Patterns + trends Lone-parent families
- Divorce - Due to the increase in divorce and
separation, lone-parent families
Cohabitation - Marriage have become much more common.
This involves an unmarried - Cohabitation
- A decline in stigma around
couple in a sexual - Re-marriage births outside of marriage also
relationship living together. means there are more
This has began to - Lone parents
never-married women
increase over time. - Childbearing having children.
Reasons for cohabitation increase:
Divorce
- Secularisation (Young people with no
religion are much more likely to cohabit than
those who are religious).
Divorce was difficult to obtain in the
- Young people more likely to accept 19th century in the UK, especially for
cohabitation. women which eventually caused
changes in the law:
- Declining stigma attached to sex outside of Widening the grounds for divorce,
marriage due to this. making divorce cheaper.
Family -
Patterns + Although divorce is the legal termination of a marriage, couples can
Marriage and do find other solutions to the problem of an unhappy marriage
trends such as:
In society now, rates of marriage are much lower and have been at their - Desertion (one partner leaves the other but remain legally
lowest since the 1920s. married)
A pattern of Marry -> Divorce -> Remarry is now particularly common. - Legal separation (court separates the financial and legal
affairs of the couple but where they remain married)
First marriages - many reasons for the fall in the number of first marriages is similar
to divorces. - ‘Empty-shell’ marriage (couple continue to live under the
same roof but remain married in name only)
Reasons for the fall in the number of marriages include:
- Other reasons for the increase in divorce include:
- Secularisation (Emphasis to marry offered by religion no longer present)
● A declining stigma in divorce means couples feel more free to make the
- Declining stigma attached to alternatives to marriage. (Cohabitation, choice and are more willing; it has been normalised
remaining single and having children outside of marriage are all widely
regarded as acceptable today). ● Secularisation means religious ideas are declining and losing influence on
society. Resultantly, the traditional opposition to divorce does not tend to
- Fear of divorce influence personal matters whether or not to file a divorce.
- Changes in positions of women ● Couples are now more unable to tolerate an unhappy marriage. There is a
belief that marriage should be solely based on love, and historically
individuals in the past had less say and tolerated unhappy marriages more.
- Divorce - Due to the increase in divorce and
separation, lone-parent families
Cohabitation - Marriage have become much more common.
This involves an unmarried - Cohabitation
- A decline in stigma around
couple in a sexual - Re-marriage births outside of marriage also
relationship living together. means there are more
This has began to - Lone parents
never-married women
increase over time. - Childbearing having children.
Reasons for cohabitation increase:
Divorce
- Secularisation (Young people with no
religion are much more likely to cohabit than
those who are religious).
Divorce was difficult to obtain in the
- Young people more likely to accept 19th century in the UK, especially for
cohabitation. women which eventually caused
changes in the law:
- Declining stigma attached to sex outside of Widening the grounds for divorce,
marriage due to this. making divorce cheaper.
Family -
Patterns + Although divorce is the legal termination of a marriage, couples can
Marriage and do find other solutions to the problem of an unhappy marriage
trends such as:
In society now, rates of marriage are much lower and have been at their - Desertion (one partner leaves the other but remain legally
lowest since the 1920s. married)
A pattern of Marry -> Divorce -> Remarry is now particularly common. - Legal separation (court separates the financial and legal
affairs of the couple but where they remain married)
First marriages - many reasons for the fall in the number of first marriages is similar
to divorces. - ‘Empty-shell’ marriage (couple continue to live under the
same roof but remain married in name only)
Reasons for the fall in the number of marriages include:
- Other reasons for the increase in divorce include:
- Secularisation (Emphasis to marry offered by religion no longer present)
● A declining stigma in divorce means couples feel more free to make the
- Declining stigma attached to alternatives to marriage. (Cohabitation, choice and are more willing; it has been normalised
remaining single and having children outside of marriage are all widely
regarded as acceptable today). ● Secularisation means religious ideas are declining and losing influence on
society. Resultantly, the traditional opposition to divorce does not tend to
- Fear of divorce influence personal matters whether or not to file a divorce.
- Changes in positions of women ● Couples are now more unable to tolerate an unhappy marriage. There is a
belief that marriage should be solely based on love, and historically
individuals in the past had less say and tolerated unhappy marriages more.
