What does this graph tell us Learning Goals

What does this graph tell us?

Learning Goals What’s our LEARNING? BIG QUESTION: Why have divorce rates risen? What will I know? Key reasons for the increase in the divorce rate. What will I understand? That the rise in divorce is due to a range of factors. What skills will I develop? Evaluation: Will some factors be more significant than others? Is the rise representative of all social groups. Can we take the statistics at face value?

Taken from Browne (2015) Sociology for AQA Volume 1

Divorce üThe number of divorces each year rose from 27, 000 in 1961 to a peak of 180, 000 in 1993, and then fell back to around 130, 000 by 2012. üThe number of divorces and the divorce rate have dropped in the last few years, but this partly reflects the fact that fewer people are getting married in the first place. üIn 1974 there was 1 divorce for every 4 marriages, but by 2012 this had doubled to just over 2 divorces for every 4 marriages. üBritain still has one of the higher divorce rates in the European Union.

Divorce statistics are presented in three main ways: 1. The total number of divorce petitions per year (the number of people applying for a divorce but not necessarily actually getting divorced). 2. The number of decrees absolute granted per year (the number of divorces actually granted). 3. The divorce rate (the number of divorces each year per thousand married people in the population).

Problems with divorce statistics? Divorce statistics only show the legal termination of marriage. They do not show: o The number of people who have separated by not divorced. o The number of people who live in empty-shell marriages – many couples may want to split up but are deterred from doing so by their roles as parents. o How many unstable or unhappy marriages there were before divorce was made easier by changes in the law and attitudes. This means either that divorce figures underestimate the extent of family and marriage breakdowns or that rising divorce rates only reflect legal changes and do not represent a real increase in marital stability.

Why do you think the divorce rate has increased?

Use the feedback from the groups to help you summarise the impact of each of these.

A brief history of divorce 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. • 1921 – 3, 000 divorces • 1923 – grounds for divorce equalised for men and women • 1937 – grounds widened to include cruelty and desertion • 1949 – legal aid available making divorce more affordable • 1961 – 27, 000 divorces • 1969 – Divorce Law Reform Act (came into effect 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.

A brief history of 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. • 2014 – Same-sex marriages became law. Same grounds for divorce apply to both same-sex and opposite-sex couples.

Reason 1 – change in the law Changes in the law have made divorce easier and cheaper to get, and have given man and women equal rights in divorce. This partly accounts for the steep rise in the divorce rate over the last 50 years. However, changes in the law reflect changing social attitudes and norms.

Reason 2 – the changing role of women Around 2/3 of divorce petitions come from women. This suggests that women are more unhappy with the state of their marriages than men. Feminists suggest that this is because women’s expectations of life and relationships have risen, and they are less willing to accept the patriarchal nature of marriage and the family. The employment of women has dramatically increased over the last century. This has increased their financial independence. Therefore, marriage has become less of a financial necessity for women.

Reason 3 – rising expectations of marriage Functionalist writers like Parsons and Fletcher argue that divorce has risen because couples expect and demand more in their relationships today than their parents or grandparents did. The growing privatisation and isolation of the nuclear family from extended kin have also meant that couples are more likely to spend time together. These higher expectations mean that couples are more likely to end a relationship which earlier generations might have tolerated.

Reason 4 – secularisation Secularisation = the declining influence of religious beliefs and institutions Writers such as Goode (1971) and Gibson (1994) argue that the process of secularisation has resulted in marriage becoming less of a sacred, spiritual union and more of a personal and practical union that can be abandoned if it fails. Evidence for this lies in the fact that less than a third of marriages today involve a religious ceremony.

Reason 5 – changing social attitudes From a postmodernist perspective, Beck and Beck. Gernstein (1995) see rising divorce rates as a product of the growing individualisation and uncertainty of postmodern societies. Postmodernists argue people now have much greater individual freedom of choice, and are less constrained by traditional controls of morality, social expectations and norms, and family ties. These changes are reflected in changing social attitudes to divorce, which has become more socially acceptable. There is less social disapproval and stigmatising of divorcees. Divorce no longer leads to scandal and outrage!

Reason 6 – contraception The greater availability of, and more effective, contraception has made it safer to have sex outside of marriage, and with more than one person during marriage. This weakens traditional constraints on fidelity to a marriage partner, and potentially exposes relationships to greater instability.

Reason 7 – growth of the privatised nuclear family Functionalists argue that the growing privatisation and isolation of the nuclear family from extended kin and community have meant that it is no longer easy for marriage partners to seek advice from, or temporary refuge, with relatives. This isolation can increase the demands on and expectations of each partner in marriage. There is also less social control from extended kin pressuring couples to maintain marriage ties.

Reason 8 – reduced functions of the family According to functionalists, a number of traditional family functions have been transferred to other social institutions. This has perhaps meant that marriage has become less of a practical necessity. Love and companionship and personal compatibility are the important dimensions of contemporary marriages, and if some or all of these disappear, there may be nothing much left to hold marriages together.

Reason 9 – increasing life expectancy People live to a greater age today than they did in the early years of the twentieth century, and this means the potential number of years a couple may be together, before one of them dies, has increased. This gives more time for marriages to go wrong and for divorces to occur. Some suggest that the divorce courts have taken on the role of finishing unhappy marriages once performed by the undertaker!

Diamond 9 – reasons for the increase in the divorce rate Look through your notes on the reasons for the increase in the divorce rate. We have looked at and discussed 9 reasons. place the most important reason at the top and the least important reason at the bottom. Reasons in each row are of equal importance. Explain why you have ranked it in the way you have. Use sociologists to support your explanation.

Exam Practice Outline and explain two reasons for the increase in the divorce rate since the 1970 s. (10 marks)

Variations in Divorce Rates There are some groups in which divorce rates are higher than others: üThe highest divorce rate is among men and women in their late 20 s. üTeenage marriages are twice as likely to end in divorce as those of couples overall. üThere is a high incidence of divorce in the first five to seven years of marriage and then after about ten to fourteen years. üChildless couples and partners from different social class or religious backgrounds also face higher risk of divorce, as do couples whose work separates them for long periods.

Variations in Divorce Rates Suggest reasons why the following groups might be more at risk of divorce than other groups n the population: 1. Teenage marriages 2. Childless couples 3. Couples where each partner is from a different social class or ethnic background

What are the effects of a high divorce rate on individuals and society?

The effect of divorce on children – watch the clip and answer the questions. http: //tedxtalks. ted. com/video/TEDx. UCSB-Tamara-D-Afifi-The. Imp; search%3 Atamara%20 afifi 1. What does Tamara Afifi say is the impact of divorce on children? 2. List the short term effects of divorce that Tamara Afifi states? 3. List the long term effects of divorce that Tamara Afifi states? 4. What is the pattern of the effect according to Paul Amoto ? 5. How has divorce changed since the 1970 s according to Tamara Afifi? 6. What does Afifi say has happened to parent-child relationships? 7. Why does the change in parent-child relationships mean the effects of divorce are different? 8. What is the most important variable in determining the effect of divorce on children? 9. Which group of children does Afifi say have the most problems in later life? 10. What does the research on stress tell us about the impact of divorce on children?

Sociological views on the effects of a high divorce rate The New Right See 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. Feminists disagree…. They see the high divorce rate as desirable as it shows women breaking free of the oppression of patriarchy.

Sociological views on the effects of a high divorce rate Postmodernists View 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. Functionalists A 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.

Sociological views on the effects of a high divorce rate Interactionists They 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.

Developing your writing You are going to produce a piece of writing about which view of divorce you think is most valid and why. This will be an opportunity for you to develop your writing skills, in particular analysis and evaluation. Your challenge is to create the perfect paragraph, including evidence, evaluation and links.

Exam Practice Item A There has been a significant increase in the number of divorces since 1970. One important factor behind the increase has been the changes in law relating to divorce. However, legal changes alone may not be enough to explain the trend and sociologists have suggested a number of possible causes of a higher divorce rate. One of these is the decline in the influence of traditional norms about marriage that used to stigmatise divorce. Applying material from Item A and your knowledge, evaluate sociological contributions to our understanding of the trends in divorce in the United Kingdom since 1970. (20 marks)