Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
COHABITATION, MARRIAGE + DIVORCE - Coggle Diagram
COHABITATION, MARRIAGE + DIVORCE
Marriage
- Refers to the legally/formally recognised union of two people as partners in a personal relationship
Divorce
- Refers to the legal discussion of a marriage by a court or other competent body
Cohabitation
- Refers to 2 people living together in the same residence whilst also being part of a intimate romantic relationship
-
Trends in cohabitation
- Cohabiting couples are rising esp in the 25-34 age range
Trends in marriage
- Marriage is generally in a decline
- However, there are blips during baby boom eras
- Number of remarriages is rising
- Age of first marriage is also rising
Trends in divorce
- Divorce rate in recent years has been in decline overall
- However, there has been an increase in divorce in the
Causes for the trends in cohabitation, marriage + divorce
- Changing role of women: As women have become more independent + gained more equal rights, they no longer need to have the financial security of marriage, so are putting it off till later - preferring to cohabit first to check compatibility
- Women also no longer feel trapped in marriage that is not working
Secularisation: The reduction in religious influence in society has led to divorce + cohabitation becoming more acceptable
- Additionally, people no longer feel the need to have a religious ceremony for their wedding
Social changes: Changing expectations of marriage have meant that people are more likely to leave a marriage which doesn't fit their expectations
- They are also more likely to cohabit in order to 'try before you buy' with a partner
- Legal Changes: The Divorce reform Act made divorce much easier for both partners in the marriage to dissolve it
- Same sex marriage in 2015 are now included in the statistics which could explain the slight rise
Economic reasons: Women are more economically independent so do not need to marry for security
- Rising house prices means that people will cohabit in order to buy a house before marriage
- Weddings are also expensive - £30k average in 2018
Post modern reasons: The pure relationship: Giddens - the quest for the perfect relationships could put people off marriage
- People stay in relationships that fulfil them + when they don't they move on
Changes in the family: The roles within the family are becoming more equal
- This is because people have higher expectations of what marriage should be + when that expectation is not met, then people separate