...Over the last forty years there have been dramatic changes in the patterns of marriage and cohabitation. Marriage refers to the legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. Yet, cohabitation is when two people live together as a couple without being married. The patterns of marriage have transformed a lot over the past forty years. In 1972 480,000 couples got married; however since then the number of marriages in England and wales has declined with only 244,710 couples marrying in 2005. Similarly, the patterns of cohabitation have varied as in 1986 only 12% of women were in a cohabitating couple, and now around 2.2 million families are cohabitating couples both with and without children. These patterns have changed for several reasons such as expenses, less social expectations, job opportunities, higher rates of divorce and major changes to people’s attitudes towards marriage. Financial issues are a contributing factor as to why the rate of marriages is declining and why cohabitating is become even more popular. Initially, the average cost of a wedding is £25,000 which is often a drawback for couples deciding to marry, hence why there is an increase in couples cohabitating. However there are even more financial issues for married couples, if the couple decide to part it means the divorce will have to go through a legal system which is both time consuming and costly. Unlike a marriage, if a cohabitating couple choose to go their separate ways there aren’t any legal...
Words: 949 - Pages: 4
...“Examine the reasons for changes in the patterns of marriage, cohabitation and divorce over the last 50 years” There is an ongoing popular debate in sociology about the changes in the patterns of marriage cohabitation and divorce in the last 50 years. Divorce rates are dropping and marriage and cohabitation rates are going up according to statistics, and there are many different viewpoints from different sociologists such as feminists, functionalists and new right that give a wide spread of ideas of how and why the statistics show that. Feminists object to any barriers to divorce for women, and believe that women do not need to marry or live with a man. This is because women do not have the expressive role anymore as women are free to get any career they want and have an instrumental role, meaning they are able to support themselves finically. This is one of the reasons for change in the patterns of marriage, cohabitation and divorce because women don’t need to marry or live with a male partner anymore as they have finical stability and don’t need to rely on anyone else. Cohabitation is becoming more common according to statistics. This may be because of secularisation meaning people don’t really have religious beliefs anymore so they don't feel the need to get married. Another reason for cohabitation becoming more common in modern society is because of the cost is too high for marriage, and people are choosing to wait until they are older to get married, because they...
Words: 310 - Pages: 2
...Examine the reasons for the changes in the patterns of marriage In the last 30 years, the British society has experienced many changes affecting the family. There have been changes in attitudes to and expectations of family life, as well as official changes such as government legislation. Society has been affected by feminism, which has led to increased awareness of women’s rights and freedoms, as well as postmodernism and secularisation. The changes resulting have affected marriage rates, which are decreasing, and more people are now marrying later in life and more than once. More people are choosing to cohabit, either before or instead of marrying, and this is becoming increasingly common in young couples. Divorce rates have also increased in the last 30 years, following changes in legislation and attitudes. As society’s view of a ‘conventional family’ has changed over the last 30 years, the acceptable norms have widened. In the past, an unmarried woman would be looked down on, as it was expected that women would marry and invest their time in raising a family. If they didn’t, it could be presumed that could they couldn’t find a willing partner, or that there was something wrong with them. Although 95.1% of British women still marry before they are 49, it has become more acceptable to choose not to get married, and rather than being looked down on, single women are more likely to be viewed as strong, focussed, and independent. This means there is less pressure on...
Words: 1675 - Pages: 7
...Examine the reasons for changes in the patterns of marriage and co-habitation in the last 40 years. [24] Marriage is traditionally conceived to be a legally recognized relationship between two consenting adults that carries certain rights and obligations. Cohabitation is an arrangement whereby couples who are not legally married live together in partnership within the common law. Cohabitation has now become a very common way of living. The patterns of marriage have varied quite significantly. Statistics show that in 1972, the number of couples (480,000) near the Second World War got married. The reason for this was because of the baby boom generated in 1950s reaching the marriageable age and these people choosing to marry at a younger age. Women were getting married at the age of 22 and men at the age of 24. Recently, the trend of getting married went into decline, in 2005, only 284,000 couples got married. Also, in comparison to 1972, men were getting married at the age of 31 and women at the age of 29 in 2004, showing that the trend was decreasing and the age of marriage was slowly increasing. Wilkinson (1994) suggests reasons as to why the trend in marriage has dropped so significantly. He notes that women are going through a ‘genderquake’ suggesting a radical change to the female attitude towards marriage and family life. She argues that young females no longer prioritize marriage and children; this could be due to there being more opportunities for women within education...
Words: 1058 - Pages: 5
...Sociology Homework: Marriage, Divorce and Family Diversity • Explain what sociologists mean by 'serial monogamy'. (2 marks) When sociologists use the term 'serial monogamy' they mean the practice of having a number of long-term romantic or sexual partners in succession. • Suggest two reasons for the growth of one-parent families. (4 marks) One reason in which one parent families have grown is due to the fact that only half the amount of people are currently getting married. This effects the lifestyle children are growing up in as they may not see a set of adults being completely committed, also it may give the children the idea that they do not necessarily need to get married when they're older. This is jeopardising the traditional family. Another reason may be divorce has risen enormously. More and more people are becoming divorced which draws a division between children and their parents. It is statistically proven that divorce/ separation of parents has resulted in children having behaviour problems and being more involved in crime. Maybe it's a cry for help, it is obvious that the child(ren) is emotionally scarred due to the separation of their parents. • Suggest three reasons for increase in the divorce rate. (6 marks) There are many reason why the the increase rate in divorce has risen. The most crucial and common one is money. The stress of finance can make or break a relationship. Money is the most important and talked about thing in society. Therefore...
Words: 530 - Pages: 3
...Because I chose to believe God’s Word, I know that what we may label today as “fundamental change in our culture” will inevitably completely destroy marriage and the family unit, at some point in the future.(1) Our culture has changed; however, "traditional marriage" still has a place in the modern world, and is therefore not an outdated and archaic institution. If we look closely at those that believe otherwise, we will most likely find their choice to be founded on hurt, resulting from marriage, or a lack thereof. Indeed, “[the] CDC finds [that] more U.S. couples [are] living together instead of marrying” (Health Day, 2013); further, a cursory comparison between 2000 and 2013 statistics, gives the impression of an alarming trend toward cohabitation.(2) However, for the time being, the same statistics demonstrate that the majority of In the modern world, does "traditional marriage" still have a place, or are we seeing a fundamental change in our culture?either marry or break up; therefore, cohabitation is not (currently) intended (by the majority) to replace marriage. Although deceptively attractive, easy and convenient, in my opinion, cohabitation, is caused (at the root) by poor parenting, characterized by dysfunctional, unsupported and selfish parents that recycle and multiply unhappiness and an unfulfilled need for companionship, coupled with fear of commitment.(3) “Marriage is the most basic and fundamental part of our society, and as such it should be protected...
Words: 957 - Pages: 4
...Changing family patterns Divorce * 1969/71 – divorce reform act – women had the right to divorce, this was because a lot of marriages were irretrievable, which led to breakdowns. * This caused a massive increase in the divorce rate, the divorce rate has continued to rise but we have recently seen a decline. Why – change in the law in 1971 * Secularisation – refers to the decline in the influence of religion. * The position of women – women are now financially independent, they have more career opportunities, and girls have a greater success in education. * People have a high expectation of marriage make couples less willing to tolerate an unhappy marriage ( romantic love – marriage should solely be about love) * Decline in the stigma ( negative attitudes towards divorce) Childbearing * Women are now having children later (careers ) * More women are remaining childless (pursing their career, and children are a burden) * 4 in 10 kids born outside of marriage. Why * Women now have greater career opportunities ( trying the break through the glass ceiling) * Children are an economic liability ( we live in a child centred society) * Men and women now have choice and are not being forced into a shotgun marriage due to unwanted children. This has been combated by contraception and abortion. * There is an increase in cohabitation ( an unmarried couple in a sexual relationship living together) ( this is known as the trial...
Words: 935 - Pages: 4
...interlinked reasons for changes in the patterns of marriage, cohabitation and divorce in the last 30 years. The number of marriages has declined as a result of most people are getting married later in life, although cohabitation has increased rapidly due to the changing social attitudes and the divorce rate has increased as changes in law made it easier to obtain. Since the 1970s, there has been a significant decline in marriage, from 480,000 marriages in 1972 to 306,000 in 2000. Women's expectation of marriage and life has increased since 1970s. Some sociologists argue that we place an increased value on romantic love, which had resulted in more marital breakdown. Young and Wilmot suggest that in the west we have a romanticised, unrealistic view of marriage and family life. Over the past 30 years, people have tended to marry later. Living together as a couple, partly accounts for this. Many couples see cohabitation as a prelude to marriage. Also, they are less likely to give up their careers and independence as now women are financial independent. When our marriage doesn't live up to our increased expectations we are more likely to give up on it in search of the perfect marriage. Functionalists such as Ronald Fletcher Talcott Parsons claim that people expect and demand more from marriage. They believe that higher divorce rate reflects a higher value placed on marriage. Feminists argues that it is women rather than men who are increasingly dissatisfied with marriage due to traditional...
Words: 583 - Pages: 3
...Examine the reasons for the changing patterns of marriage and divorce over the last 50 years Sude Dramali Families in Britain are continually changing over time, but over the last 50 years there have been major changes. There has been a huge increase in the numbers of divorce, and a decrease in the number of marriages. The divorce rate has especially increased, as now one-half of new marriages today are likely to end in divorce. New forms of the family are rising, such as lone parents, same sex marriages and cohabitation. These changes mean that families and households today bear little resemblance to those of fifty years ago, and the "typical family" no longer seems to exists. One of the reasons for the changing pattern of marriage and divorce is the changing role of women. Feminists might argue that women's expectations of life and the quality of their relationship have risen during the last century, and so are less likely to accept a traditional housewife role. Around three quarters of divorce petitions are initiated by women, which would imply that more women are unhappy with they're marriages than men are. On top of this; the employment of married women has dramatically increased, and now it is the norm for married women with children to also be in employment. This change is reflected in TV shows and films, as the mother role is no longer portrayed as only being a housewife, but also as a working mother with her own career. Being employed increases women's financial...
Words: 1127 - Pages: 5
...results of its disappearance. By Madeleine Bunting Saturday 25 September 2004 * * The past 30 years has been a generation of dramatic change in the shape of family life. That pace will not be continued in the next 20. The next two decades will be a period in which already well-established trends are consolidated. That is the consensus among researchers. And all are agreed that by 2020 it will be very hard to talk of a "typical family", such will be the variety of shapes and types of families. The most marked characteristic of families since the 1960s has been that the traditional conception of the British family has disintegrated. The married couple with 2.4 children is disappearing. The sequence of life events - marriage, sex and children - has been radically reordered. Marriage rarely comes first and increasingly does not happen at all. Over the past 30 years, levels of cohabitation have trebled, the number of babies born outside marriage has quintupled, and the number of single-parent families has trebled. The most dramatic change, however, has been to the "happy ever after" bit in the picture of family life. In the past 30 years, the rate of divorce has doubled; and half of all children now experience their parents' divorce before they are 16. All four trends - cohabitation, divorce, births outside marriage and single parents - are likely to be even more pronounced by 2020. There is no evidence that any of them are easing. Much has been made of the fact...
Words: 1539 - Pages: 7
...the View That the Growth of Family Diversity Has Led to the Decline of the Traditional Nuclear Family “Assess the view that the growth of family diversity has led to the decline of the traditional nuclear family.” (24 marks) Before 1970, cohabitation was illegal in certain countries. The law changed and now cohabitation is a common pattern among people around the world, as well as having sex before marriage and having a baby. At least 50% to 60% of couple’s cohabitate, starting from the late 1990’s. This results into the amount of traditional nuclear families decreasing as people want to live in companionship as nearly half the amount of marriages end in divorce. Also cohabiting is an easier way as it is much cheaper since there is no marriage expenses and doesn’t cause much hassle. The New Right see the decline of the traditional nuclear family and the growth of family diversity as negative trends in modern society. From the New Right perspective, these changes are the cause of many social problems in Britain today. In society now, there is easy access to contraception and married couples are not having children for various reasons which has led to the decline of the traditional nuclear family. There has been an increase in marriage of 9.2% between 2006 and 2011. Murdock argued on the basis of his studies that the nuclear family was a universal social institution and that it existed universally because it fulfilled four basic functions for society: the sexual, reproductive...
Words: 364 - Pages: 2
...Name: SCLY 1: Families and Households Revision Notes 2011-12 By the end of this unit you should be able to * answer any question on families and households ! Key definitions: A family is usually a group of people related by marriage or blood. A household is a person living alone or a group of people living together who may or may not be related. Theories of the family From the specification: The relationship of the family to the social structure and social change * Functionalist views: the importance of the nuclear family, the universality of the family, changing functions, how the nuclear family ‘fits’ modern society. * Marxist views: the family as part of the ideological state apparatus, as an agent of social control. * Feminist views: patriarchy; liberal, radical and Marxist feminism. Consensus/Positive views of the family | Conflict/critical views of the family | * Functionalist theories: the family performs positive functions for individuals and society * New Right theories: the family is the cornerstone of society, but it is under threat | * Marxist theories: the family provides important functions for capitalism * Feminist theories: the family reinforces gender inequality and patriarchy | Functionalist theories GP Murdock | Evaluation | Murdock argues that the family is a universal institution (it exists everywhere) that performs four major functions: * Stable satisfaction of the sex drive with the same partner, preventing the...
Words: 16472 - Pages: 66
...Government policies and laws include tax and benefit policies as well as legislation such as relating to divorce and marriage. Sociologists have different views on the impact of these policies and laws on families. For example, feminists argue that social policies assume that the ideal family is a patriarchal nuclear family, and that government policies and laws therefore favour this sort of family. On the other hand, the New Right argue that the benefit system undermines traditional nuclear families by actively encouraging lone parents. 0 6 Explain what is meant by the ‘dual burden’ (Item 2A). (2 marks) 0 7 Explain the difference between the expressive role and the instrumental role (Item 2A). (4 marks) 0 8 Suggest three ways in which the differences between children and adults are becoming less clear in society today. (6 marks) 0 9 Examine the reasons for, and the effects of, changes in family size over the past 100 years or so. (24 marks) 1 0 Using material from Item 2B and elsewhere, assess sociological views of the impact of government policies and laws on family life. Item 2A Over the past 40 years or so, there has been a decline in the number of first marriages in the United Kingdom. One of the reasons for this decline is the change in the role of women in society. In order to develop their careers, women may be rejecting the notion of marriage altogether and remaining single. Over the same period, there...
Words: 5042 - Pages: 21
...questions. * You may not have heard of all of the concepts in the mark scheme but there should be at least some that are familiar to you. * The examiner’s advice usually outlines bad, moderate and good answers to the question so pick out the ways in which you can achieve top band and incorporate this into your plan. June 2015 Examine the impact of government policies and laws on family life. [24 marks] From the mark scheme: Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: patriarchy; familism; surveillance; ideological control; gender regimes; marital breakdown; family structure; family diversity; welfare dependency; underclass; reserve army of labour Policies/laws on abortion; divorce; contraception; reproductive technology; marriage; adoption; pensions; benefits; taxes; education; childcare; child protection; sexuality; immigration may be discussed Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for instance by comparing the impact of different policies/laws or by discussing perspectives on social policy and the family (eg New Right, feminist, functionalist etc) From the examiner’s report: The most successful answers were able to identify relevant policies...
Words: 7021 - Pages: 29
...“Assess the view that the growth of family diversity has led to the decline of the traditional nuclear family.” (24 marks) Before 1970, cohabitation was illegal in certain countries. The law changed and now cohabitation is a common pattern among people around the world, as well as having sex before marriage and having a baby. At least 50% to 60% of couple’s cohabitate, starting from the late 1990’s. This results into the amount of traditional nuclear families decreasing as people want to live in companionship as nearly half the amount of marriages end in divorce. Also cohabiting is an easier way as it is much cheaper since there is no marriage expenses and doesn’t cause much hassle. The New Right see the decline of the traditional nuclear family and the growth of family diversity as negative trends in modern society. From the New Right perspective, these changes are the cause of many social problems in Britain today. In society now, there is easy access to contraception and married couples are not having children for various reasons which has led to the decline of the traditional nuclear family. There has been an increase in marriage of 9.2% between 2006 and 2011. Murdock argued on the basis of his studies that the nuclear family was a universal social institution and that it existed universally because it fulfilled four basic functions for society: the sexual, reproductive, economic and education functions. However, the numbers of nuclear families have fallen due to a rise...
Words: 800 - Pages: 4
