce rate - Feminist explanations - who did Sigle-Rushton find are more likely to divorce and why ?

Answer 14

-according to Sigle-Rushton , mothers who have a dual burden of paid and domestic work are more likely to divorce than non working mothers
-but where the husband of a working wife is actively involved in housework , the divorce rates is the same as for couples with the traditional division of labour

Question 15

Explanations for the increase in divorce - feminist explanations - how does Cooke and Gash criticise Sigle Rushton’s view that working mothers are more likely to divorce ?

Answer 15

-Cooke and Gash 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

Question 16

Explanations for the increase in divorce rate - feminist explanations - what does Radical feminist Bernard argue is leading to the increase in divorce rate ?

Answer 16

-Radical feminist Bernard observes that many women are feeling a growing dissatisfaction with patriarchal marriage
-she sees the rising divorce rates and the fact that most petitions come from women , as evidence of their growing acceptance of feminist ideas ; women are becoming more conscious of patriarchal oppression and more confident about rejecting it

Question 17

Explanation for the increase in divorce - modernity and individualisation - what do Beck and Giddens argue in a modern society happens and what is this become to be known as and how does this lead to high divorce rates (refer to pure relationship) ?

Answer 17

-Beck and Giddens 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 view has become known as the individualisation thesis
-relationships become more fragile , because individuals become unwilling to remain with a partner if the relationship fails to deliver personal fulfillment
-instead individuals seek what Giddens calls a “Pure relationship” one that solely exists to satisfy each partners needs and not out of sense of duty , this results in higher divorce rates

Question 18

The meaning of a divorce rate - The new right view ?

Answer 18

-the new right view - see a high divorce rate as undesirable because it undermines marriage and the traditional nuclear family , which they regard as vital to social stability
-in the new right view , a high divorce rate creates a growing underclass of welfare dependent female lone parents who are a burden on the state and it leaves boys without the male role models they need

Question 19

The meaning of a high divorce rate - Feminists ?

Answer 19

-Feminists - see a high divorce rate as desirable because it shows that women are breaking free from the oppression of the patriarchal nuclear family

Question 20

The meaning of a high divorce rate - postmodernists and individualisation thesis ?

Answer 20

-postmodernists and individualisation thesis - see a high divorce rate as showing that individuals now have the freedom to choose to end a relationship when it no longer meets their needs , they see it as a major cause of greater family diversity

Question 21

The meaning of a high divorce rate - functionalists ?

Answer 21

-Functionalists argue that a high divorce rate is not necessarily a threat to marriage as a social institution , but its simply the result of peoples higher expectations of marriage today today , the high rate of re marriage shows peoples continuing commitment to the idea of marriage

Question 22

The meaning of a high divorce rate - interactions include Morgans findings ?

Answer 22

-Interactionists -aim to understand what divorce means to the individual
-Morgan argues that we cannot generalise about the meaning of divorce , because every interpretations of divorce is different

Question 23

The meaning of a high divorce rate - the personal life perspective, include what smart believes about divorce ?

Answer 23

-the personal life perspective - accepts that divorce can cause problems , such as financial difficulties (especially for women) and lack of daily contact between children and non resident parents
-Smart - argues that divorce has become normalised and that family life can adopt to it without disintegrating . Rather than seeing divorce as a major social problem, we should see it as “one transition amongst others in the life course”

Question 24

What are some recent trends about marriage ?

Answer 24

-fewer people are marrying - marriage rates are at the lowest since the 1920s
-however , there are more remarriages where one or both of the partners have been married before
-people are marrying later - the average age of first marriage rose by seven years to 30 for women and 32 for men
-couples are less likely to marry in churches by 2012 marriage in churches were 30%

Question 25

What are some reasons for the changing partners in marriage (decline) ?

Answer 25

-changing attitudes towards marriage -secularisation -declining stigma attached to alternatives to marriage -changes in the position of women -fear of divorce

Question 26

Reasons for decline in marriage - changing attitudes to marriage ?

Answer 26

-changing attitudes to marriage - there is less pressure to marry and more freedom fr individuals to chose the type of relationship they want -the norm that everyone ought to get marries has greatly weakened

Question 27

Reasons for decline in marriage - Secularisation ?

Answer 27

-Secularisation - the churches are in favour of marriage , but as their influence declines people feel freer to choose not to marry

Question 28

Reasons for the decline in marriage rates - declining stigma attached attached to alternatives to marriage ?

Answer 28

-declining stigma attached to alternatives to marriage - cohabitation ,remaining single , and having children outside of marriage are all now widely regarded as acceptable , so that pregnancy outside of marriage no longer leads to a “shotgun wedding”

Question 29

Reason for the decline in marriage rates - changes in the position of women ?

Answer 29

-changes in the position of women - with better educational and career prospects , many women are now less economically dependent on men , this gives them greater freedom not to marry

Question 30

Reason for the decline in marriage rates - fear of divorce ?

Answer 30

- fear of divorce - with the rising divorce rate , some may be put off marrying because they see the increased likelihood of their marriage ending in a divorce

Question 31

What are the 3 other reasons for changes in the patterns of marriage (not causing a decline ) ?

Answer 31

-remarriages -age people are marrying is getting older -couples are less likely to marry in churches

Question 32

Reasons for other changes in patterns of marriage rates- remarriages ?

Answer 32

-Remarriages - the main reason for the increase in re marriages is the rise in the number of divorces . The two have grown together so that the rising number of divorcees provides a supply of people available to re marry

Question 33

Reason for other changes in marriage rates - ages of marriage ?

Answer 33

-ages of marriage - the age at which couples marry is rising because young people are postponing marrriage in order to spend longer in full time education , and to establish a career themselves first -another reason is that more couples are now cohabiting for a period before they marry

Question 34

Reason for other changes in marriage rates - church weddings - what are 2 reasons couples are less likely to get married in churches ?

Answer 34

-church weddings - couples nowadays are less likely to marry in a church for 2 main reasons ; -secularisation - fewer people see the relevance of religious ceremonies -many churches refuse to marry divorcees (who make up a growing proportion of those marrying ) and divorcees may in any case have less desire to marry in church

Question 35

What is cohabitation ?

Answer 35

-cohabitation involves an unmarried couple in a sexual relationship living together

Question 36

What are some of the reasons for the increase in cohabitation ?

Answer 36

-increased cohabitation rates are a result of the decline in the stigma attached to sex outside of marriage . In 1989 , only 44% of people agreed “premarital sex isn’t wrong “ but 65% took this view in 2012 -the young are more likely to accept cohabitation -increased career opportunities for women may mean they have less need for the financial security of marriage and are therefore freer to opt for cohabitation -secularisation - young people with no religion are more likely to cohabit than this with a religion

Question 37

How can cohabitation be seen as a trial marriage ?

Answer 37

-many see cohabitation as a trial marriage and intend to marry if it goes well - or in some cases , cohabitation is a temporary phase before marriage because one or both of the partners are awaiting a divorce

Question 38

What did Bejin find about how some see cohabitation as a permanent alternative to marriage ?

Answer 38

-Bejin argues that cohabitation among young people represents a conscious attempt to create a more personally negotiated and equal relationship than a conventional patriarchal marriage

Question 39

How do Shelton and John provide evidence (back up ) Bejins findings that Young people cohabit in attempt to create a more equal relationship compared to the conventional patriarchal marriage ?

Answer 39

-Shelton and John found that women who do cohabit do less housework than their married counterparts

Question 40

How many people did Stonewall find have a same sex relationship today but why can’t we compare this to the past ?

Answer 40

-Stonewall , the campaign for lesbian , gay and bisexual rights , estimates that about 5-7% of the adult population today have same sex relationships -however , it’s impossible to judge whether this represents an increase because in the past , stigma and illegality meant that such relationships were more likely to be hidden

Question 41

What is some evidence of the increased social acceptance of same sex relationships in recent years ?

Answer 41

-male homosexual acts were decriminalised in 1967 for consenting adults over 21 -more recently the age of consent has been equalised with heterosexuals -opinion polls show more tolerance of homosexuality -since 2014 , same sex couples have been able to marry

Question 42

What does Weeks argue has led to increased same sex cohabitation and mean by chosen families and what does he believe they offer ?

Answer 42

-Weeks argues that increased social acceptance may help to explain the trend towards same sex cohabitation and stable relationships that resemble those found among heterosexuals -Weeks sees gays as creating families based on the idea of “friendship of kinship” , where friendships become a type of kinship network -he describes these as “chosen families “ and argues that they offer the same security and stability as heterosexual families

Question 43

One person households - what is evidence that shows fewer people today are living in couples ?

Answer 43

-there has been a big rise in the number of people living alone . In 2013 , almost 3 out of 10 households contained only one person -40% of all one person households are over 65 -pensioner one person households have doubles since 1961 -men under 65 were the group most likely to live alone -by 233, over 30% of the adult population will be single (unpartnered and never married)

Question 44

What are the reasons for the increase in one person households ?

Answer 44

-the increase in separation and divorce has created more one person households . This is because , following divorce , any children are more likely to live with their mothers , their father is more likely to leave the family home -the decline in the numbers of marrying ,and the trend towards marrying later mean more people are remaining single -more people are opting for “creative singlehood” - the deliberate choice to live alone -however , while many of these chose to remain single and live alone , some are alone because there are too fewer partners available in their age groups , these are mainly older widows

Question 45

What did Duncan and Phillips find a trend towards / what does this mean ?

Answer 45

-Research by Duncan and Phillips for the British Social attitudes survey found that about 1 on 10 adults are “living apart together” - that is in a serious relationship , but not married or cohabiting

Question 46

What reasons did Duncan and Phillips find for people choosing to living apart together ?

Answer 46

-because they wanted to keep their own homes , because of previous troubled relationships or because it was “too early “ to cohabit

Question 47

What are some recent trends towards childbearing ?

Answer 47

-Nearly half (47%) of all children are now born outside of marriage , in most cases these parents are cohabiting -women are now having children later , in 2012 the average age of having a first child was 28 -women are having fewer children than in the 20th century , though the number increased slightly in the early 21st century -more women are remaining childless

Question 48

What are the reasons for the changes in childbearing ?

Answer 48

-reasons for the increase in births outside of marriage include a decline in the stigma and increase in cohabitation , for example , only 28% of 25-34 year olds now think marriage should come before parenthood -the later age at which women are having children , smaller family sizes and the fact that more women are remaining Childless , all reflect the fact that women now have more options than just motherhood . Many are seeking to establish themselves in a career before starting , or instead of having children at all

Question 49

What are some statistics about lone parent families ?

Answer 49

-lone parent families now make up 22% of al families with children -1 in 4 children live in a lone parent family -over 90% of lone parent families are headed by lone mothers -a child living with a lone parent is twice as likely to be in poverty as a chid living with 2 parents

Question 50

What are the reasons for the increase in lone parent families ?

Answer 50

-the number of lone parent families has risen due to the increase in divorce and separation and the increase in the number of never married women having children -this is linked to the decline in the stigma attached to births outside of marriage include -in the past , the death of one parent was a common cause of lone parent families , but this is no longer very significant

Question 51

What are some reasons that lone parent families tend to be female headed ?

Answer 51

-the widespread belief that women are by nature suited to an “expressive “or a nurturing role -the fact that divorce courts usually give custody of children to mothers -the fact that men may be less willing than women to give up work to care for children

Question 52

Reasons for lone parent families to be female headed - single by choice ?

Answer 52

-single by choice - many lone parent families are female headed because the mothers are single by choice -they may not wish to cohabit or marry , or they may wish to limit the fathers involvement with the child

Question 53

What did Renvoize find may lead lone parent mothers to be single by choice ?

Answer 53

-Renvoize found that professional women were able to support their child without the fathers involvement