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Marriage and childbearing - Coggle Diagram
Marriage and childbearing
Statistics
In 2019, there was a 6.5% decrease in marriages from 2018
Marriage rates for opposite sex couples have fallen to the lowest on record since 1862, for around 18 marriages per unmarried people
Percentage of people who were never married or never been in a civil relationship has increased by 3.3% from 2011 to 2021
Decrease of 4.1% of live births in 2020 from 2019
Fertility rates decreased across all age groups
Predicted that a quarter of those born in 1973 will be childless at 45
Reasons for changes in patterns of marriage
Changing attitudes
Individuals no longer view marriage as a necessity in life
Quality of relationships are more important than the legal status
Younger people are becoming less religious
Secularisation
18.7% of marriages are religious
5% church attendance
Decline in stigma
In 1989, 70% believed couples who want children should get married
In 2012, only 42% agreed
Having children is outside of marriage is no longer seen as an issue
Decline in shotgun weddings
Changes in the position of women
Sue Sharpe - looked at changing aspirations of girls
Love, family, marriage priorities changed to prioritising career
Cohabitation has become a more attractive option - prioritising career and becoming financially independent
Women recognise that nuclear families are patriarchal, leading to the rise of feminism
Fear of divorce
40% of marriages end in divorce
No point risking divorce, so don't get married\
Beck - 'risk society' - people are more aware and cautious of risks
Analysis (AO3)
Some ethnicity have a high priority on marriage
Increase in cohabitation - lowest level of marriage
India has the lowest level of divorce at 1%
Relevant to society
Not relevant (ethnocentric view)
Reconstituted families
When two couples from previous relationships and one or both have children from their previous relationships but come together to form a new famliy together
Account for over 10% of all families with dependent children
85% of step families have at least one child from the women's previous relationship, 11% from the man's previous relationship, and 4% with no children from both parents
90% of children stay with their mother after divorce / seperation
Issues
Ferri and Smith
Reconstituted families are very similar to first families
Figure of a step parent can be a positive one
Step families are more at risk of being in poverty, especially if the father was the breadwinner
Allan and Crow
Reconstituted families may have divided loyalties
Issues of contact with the non resident parent, which ends up with children feeling like they have a natural and unnatural parent - stepmother / stepfather with different n + v
Less likely to accept discipline from step parent
Evaluation (AO3)
Ribbens McCarthy et al
Should be referring to as step families
Diversity amongst families
Plurality of experience so refer as plural
Reasons for changes in patterns of childbearing
Changing position of women
72% of women work
Priorities are changing
Having children later if at all
Hakim - voluntary childlessness
AO3
Ethnocentric view - ignores some cultures
Most women who are working have dependent children
Economic liability
Hirsch estimated that each child costs nearly £154,000 until the age of 18
Cost of living crisis
Inflation at 10% in 2022
Change in attitudes
Beck and Beck-Gernsheim - society has become more individualised
Women put themselves first
Build a career rather than taking time for maternity leave to have children
More births outside of marriage
Lewis - marriage, sex, and parenthood are no longer linked
47% of births are outside of marriage / civil partnership (2013)
AO3
Despite half of children born outside of marriage, 9/10 are registered to 2 parents
Some cultures have stigma with divorce / reconstituted families
Reasons for increase in reconstituted families
Changes in social attitudes
Divorce is less stigmatised
Less stigma around lone parent families
Female independence
Prioritise themselves
72% of women work
No need to rely on man for money
Can leave abusive relationships
Secularisation
Lack of stigma towards divorce / lone parent
Marriage is no longer seen as important
5% of people attend church
Rising notion of romantic love (Fletcher)
Marrying for love rather than stability
Makes marriage unstable as it is based on emotional attachment instead of stability
The moment a couple fall out of love, divorce becomes a practical option, unlike economic based marriages