Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Reasons for an increase in divorce (Feminist explanations (Hochschild…
Reasons for an increase in divorce
Feminist explanations
Hochschild found that for many women, the home compares unfavourable with the workplace where women are made to feel valued.
Sigle-Rushton found that women undertaking a dual burden are more likely to divorce.
Bernard argued that women are becoming more aware of patriarchal oppression and are now confident of rejecting it.
They view high divorce rates as being desirable as they view this as being representative of women's liberation.
Women are free to escape oppression associated with the patriarchal nuclear family.
Modernity and individualisation
Beck and Giddens argue that in contemporary society, traditional norms and values have lost their influence.
Individuals are free to pursue their own self interest
Relationships are fragile due to the increase in divorce
Modern society encourages individualisation. This has led to high divorce rates being normalised.
Functionalist explanations
High divorce rates are undesirable
Functionalists do draw attention to the high rates of re-marriages. They imply that this highlights commitment to marriage and shows that marriage as a social institution is not actually under threat.
New right perspectives
High divorce rates are undesirable
High divorce rates undermines the nuclear family
High divorce rates creates an underclass of welfare dependent, lone parents.
Divorce significantly effects boys due to high rates of absentee fathers. This therefore means that boys are left without a male role model.
David Cameron therefore introduced tax reductions for couples who chose to marry. This encouraged couples to marry in order to fulfilling the 'ideal'.
Postmodernist perspectives
High divorce rates are a sign of individual freedom
People have the freedom to end relationships which are not meeting their personal needs.
High divorce rates creates family diversity.
Personal life perspective: 'It depends'
Divorce can cause financial difficulties and issues of contact between parents and their children.
Divorce has become normalised so parents have learnt to adapt to shifts in family structures.