AS SociologySCLY1Families and Households

CHANGING FAMILY PATTERNS

More…DivorceRe-marriagesCohabitationLone parent familiesPeople who live

aloneStep familiesCouples without

childrenMarrying later in life

Less…Traditional

nuclear family households

First marriagesWomen having

fewer children

GENERAL TRENDS

Know the main changes in partnerships – with particular reference to divorce and partnerships

Be able to analyse and evaluate the reason for these changes in families and households

AIMS

Major cause for changing family patterns and greater family diversity

For example:Lone parentsRe-marriage One person households

WHY STUDY DIVORCE?

Divorce has doubled between 1961 to 1969

But…doubled again between 1969 and 1972

Divorce in 2001 was six times higher than in 1961

7/10 petitions for divorce come from women, but in 1946 only 37% came from women.

So what has happened?

WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF THE CHANGE?

Changes in the lawDeclining stigma and changing attitudesSecularisationRising expectations in marriageChanges in the position of women

Also other factorsHigher risk of divorce if…Marry youngCohabit before marriageOne or both partners married before

EXPLANATIONS FOR THE INCREASE

A brief historyDIVORCE LAW

Before 1857 – virtually non-existent, costly and only obtainable through an Act of Parliament

1857 – men could divorce unfaithful wives BUT women had to prove husbands’ cruelty or infidelity. Divorce still costly.

1923 – grounds for divorce equalised for men and women

1937 – grounds widened to include cruelty and desertion

1949 – legal aid available making divorce more aff ordable

1969 – Divorce Law Reform Act (came into eff ect in 1971)

This made irretrievable breakdown of marriage the sole ground for divorce – established by proving unreasonable behaviour, adultery, desertion, separation. Divorce was available after 2 years of agreed separation or 5 if one partner did not agree.

DIVORCE LAW

1984 – the minimum period when divorce could be sough was reduced from 3 years to 1

1996 – Family Law Act encourages couples to seek mediation but allows divorce after a period of reflection

2004 – Civil Partnership Act allows the dissolution for civil partnerships on the same grounds as for a marriage

2007 – appeal court ruling, in divorce the principle of equality applies – the starting point of the split is 50:50 of all assets including salaries and pension rights.

DIVORCE LAW

AS Sociology

EXPLANATIONS FOR THE CHANGES

CHANGES IN THE LAW

Three kinds of change…

Equal grounds Widening grounds

Making divorce cheaper

When the grounds were equalised in 1923 – sharp rise in the number of divorce petitions from women

1971 – irretrievable breakdown

1949 – introduction of legal aid

Each change has resulted in a rise in the divorce rate

CHANGES IN THE LAW

Divorce is the legal termination of the marriage. Couples can and do fi nd alternatives…

Desertion – where one partner leaves the other but the couple remain legally married

Legal separation – when a court separates the fi nancial and legal aff airs of the couple but they remain married and are not free to re-marry

Empty shell marriage – the couple continue to live under the same roof but remain married in name only

Since divorce has become more available these solutions have become less popular.

ALTERNATIVES?

AS SociologySOCIAL CHANGES

DECLINING STIGMA AND CHANGING ATTITUDES

Stigma is a negative label of social disapproval or shame attached to a person, action or relationship.

The church tended to condemn divorce and often refused to conduct marriage services involving divorcees. Mitchell and Goody (1997) note that an important change since the 1960s has been the rapid decline in the stigma attached to divorce

As the stigma declines and divorce become more socially acceptable couples are more likely to see divorce as a means of solving marital problems. It has become normalised.

SECULARISATION

Secularisation refers to the decline in the influence in religion in society.

Many sociologists argue that religious institutions are losing their influence on society. They point to evidence such as church attendance being in decline.

The results are…The traditional opposition of the church to divorce carries less weight in societyPeople are less likely to be influenced by religious teachings when making decisions.

2001 census – 47% of those with no religion were cohabiting compared to 34% of Christians, 17% of Muslims and 11% of Hindus and 10% of Sikhs.

Many churches are also softening their views on divorce.

RISING EXPECTATIONS OF MARRIAGE

Fletcher (1966)The higher expectations people place on marriage today are a major cause of rising divorce rates. Higher expectations make couples less willing to tolerate an unhappy marriage.

This is linked to the ideology of romantic love.

Marriage should be based only on love and for each individual there is a Mr or Miss “right”.

RISING EXPECTATIONS OF MARRIAGE

In the past individuals had little choice in whom they married.

At the time when the family was a unit of production marriages were often out of duty to one’s family or for economic reasons.

Under these circumstances people were less likely to have high expectations and were less likely to be dissatisfied by the absence of romance and intimacy.

RISING EXPECTATIONS OF MARRIAGE

Allen and Crow (2001)“Love, personal commitment and intrinsic satisfaction are now seen as the cornerstones of marriage, the absence of these feelings is itself a justification for ending the relationship.”

Fletcher Takes an optimistic view of marriage.

Marriage continues to be popular, most adults marry and the high number of re-marriages show that society has not rejected marriage as in institution.

CRITICS OF THIS VIEW…

Too rosy!!!! feminists argue that the oppression of women within the marriage and family is the main cause of marital conflict and divorce and think that functionalists ignore this.

Functionalists offer an explanation for the rise in divorce rate but do not explain why it is mainly women who petition for divorce.

CHANGES IN THE POSITION OF WOMEN

One reason that women may seek divorce is due to improvements in their economic position.

Women are more likely to be in paid work.47% in 1959 to 70% in 2005

Anti-discrimination laws have helped to narrow the pay gap

Girls’ greater success in education how help them to pursue different careers

Welfare benefits mean that women no longer have to remain financially depended on their husbands

CHANGES IN THE POSITION OF WOMEN

Allen and CrowMarriage less embedded in the economic system

Fewer family firms

Spouses not so financially interdependent

This means that they do not have to tolerate each other in the absence of love – more willing to seek divorce.

Feminists also argue that the women as wage earners has created a new source of conflict between husbands and wives and this is leading to more divorce.

FEMINIST VIEW

Although there has been reform in the work place and education (the public sphere) change in the family and home (the private sphere) has been much slower.

Marriage remains patriarchal with men benefitting from the “triple shift”

Hochschild (1997)For many women the home compares unfavourably to work

At work women feel valued and at home frustrated due to the pressures of housework and men's continuing resistance to helping in the home

As more women work, this leaves less time and energy for the emotional work needed to address the problems – this contributes to divorce.

FEMINIST VIEW

Sigle-Rushton (2007)Working mothers are more likely to petition for divorce than women in relationships with a traditional division of labour.

Where the husband of a working wife is actively involved in housework the likelihood of divorce falls to the same levels of those in traditional roles.

Barnard (1976)Many women feel a growing dissatisfaction with patriarchal marriage, she sees the evidence that most petitions come from women as evidence of their growing acceptance of feminist ideas and women becoming more informed of patriarchal oppression and more confident in rejecting it.

DO SOCIOLOGISTS AGREE?

The New RightSee high divorce rate as undesirable as it undermines the traditional nuclear family. It creates an underclass of welfare dependent female lone parents and leaves boys without the male adult role model they need.

FeministsDisagree…they see the high divorce rate as desirable as it shows women breaking free of the oppression of patriarchy.

DO SOCIOLOGISTS AGREE?

PostmodernistsView a high divorce rate as giving individuals the freedom top choose to end a relationship when it no longer meets their needs. They see it as a cause of greater family diversity.

FunctionalistsA high divorce rate does not prove that marriage is under threat. It is simple a result of high expectations of marriage. The high rate of re-marriage shows peoples’ commitment to the idea of marriage.

DO SOCIOLOGISTS AGREE?

InteractionistsThey aim to understand what divorce means to the individual.

Morgan (1996) argues that we cannot generalise about the meaning of divorce because every individual’s interpretation is different.

Mitchell and Goody provide an example of this. One of their interview was described the day her father left as one of the happiest in her life, where another said she had never recovered from her father deserting the family.