Changing Family Patterns

Question 1

what are the household patterns/ trends

Answer 1

• divorce rates have increased
• people are marrying later in life
• there are more lone parent families
• more couples are cohabitating

Question 2

explanations for the increase of divorce: law

Answer 2

Diffcult to obtain, especially for women. Three kinds of changes:

1. equalising the grounds for divorce
2. widening the grounds (sharp rise)
3. making divorce cheaper (legal aid)

Question 3

what are the other solutions to an unhappy marriage

Answer 3

1. desertion: partners leaves but remains legally married
2. legal separation: separate financial + legal affairs
3. empty shell marriage: live under sane roof but nit together
   these solutions have become less common now divorce is easier

Question 4

explanations for the increase of divorce: stigma

Answer 4

stigma= negative label

in the past. churches condemned divorce, refused to marry divorcees

Question 5

what did Mitchell and goody say about the stigma against divorce

Answer 5

as stigma declines, couples more willing to give up and resort to divorce
divorce is ‘normalised’ - no longer shameful but a misfortune

Question 6

explanations for increase of divorce: secularisation

Answer 6

• decline in the influence of religion
• church rates continue to decline
• people less likely to be influenced by religious teachings
• churches softening views on divorce for fear of losing members

Question 7

explanations for increase of divorce: expectations

Answer 7

• ideology of romantic love: Mr and Mrs right
• Reason to divorce to find true soulmate
• in the past, individuals had little choice who they married, family was a unit of production, duty
• Entered marriage with lower expectations and less dissatisfied

Question 8

what are the functionalist views on the expectations of divorce

Answer 8

• fletcher= higher expectations make couples

- functionalist take an optimistic view -rate of remarriages shows marriage is still popular.

Question 9

what are the feminist views on the expectations for divorce

Answer 9

they argue that the oppression of women within the family is the main cause of marital conflict and divorce , but functionalist ignore this

Question 10

explanations for increase in divorce: independence

Answer 10

-women are more likely to be in paid work, narrower pay gap, girls greater success in education, welfare benefits- women do not need a husband

Question 11

what did Allan and crow say about independence which leads to an increase in divorce

Answer 11

fewer family firms and no longer a unit of production. separate source of income and no need to tolerate conflicts

Question 12

explanations for increase in divorce: feminism

Answer 12

• dual burden new source of conflict
• change in the family has been slow and limited
• marriage remains patriarchal, triple shift
• both couples working means less time for ‘emotional’ work

Question 13

what did Hochshild say about feminism being the cause for the rise in divorce

Answer 13

home compares to work unfavourably-more valued at work

Question 14

what did Rushton say about feminism being the cause for increase in divorce

Answer 14

dual workers more likely to be divorced than non working mothers, contrasted with cooke and gash, no evidence as working is now the norm

Question 15

what did Bernard say about feminism being the cause for increase in divorce

Answer 15

radical feminist, more women are becoming aware of patriarchal oppression + doing something about it

Question 16

what does divorce mean?

Answer 16

legal termination of marriage

Question 17

name some statistics about divorce

Answer 17

• 40% of marriages will end in divorce
• 65% divorce petitions come from women
• numbers have fallen over the years but that is because less people are getting married

Question 18

what is the meaning of a high divorce rate (new right)- no

Answer 18

see divorce rate as undesirable because it undermines marriage and the traditional nuclear family, which they regard vital to social stability.

Question 19

what do the new right argue high divorce rates creates

Answer 19

creates a growing underclass of welfare dependent female lone parents who are a burden on the state and it leaves boys without the adult male role model they need. Also results in poorer health + education

Question 20

what is the meaning of a high divorce rate (feminists)-yes

Answer 20

see a high divorce rate as desirable because it shows that women are breaking free from the oppression of the patriarchal nuclear family

Question 21

what is the meaning of a high divorce rate ( post modernists and the individualisation)- yes

Answer 21

see a high divorce rate as showing that individuals now have the freedom to choose to end a relationship when it no longer meets their needs. they see it as a major cause of greater family diversity

Question 22

what is the meaning of a high divorce rate (functionalists)- yes and no

Answer 22

argue that high divorce is not necessarily a threat to marriage as a social institution. it is simply the result peoples higher expectations of marriage today. The high rate of remarriages show people continuing commitment to the idea of marriage

Question 23

what is the meaning of a high divorce rate (interactionalists)- yes and no

Answer 23

Morgan: cannot generalise meaning of divorce because everyone experiences are different.
Mitchell and Goody: one interviewee said the day her father left was the best day of her life

Question 24

what are the trends of marriage

Answer 24

• marriage rates are at their lowest since 1920s
• more remarriages: serial monogamy
• people are marriages later (32 Men, 30 women)
• less likely to marry in church

Question 25

what are the reasons for the change in trends for marriage

Answer 25

1. changing attitudes: less pressure to marry, more freedom to choose. Quality of a relationship is more important than illegal status 2. secularisation: influence of church declines. 31% of non religious people married in 2012 3. declining stigma: cohabitation now acceptable, no 'shotgun' weddings 4. position of women: better educational career prospects 5. fear of divorce: rising divorce rates

Question 26

what are the trends about cohabitation

Answer 26

- cohabitating with children increasing rapidly - 1 in 8 adults cohabitating - 69,000 same sex cohabitating couples - fifth are 'serial cohabitants'

Question 27

what are the reasons for the trends in cohabitation

Answer 27

1. decline in stigma, more people agreeing with pre-marital sex 2. young are more likely to cohabitate 3. women are more financially independent 4. secularisation : mom- religious people more likely to cohabitate

Question 28

what are the trends for one person households

Answer 28

rise in people living alone (3 in 10 households, 40% are over 65) in 20 years, 30% of the adult population will be single

Question 29

what are the reasons for the trends with one- person households

Answer 29

1. increase in divorce 2. men are more likely to live without their children 3. decline in marriage 4. 'creative singlehood' - choice 5. too few partners available

Question 30

what is the relationship between marriage and cohabitation

Answer 30

- relationship is not clear out | - cohabitation maybe a step to marriage or permanent solution

Question 31

what did Chester say about marriage and cohabitation

Answer 31

cohabitating is a proceed before marriage, 75% expect to marry each other

Question 32

what did Bejin say about trial marriage

Answer 32

cohabitation among young people represents a conscious attempt to create a more personally negotiated and equal relationship rather than a patriarchal one

Question 33

what did Shelton and John say about trial marriage

Answer 33

women who cohabitate do less house work

Question 34

what did stonewall say about same sex relationships

Answer 34

5-7% of the population are in gay relationships. However due to the stigma attached, may not be accurate figure

Question 35

what is said about same sex relationship's in family patterns

Answer 35

increased social acceptance: decriminalised in 1967, age of consent equalised, opinion polls show more tolerance social policies treats all couples equally eg same sex marriage in 2014

Question 36

what did weeks say about chosen families

Answer 36

acceptance for gays creates ,'friendship as kinship', offer security and stability

Question 37

what did Weston say about chosen families

Answer 37

'quasi-marriage' - gay couples deciding to cohabit compared to the 70s which rejected monogamy

Question 38

what did Allan and crow say about chosen families

Answer 38

same sex relationships less stable/ more flexible because of the absence of legal frameworks

Question 39

what did Einasdottir say about chosen families

Answer 39

whilst many gay couples welcome equality, some are worried relationships may lose flexibility

Question 40

what did Duncan and Philips BSA say about living apart together

Answer 40

1 in 10 living alone but in a relationship

Question 41

what is said about living apart together

Answer 41

- reflects a trend towards less formal relationships - constraint also pays a part eg affordability - However for most it is a choice eg to keep own home

Question 42

what are the patterns between parents and children

Answer 42

- nearly half of all babies are born outside marriage - However, nearly all of them are registered by both parents - More women are having children later, less children remaining childless

Question 43

what are the reasons for the patterns between parents and children

Answer 43

1. declining in stigma/increased cohabitation 2. womens careers 3. more options for women

Question 44

what are the patterns for lone parents

Answer 44

- 1 in 4 children are brought up in lone parents households - 90% headed by mothers - pre 1990s: divorced women biggest group. post 1990:single women biggest group - lone parent families children are twice as likely to grow up in poverty

Question 45

what are the reasons for the patterns in lone parent families

Answer 45

1. increase in divorce 2. increase in unmarried women 3. decline in stigma

Question 46

why are lone parent families headed by females

Answer 46

1. widespread belief that women are more 'nurturing' 2. divorce courts usually give custody to women 3. men may be less willing to give up work

Question 47

what did Cashmore say about single by choice

Answer 47

working class low earner women choose to live on benefits because of abuse

Question 48

what are the trends for step families

Answer 48

- 10% of all family types | - more common to live with children from a women's previous relationship

Question 49

what are the reasons for the trends in step families

Answer 49

1. increase of lone parents 2.children more likely to remain with mother 3. greater risk of poverty because of child support 4tensions may be caused by lack of norms

Question 50

what did the new right say about poverty

Answer 50

Murray: more lone parents families because of the welfare system

Question 51

what does perverse incentive mean

Answer 51

rewarding irresponsible behaviour

Question 52

what does dependency culture

Answer 52

assume state will support them.

Question 53

name a solution for poverty

Answer 53

abolish benefits

Question 54

what are the criticisms for poverty

Answer 54

1. lack of affordable childcare (60% lone mothers unemployed) 2. low benefits 3. women earn less than men 4. failure of men paying child support

Question 55

name factors about black families

Answer 55

- higher proportion of lone parent families | - over half, compared to 1 in 9 Asian families

Question 56

how is the factors about black families explained

Answer 56

1. family disorganisation from slavery | 2. higher rates of unemployment amongst black men

Question 57

what did Mirza say about black families

Answer 57

reflects the high value that black women place on independence. Many lone parents in stable home or cohabitating

Question 58

name factors about Asian families

Answer 58

- majority larger families -sometimes contains 3 generations - higher proportion in childbearing age -

Question 59

what does Charles say about the extended family today

Answer 59

class 3 generations living under one roof now extinct (excepts Bangladeshi)