Changing patterns - divorce
3 types of marital breakdown:
Divorce
- Refers to the legal termination of a marriage
Separation:
- Refers to the physical separation of the spouses: they no longer share the same
dwelling
Empty-shell marriages:
- Spouses live together, remain legally married, but their relationship has broken
down and their marriage exists in name only.
- Could be because of culture, children, financial dependence, childcare
Divorces in England and Wales – 2021 statistics:
- 113,505 divorces granted in 2021, an increase of 9.6% in comparison with
2020 statistics
- The increase in divorces may be explained by the COVID pandemic
- The majority (111,934) of divorces in 2021 were among opposite sex couples,
with 1,571 (1.4%) among same sex couples – female couples made up 67.2%
of same sex divorces
- Divorce rates in 2021 were 9.3 for men and 9.4 for women per 1,000 of the
married population, in 2020 the rates were lower – 8.5 for men and 8.6 for
women.
- Among opposite sex couples in 2021, females were more likely to petition for
divorce (63.1%) , compared with males (36.9%) – similar proportions to
2020.
- Unreasonable behaviour was the most common reason for females petitioning
for divorce among opposite-sex couples in 2021 – accounting for 48.1% of
applications
- Median duration of marriage 5.9 years for male-male, 5.1 years for female-
female, and 12.3 for male-female
Separation statistics:
- Separation figures are unreliable
- 2001 – 2.4% of people are separated
- 2011 – 2.6% of people are separated
- 2021 – 2.2% of people are separated
Separations are an alternative to divorce
- Desertion, legal separation, ‘empty shell’
Hart (1976) When marriage ends
- Any explanation of marital breakdown must consider the following:
1. Those which affect the value attached to marriage
2. Those which affect the degree of conflict between the spouses
3. Those which affect the opportunities for individuals to escape from marriage
3 types of marital breakdown:
Divorce
- Refers to the legal termination of a marriage
Separation:
- Refers to the physical separation of the spouses: they no longer share the same
dwelling
Empty-shell marriages:
- Spouses live together, remain legally married, but their relationship has broken
down and their marriage exists in name only.
- Could be because of culture, children, financial dependence, childcare
Divorces in England and Wales – 2021 statistics:
- 113,505 divorces granted in 2021, an increase of 9.6% in comparison with
2020 statistics
- The increase in divorces may be explained by the COVID pandemic
- The majority (111,934) of divorces in 2021 were among opposite sex couples,
with 1,571 (1.4%) among same sex couples – female couples made up 67.2%
of same sex divorces
- Divorce rates in 2021 were 9.3 for men and 9.4 for women per 1,000 of the
married population, in 2020 the rates were lower – 8.5 for men and 8.6 for
women.
- Among opposite sex couples in 2021, females were more likely to petition for
divorce (63.1%) , compared with males (36.9%) – similar proportions to
2020.
- Unreasonable behaviour was the most common reason for females petitioning
for divorce among opposite-sex couples in 2021 – accounting for 48.1% of
applications
- Median duration of marriage 5.9 years for male-male, 5.1 years for female-
female, and 12.3 for male-female
Separation statistics:
- Separation figures are unreliable
- 2001 – 2.4% of people are separated
- 2011 – 2.6% of people are separated
- 2021 – 2.2% of people are separated
Separations are an alternative to divorce
- Desertion, legal separation, ‘empty shell’
Hart (1976) When marriage ends
- Any explanation of marital breakdown must consider the following:
1. Those which affect the value attached to marriage
2. Those which affect the degree of conflict between the spouses
3. Those which affect the opportunities for individuals to escape from marriage
