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COHABITATION, MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE + CHILDBEARING, CHILD BEARING - Coggle…
COHABITATION, MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE + CHILDBEARING
LAT (living apart couples)
- are couples who are in a committed intimate relationship or marriage but live at separate addresses
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trends in marriage - marriage is generally in decline although there are blips during baby boom era
- 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 but there has been an increase in divorce over 60s
causes of the trends in cohabitation, marriage and divorce
CHANGING ROLE OF WOMEN
impact on the trend
- as women have become more independent and gained more equal rights, they no longer need to have the financial security of marriage so are putting off until later, preferring to cohabit first to check compatibility
- women also no longer feel trapped in a marriage that is not working
SECULARISATION
impact on the trend
- the reduction in religious influence in society had led to divorce and cohabitation becoming more acceptable
- people no longer feel the need to have a religious ceremony for their wedding
SOCIAL CHANGES
impact on the trend
- changing expectations of marriage have meant that people are more likely to leave a marriage which doesnt fit their expectations
- they are also more likely to cohabit in order to 'try before you buy' with a new partner
LEGAL CHANGES
impact on the trend
- the divorce reform act has 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 raise
ECONOMIC REASONS
impact on the trend
- women are more economically independent so do not need to marry for security
- rising house prices mean that people will cohabit in order to buy a house before marriage
- weddings are expensive - 30k average in 2018
CHANGES IN THE FAMILY
impact on the trend
- the roles within the family are becoming more equal as people have a higher expectation of what marriage should be and when that expectation is not men then people separate
impact of the trends
POSITIVE IMPACTS
feminists:
- cohabitation had led to more negotiation ad equality in roles
Beaujouan and NI Bhrolchain:
- cohabitation is the new normal
- cohabitation as a pre-marriage test
- cohabitation causes decrease in divorce by 5th anniversary
Jon Bernardes:
- divorce is less damaging on children than a negative marriage
NEGATIVE IMPACTS
wilson and Stuchbury:
- cohabitation is less stable than marriage
Murphy:
- children of cohabitating parents are disadvantaged
New Right:
- divorce is eroding the very fabric of society
Feminists:
- divorce laws have helped women to gain freedom, independence and social inequality
CHILD BEARING
REASON FOR THE TRENDS
contraception
- since the advent of softer, legal and effective methods of contraception become available, it has allowed women and couples to control the number of children they have and when they decide to have them
education
- since the introduction of compulsory education, children have gone form being an economic asset to an economic burden
- whereas in the 1900s, children would be working from a young age, children today are in compulsory education until they are 18 and parents can be supporting their children well into their 20s
role of women
- many women now want to have a career of their own rather than care for a large family - compared to when that was their role
- put putting her career first, a women will leave having children until later in her life
- the average age of first child is currently 30 years old - meaning they have less time to have more children
infant mortality rate
- fewer people die in their childhood than ever before, means that fewer families are compensating by having more children in the hope that 1 or 2 will survive infancy
- 1900 - 22.5% of live births would die before their 5th birthday whereas in 2015 it was 0.5%
geographic mobility
- the modern labour force needs to be very mobile
- is an incentive for smaller families because it makes it easier to just pack up and move elsewhere
changing values
- parenthood is a lifelong, stressful commitment - many couples are now dicing that they don't want children - before this would be a bad thing, but is now accepted in society
economic factors
- cost of raising a child is rising every year with the current estimate at around £235,000 from birth until 18 - £271,000 if to 21 and including uni education
- can influence couples who choose to have only 1 child as they cannot afford to have a second
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