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Changing Family Patterns - Coggle Diagram

- - - - The legal termination of marriage. Only available through court.
    - - Around 40% of todays marriages will end in divorce. 7 out of 10 divorce petitions are filed by women.
    - - We place too high expectations on marriage. Leading to disappointment and higher divorce rates.
    - - Love, satisfaction and commitment are now the fundamental components of a successful marriage.
    - - Since the 1960s declining stigma has made divorce more socially acceptable
    - - Society is becoming less religious. Reducing the religious taboo against divorce.
  - - - Divorce made easier, cheaper and accessible. 1857: only for men. 1923: women equal rights. 1969: irretrievable breakdown accepted. 1996: divorce by agreement. AO3: still costs £550.
    - - Fletcher (1966): we expect too much from marriage. Allan & Crow (2001): love, satisfaction and commitment now expected. AO3: patronising to couples who understand compromise.
    - - Mitchell & Goody (1997): since 1960s, divorce is less stigmatised. High-profile divorces normalise it. A03: stigma still exists in some communities, particularly religious ones.
    - - Britain has become less religious-divorce is less taboo. More people with no religion are more likely to divorce. AO3: religion is actually growing globally.
    - - Women are less financially dependent on husbands. Better-paid work allows women to leave unhappy marriages. 7 in 10 divorce petitions from women (Chandler). AO3: women still earn less than men on average.
  - - - Those who marry young-less life experience, economic instability.
    - - Having children before marriage- associated with relationship strain.
    - - Second or subsequent marriages- higher breakdown risk.
  - - - HIGH rates are BAD - family breakdown, poor child socialisation, welfare dependency, loss of social cohesion.
    - - HIGH rates can be GOOD - women escaping unhappy or abusive marriages. Represents liberation, not failure.
    - - People have HIGHER standards for relationships (Giddens' pure relationship). High divorce higher expectations, not moral decline.
- - - - An unmarried couple in a sexual relationship living together. About 25% of unmarried adults under 60 cohabit in the UK-double the 1986 figure.
    - - 75% of cohabiting couples expect to marry each other - cohabitation often a stage towards marriage.
    - - Some cohabiting couples deliberately seek a more equal relationship than traditional marriage.
    - - Legally recognised via Civil Partnership Act (2004) and Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act (2013).
      - Stonewall (2008): around 5-7% of adults in Britain have same-sex relationships.
        
        Reasons for apparent increase:
        
        Changing attitudes - being LGBTQ+ is now more accepted in British society.
        
        Social policy - Civil Partnership Act (2004) and Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act (2013) gave legal recognition.
        
        Less stigma means more people feel able to be open about their sexuality.
    - - Couples in significant relationships who are not married or cohabiting-living in separate homes.
      - A growing number of adults are in committed relationships but NOT married or cohabiting - they maintain separate homes.
        Reasons for LATS:
        Personal preference - some couples value their independence and own space.
        Financial constraints - cannot afford to live together, especially in high-cost areas.
        AO3: LATS challenge the assumption that intimacy = co-residence. Supports the postmodern view of diverse, chosen relationship forms.
    - - A significant and growing household type often older people or divorced men under 65.
  - - - Fewer people are religious-marriage loses its spiritual meaning. Less pressure from religious institutions to marry.
        Changed position of
    - - Women no longer need financial security of marriage-independent careers reduce incentive to marry.
    - - Less stigma attached to alternatives (cohabitation, lone parenthood, same-sex relationships) reduces pressure to marry.
    - - High expectations of marriage make people more cautious-some delay or choose not to marry at all.
    - - Rising divorce rates make people wary of marriage - they see it as risky rather than permanent commitment.
    - - Younger generations increasingly view cohabitation and other arrangements as legitimate alternatives.
  - - - Declining stigma - cohabitation is more accepted
        
        Women's career opportunities - less need for financial security of marriage
        
        Secularisation - those without religion more likely to cohabit
        
        Fear of divorce-cohabitation seen as lower-risk
    - - Coast (2006): 75% of cohabiting couples EXPECT to marry- stepping stone view.
        
        Bejin (1985): Some couples deliberately cohabit to create a MORE EQUAL relationship than patriarchal marriage.
        
        New Right: concerned cohabitation is less stable than marriage- more likely to break down.