FAH - T5 - CHANGING FAMILY PATTERNS

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  • FAH - T5 - Changing family patterns
    • Divorce
      • 40%  of all marriages end in divorce. 65% of requests come from women
      • biggest risk couples: marry young, kid or cohabit before marriage
      • Explanations for increase
        • 1 changes in law
          • divorce difficult to obtain in 19th century.
            • Rise with each change: equalising of grounds + widening the grounds + cheaper divorce
              • changes in law do not explain why people take advantage of this
        • 2. declining stigma/changing attitudes
          • more socially acceptable - divorce = normalised. Seen as misfortune
        • 3 secularisation
          • Religious institutions losing influence -people less influenced by religion and church opposite to church doesn't count
            • churches soften views on divorce to not lose credibility
        • 4 Fletcher: rising expectations of marriage
          • Fletcher: high expectations means less people tolerate issues - search for true love is renewed by divorce
            • Fletcher: although many divorces, many re-marry - do not reject marriage itself
              • Femninist: rosy view - ignores why women file more than men. Conflict causes divorce
        • 5 women increased financial dependence
          • Success in education, welfare benefits, anti discrimination laws make women less financially dependent on men and can end unsatisfactory marriage
        • 6 Feminist expl.
          • Hoschild - home valued less than work = frustration = divorce
            • dual burden leading to conflict - men benefit from women free work = divorce
        • 7 modernity+ individualisation
      • Meaning of high divorce rate
        • New Right: creates growing underclass of single mothers
        • Feminist: women breaking free from patriarchy
        • Post-modernists - individual have freedom of choice
        • Functionalist: no threat - still high marriage rate too
        • Personal life: normalised divorce = transition in life
    • Partnerships
      • Marriage
        • reasons for changing patterns
          • changing attitudes: less pressure to marry - value on relationship status
          • secularisation: feel free to not marry
            • less likely to marry in church
          • decining stigma: cohabitation acceptable
          • fear of divorce: rising rate puts people off
          • age: young people gaiin education before marrying
        • few people marrying - more remarrying. Average age = 30 for women 32 for men - marry later
      • Cohabitation
        • reasons for changing patterns
          • decline in stigma: sex outside marriage is okay
          • increased career opportunities for women: less need for secure marriage
          • secularisation: young people with no religion are more likely to cohabit
        • relationship between cohaitation and marriage
          • Cheser: cohabiting = part of process to marriage. Coast - 75% cohabiting expect to marry
            • Bejiin: for young: cohabiting = permanent alternative - to create equality
        • = unmarried couple livng together. 1/5 = serial cohabitants - have done before
      • Stonewall Same sex relationships
        • = 5-7% of adult pop. Stigma in past meant hidden - cannot tell if increased stat
          • increased social acceptance: Civil Partnership Act 2014: same sex can marry. Treated equally
      • One person households
        • 3 iin 10 = lone households. Men under 65 most likely
        • Reasons for:  increase in divorce - men leave home. + More people desire to live alone
          • some alone because of lack of partners in age group
        • Duncan and Phillip: Living Apart Together -
          • LAT = relationship but no marriage or cohabiting
          • choice and constraint play part - some cannot afford to + some choose not to - maintain independence
    • Parents and children
      • Childbearing
        • 1/2 children born outside marriage but in cohabiting parents
        • more women remaining childless or having children later - avg/ age = 28
        • Reasons for changes: decline in stigma, only 28% of 25-34 yr old think marriage before children
          • women can have careers before family
      • Lone parent families
        • 1/4 child lone parent family. 2x more likely to be in poverty.
        • Reasons for patterns: increase in divorce - mother custody. Female expressive role + men less willing to give up work for kids.
          • Renvoize: professional women single by CHOICE and can support child alone
        • Murray: (new right) - growth results from welfare state incentive for girls - causes irresponsible sex and dependency. Solution = banish welfare benefits to reduce dependency culture
          • benefits not generous. W/C more likely to be in poverty - lack of affordable childcare prevents lone parents from working.
          • fathers fail to pay maintenance
      • Step-famiilies
        • 10% of families in UK. 85% women's past relationship child, 11% men, 4%both
        • Reasons for patterns: divorce causes remarriage = step-families.
          • children remain with mother - 85%
          • more poverty - more children to support
    • Ethnic differences in fam.patterns
      • Black African have higher proportion of lone parent households. High rate traced back to female slavery + high unemployment rates of black males
        • mothers stay with children from slavery + men cannot provide for family = divorce
        • Mirza: higher rate reflects black women's independence
      • Asian families: average 4.2 per household, 2.4 for black and white households
        • high value on extended fam - for assistance and support when migrating. Migrants during 50's and 60's. require visits and nearby relatives
    • Extended family today
      • Wilmott: extended family all over world maintain contact through technology
        • Chamberlain: E.F survives geographicial dispersion because it serves members needs of kinship support.
      • Brannen: Beanpole family: long and thin, many generations upwards but not extended (cousins, etc). Decline in sibling closeness supports study of beanpole.
        • Result of increased life expectancy - more parents surviving. Smaller famiilies = less siblings
      • Mason: many obliged to care for families - females more so, financial support.
      • important to prodivde support. Different to Parson family obligated to help, extended family = called on in time of need.

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