Changes in Divorce (AQA GCSE Sociology)

Changing patterns of divorce since 1945

• A divorce is the legal ending of a marriage

• A secondary source of data that offers helpful information about changes in divorce rates is official statistics

• In England and Wales, the number of divorces per year has risen since 1945, although there have also been decreases:

  • The number of divorces peaked in 1993, when there were 165,018 divorces

  • In 2012, there were 118,140 divorces

  • In 2022, there were 80,057 divorces

• Statistics on divorce do not reveal the extent of empty shell marriages

Explanations for the increase in divorce

Changes in the law

• Legal changes have made divorce easier, quicker and cheaper to obtain

• In 1971, the Divorce Reform Act (1969) was implemented in England and Wales, allowing for the use of "irretrievable breakdown of marriage" as a basis for divorce in situations involving adultery, desertion, separation, or unreasonable behaviour

• Before a divorce could be requested, the Matrimonial Causes Act of 1973 required a marriage to last for three years; however, legislation in 1984 shortened this period to one year

• When legal aid became available, getting a divorce was less expensive up until 2013, when changes to legal aid funding limited availability

•  The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act (2020) was changed in April 2022 to allow for 'no fault' divorces so that couples can divorce without blaming each other or giving a reason for divorce

Changing social attitudes and values

• Since the 1960s, attitudes have changed, making divorce less stigmatised and more socially acceptable within particular social groups

• Celebrity divorces are frequently reported by the media, as well as those involving members of the Royal Family

Secularisation

• The idea that religion is losing its influence in society

• Many people are choosing to have a civil ceremony in a registry office or somewhere else rather than a church wedding

• This means that fewer people take sacred vows before God, which has weakened the religious barrier to divorce

Changes in the status of women

• Improved opportunities mean that more married women are less economically dependent on their husbands as they earn their own income and therefore do not have to remain in an empty shell marriage

• Welfare benefits are available to mothers with young children to help support their family should they divorce

• But even after a divorce, women with small children who work low-paying jobs or receive inadequate welfare benefits may face financial difficulties

Media influence

• Individuals have high expectations of marriage as the media tends to emphasise romantic love, chemistry and mutual attraction in relationships

• If a person's marriage is not fulfilling, they are more likely to file for divorce because these expectations might not accurately reflect the day-to-day realities of married life

• There is more positive media coverage of divorce reform

Consequences of divorce

• There are consequence for family members, the extended family and for the structure of family

  • Rising divorce rates are linked to increases in lone-parent families, reconstituted families and one-person households

Changes to family structure

• There are more reconstituted/blended families

• It could be challenging for certain family members to live in a reconstituted family since they might need to get used to new behavioural expectations

• On the other hand, there are more people available to show love, care, and emotional support, so it might be beneficial

• There may be logistical issues related to co-parenting, as most children live with their mother after a divorce and struggle to keep in regular contact with their father

  • It is estimated that between 33 and 50% of divorced fathers gradually lose all contact with their children

Financial hardship

• Divorce leads to changes in financial circumstances after assets like property are divided, so adults have to manage with less money coming into the home

• After divorce, lone parents with dependent children are more likely to live in poverty

• They might also struggle to balance the responsibilities of their paid jobs with their personal lives

Remarriage

• Remarriage is declining in England and Wales

  • Between 1995 and 2000, 19% of all marriages were remarriages

  • In 2013, this decreased to 15%

• Divorced people may remarry for the following reasons:

  • They continue to believe in the institution of marriage and hope their second marriage works out

  • Divorcees with young children may want a partner to help them raise their children

  • People remarry for companionship and love

Relationship breakdown and emotional distress

• There may continue to be disputes over parenting and property after divorce

• Relationship breakdown between parents means that the children's relationship with their father suffers if they are living with their mother

• The father's parents may see less of any grandchildren who live with the mother in a reconstituted family

• Pressure groups such as Fathers4Justice (F4J) campaign to raise awareness of the treatment of fathers following divorce

  • They point out that fathers do not have a legal right to contact with their children

• Those going through divorce experience emotional distress, which can worsen if people's social networks change

  • Men are more likely to lose emotional support after divorce if their friends and kinship networks change

  • Women are more likely to have their own support networks

• For some, the emotional consequences are positive, as circumstances may have changed for the better

Sociological perspectives on marriage and divorce

• Sociologists disagree on the the effects of the high divorce rate on society and individual family members

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

  • Although there has been an increase in mothers in the workplace, there has been no corresponding increase in fathers' domestic contributions, and women continue to bear the overwhelming responsibility for child rearing

    • According to Kate Millett, women file for divorce 69% of the time, supporting the idea that marriage is a patriarchal institution that exploits women and benefits men

  • Functionalists, such as Parsons, argue that a high divorce rate is not a threat to the institution of marriage because the high rate of remarriages shows that marriage remains popular and is still seen as an 'ideal' to which people aspire; they just have higher values and expectations from it

    • Ronald Fletcher argues that people expect more out of marriage and family life than they used to

      • Couples are no longer prepared to be part of empty-shell marriages as they attach more value to marriage than in the past

    • Marriage is important to ensure the health and survival of society

    • Marriage is still seen as very important in British Asian family life

    • Royal weddings and celebrity weddings are frequently reported by the media

  • Marxists view the family and marriage as beneficial to the capitalist economic system

    • Divorce could be a result of a lack of resources, such as money and time, and frustration of men experiencing exploitation and oppression at work, which is usually taken out of the wife

    • This may explain the higher rates of divorce among the working class

  • Hart contends that shifts in the economy have led to high divorce rates because they have required women to work double shifts, which has increased their discontent

    • Therefore, divorce is positive as it allows individuals (particularly women) to be personally fulfilled

  • The New Right see a high divorce rate as undesirable because it undermines marriage and the traditional nuclear family, which is vital to developing children into stable, functioning adult members of society

    • A high divorce rate creates an underclass of welfare-dependent female lone parents who are a burden on the state

    • Divorce leaves boys without the adult male role model they need

    • Divorce results in poorer health and educational outcomes for children