changing patterns of divorce

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  • changing patterns of divorce
    • Divorce has decreased because marriage has decreased
    • divorce stats lack validity because it only records legal acts of divorce. doesn't include couples that have seperated
    • as marriage decreases, divorce increases
  • pre 1857 - divorce was non existent
    • Matrimonial Causes Act 1857 - men could divorce unfaithful wives
      • Divorce Reform Act 1969
  • Declining Stigma & Changing Attitudes
    • Mitchell & Goody
      • an important change since the 1960s has been the rapid decline in the stigma attached to divorce
  • Women's increased financial independence
    • improvements in their economic position have made them less financially dependent on their husband
    • women today are more likely to be in paid work
    • equal pay and anti-discrimination laws have helped to narrow the pay gap
    • girls achieve greater success in education, this helps them get better paid jobs
    • availability of welfare benefits mean that women dont have to be financially dependent on husband
  • Rising expectations of marriage
    • Ronald Fletcher - higher expectations of marriage make couples less willing to tolerate unhappy marriage
    • Allan & Crow - marriage is increasingly viewed as a relationship in which individuals seek personal fulfilment
      • this encourages couples to divorce if they do not find it
  • Feminist Explanations
    • Dual Burden & Triple Shift
      • this has created a new source of conflict between husband and wives, and this is leading to a higher divorce rate
    • Hoschild - women feel valued at work. At home, housework is a source of frustration that makes marriage less stable
    • Rushton - mothers who have a dual burden\ triple are shift are more likely to divorce than non working mothers
    • Bernard - many women grow a dissatisfaction with patriarchal marriage
  • Modernity & Individualisation
    • in modern society, traditional norms, such as the duty to remain with the same partner for life, lose their hold over individuals
    • Giddens - the Pure Reationship - a relationship that exists solely to satisfy each partners needs
      • this results in higher divorce rates
    • Beck & Beck-Gernsheim - individualisation - women are now expected to work and are encouraged to pursue their own individual career ambitions
      • this c an cause a conflict of interest between spouses and contribute to marital breakdown
  • Postmodern - positive - gives people the freedom to choose what they want. Negative - becoming selfish in a relationship and other areas of life
  • Functionalist - negative for society however increased remarriage shows a commitment to maintaining a traditional family

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