A Level Sociology



A Level Sociology Families and Households Topic FiveChanging Family Patterns 971550000Objectives:Identify the main changes in partnerships; including marriage, divorce, cohabitation and civil partnerships, as well as one person and extended householdsKnow the main changes in childbearing and childrearing, including births outside marriage, lone parent families and step-familiesUnderstand how these changes have contributed to greater family diversity Divorce Patterns:83820054800500Divorce is a major cause of changing family patterns and greater family diversity. For example, most re-marriages involve a divorcee and divorce creates both lone-parent families and one-person households. Patterns of divorce: Since the 1960s there has been a great increase in the number of divorces in the United KingdomThe number of divorces doubled between 1961 and 1969 and doubled again by 1972This upward trend continued, peaking in 1993 at 165,000Since then numbers have fallen, but still stood at 118,000 in 2012 – about six times higher than in 196140% of all marriages end in divorceOne reason for the fall in the number of divorces since the 1990s is that fewer people are marrying in the first place and are choosing to cohabit insteadAbout 65% of petitions (applications) for divorce now come from womenSome couples are more likely than others to divorce – couples who marry young, have a child before they marry or for those who have been married before are more likelyExplanations for the Increase in Divorce:Sociologists suggest the following reasons for the increase in divorce:Identify reason for changes in the divorce rateExplanation of reason for changesChanges in the lawDeclining stigma and changing attitudesSecularisation (the decline of religion) Rising expectations of marriageChanges in the position of womenIndividualisation Activity – which explanation do you think is the strongest? Justify your response: -47625963295Activity – answer the questions below based on the reasons for divorce:Are all social groups secular?How has Disney impacted children’s expectations?What are the consequences of divorce for children?What are the consequences of divorce for wider society? 00Activity – answer the questions below based on the reasons for divorce:Are all social groups secular?How has Disney impacted children’s expectations?What are the consequences of divorce for children?What are the consequences of divorce for wider society? Divorce and Theory:The different sociological perspectives have a range of views about the increase in divorce rates. Contrasting on whether it is a good or bad thing and all offering different explanations for what this means about the society we live in.New RightFor the New Right, they see higher divorces as a bad thing. They see them as undesirable because they undermine traditional family values and the nuclear family. The New Right would argue that divorce creates an underclass, who depend on benefits and cause crime. They claim children (boys especially) aren’t socialised properly because they lack a male role model.FeministsFeminists would feel the changes are a good thing because they show that women are breaking free of the patriarchal nuclear family which oppresses them. Liberal feminists in particular would appreciate this trend as a positive development. Radical feminists may argue more is needed and they would argue for an increase in divorce and political lesbianism.Post-modernistsPostmodernists think this shows individuals making individual choices to end relationships if they don’t meet their needs. It gives individuals freedom. To Postmodernists this proves their point that there’s no single explanation of the way things should be anymore and people have a lot of choice to find individual ways of living.Personal life perspectiveThey accept that divorce can cause problems such as financial difficulties (especially for children) and lack of daily contact between children and non-resident parents. However, Smart argues that divorce has become normalised and that family life can adapt to it without disintegrating. We shouldn’t see divorce as a major social problem.FunctionalistsThey believe that the nuclear family is good for society and benefits all members of society. Functionalists argue that the increase in divorce does not mean that marriage or the nuclear family is under threat. They argue people’s high expectations from marriage is why divorce rates have risen and people’s continuation to re-marry demonstrates a continued commitment to marriage within society.InteractionismInteractionism, as a micro-sociological theory, attempts to understand the meaning of divorce for the individuals involved, rather than for society as a whole. Davis Morgan (1996) argues we can’t generalise about what divorce means because everyone’s interpretation of it is different. Mitchell and Goody provide evidence to support this; one interviewee described the day her dad left as the best day of her life, another said she had never recovered from her father deserting the family.Activity - fill in the gaps below to summarise the perspective explanations of the changes in marriage and divorce:The New Right think the rise in divorce rates is a ____ thing, they argue divorce creates a dependant ____________ in society. Feminists tend to ________ with this; they argue divorce frees women from the __________ and ___________ nuclear family. Functionalists still think society views marriage as ______________ and these changes reflect _____ expectations of marriage. Postmodernists argue the change reflects individual’s _______ within society today. Finally, Symbolic Interactionism is a ______-theory and so is concerned with ___________ interpretations, which differ. Missing words – MicroIndividualPatriarchalOppressiveChoice HighDisagreeBadUnderclassImportantDivorce Law:YearHistoryPre-1857Divorce was pretty much non-existent. The only way of getting one was through a special and expensive Act of Parliament1857Men could divorce unfaithful wives, but women had to prove cruelty on top of cheating to get one19213,000 Divorce1923Grounds for divorce equalised between men and women1937Ground to get a divorce widened to include desertion and cruelty1949Legal aid available, making divorce affordable196127,000 divorces1969Divorce Law Reform Act passed (coming into effect in 1971). This made ‘irretrievable breakdown’ of marriage the sole ground for divorce established by proving unreasonable behaviour, adultery, desertion, or separation either with or without consent. Divorce available after 2 years agreed separation, or 5 years if only one spouse wants divorce1984The minimum period after marriage before a divorce petition could be filed was reduced from three years to one. So people only have to be married for a year, and then they can get a divorce.1996Family Law Act encourages couples to seek mediation but allows divorce by agreement after a ‘period of reflection’2004Civil Partnerships Act allows for legal dissolution of a civil partnership on the same grounds as a marriage- irretrievable breakdown2007Appeal Court ruling; in divorce settlements, the principal of equality applies, so the starting point of a 50-50 split of all assets, including salaries and pensions rights2014 Same sex marriages became law. Same grounds for divorce apply to both same sex and opposite sex couplesMarriage:Fewer people are marrying – in 2005 there were 170,800 first marriages – less than half the number for 1970However, there are more re-marriages – in 2005 4 out of 10 were re-marriages – this is leading to serial monogamyPeople are marrying later – in 1971 the average age for women was 25 for women and 23 for men – in 2005 the average age was 32 for women and 30 for menCouples are less likely to marry in church – in 2005 35% of marriages were conducted with religious ceremoniesIdentify reasons for changing patterns of marriageExplanation for reasons of these changesThe cost of marriage Changing attitudesSecularisationDeclining stigmaChanges in the position of womenFear of divorceThe main reason for the increase in re-marriages is the rise in the number of divorces. The age at which couples marry is rising because young people are postponing marriage in order to spend longer in full time education and perhaps to establish a career first. Another reason is because people are choosing to cohabit for a period before they marry. People are also less likely to marry in a church due to secularisation and many churches refuse to marry divorcees.Class Survey:How many people in the class aspire to be married? Make a note in the table below:Aspire to be marriedDon’t aspire to be marriedStretch yourself – What does this tell us about attitudes of young people?Sue Sharpe:Sue Sharpe studied working class girls in the early 1970s. She found that their main concerns were ‘love, marriage, husbands, children, jobs and careers; more or less in that order’. A third wanted to be married by the age of 20 and three quarters by the age of 25. When she returned to the same schools in the early 1990’s she found that the young girls priorities had changed to ‘job, career and being able to support themselves’. In her words, ‘young people had witnessed adult relationships breaking up and being reconstituted all around them. Girls in particular were far warier of marriage. Now only 4% wanted to be married by 20, although there was still a feeling of ‘a wedding day, that sounds like good fun’.4152900889000How does this explain:The decline in marriage?The later age of marriage?Creative Singlehood:It is now more common for women and men to choose to remain single. This is referred to as creative singlehood. This may be because they can’t find a suitable partner and are not happy to settle or they are happy being on their own. There has been a move towards more women and men choosing to remain single and this supports greater individualism. More than 6.5 million people now live on their own. Cohabitation:This involves an unmarried couple in a sexual relationship living together. Whilst the number of marriages has declined, the number of couples cohabiting continues to increase and is the fastest growing family type in the UKThere are 2.9 million cohabiting heterosexual couples in the UK and 69,000 same-sex couplesIncreased cohabitation reflects the decline in stigma (linked to secularisation) attached to sex outside marriage, young people are more likely to accept cohabitation. Increased career opportunities for women may also mean they have less need for financial security of marriageChester argues cohabitation is a step in the process of marriage – a ‘try before you buy’ approachSome see cohabitation as a permanent alternative to marriageCohabitation does not mean the same thing to every couple. The term covers a diverse range of partnerships and the relationship between marriage and cohabitation is a complex and varied oneActivity – answer the questions below:Identify some of the similarities between marriage and cohabitationWhy would feminists support the idea of cohabitation over marriage?Stretch yourself – How has social policy improved the position of those who chose to cohabit?Same-Sex Relationships:Stonewall estimates that 5-7% of the adult population have same-sex relationships. It is hard to judge if this has increased/decreased because in the past, stigma and illegality meant that relationships were kept hiddenIncreased social acceptance of same-sex relationshipsSocial policy is now beginning to treat all couples more equally, whether homosexual or heterosexual, cohabiting or married. In 2004 the Civil Partnership Act has given same-sex couples similar legal rights to married couples in respect of pensioners, inheritance, tenancies and property. There has also been recent changes in which same sex marriages have been approved by lawWeston describes same-sex cohabitation as quasi-marriage and notes that many gay couples are now deciding to cohabit as stable partners. She contrasts this with the gay lifestyle of the 1970s, which largely rejected monogamy and family life in favour of casual relationshipsOne Person Households:Big rise in the number of people living alone, in 2006 almost three in ten households contained only one person Half of all one-person households are of pensionable age. Pensioner one-person households have doubled since 1961The increase in separation and divorce has created more one person households. The decline in marriage and the trend towards marrying later also means more people are remaining single278130023685500101282516129000Parents and Children:CHILDBEARINGTrends1. Over 4 in every 10 are now born outside marriage – 5 times more than 19712. However, nearly all these births jointly registered3. Women are having children later, the average age at the birth of the first child is 27.3 years4. Women are having fewer children5. More women are remaining childlessReasons for the patterns1. A decline in stigma and increase in cohabitation2. Increase in births to cohabiting couples3. Women have more options than just motherhood – careers, educationSTEP-FAMILIESTrends1. Step-families account for over 10% of all families with dependent children2. In 86% of step-families, at least 1 child is from the woman’s previous relationships, while in 11% there is at least 1 child from the man’s previous relationship, in 3% they come from both3. Step-families may face particular problems such as divided loyalties and issues such as contact with the non-resident parent can cause tensionReasons for the patterns1. Step-families are formed when lone parents form new relationships as such an increase in divorce is a reason for the growth of this type of family2. Children are more likely to live with the mother when families break up3. Tensions may be faced due to a lack of clear social norms about how you should behave in these familiesLONE-PARENT FAMILIESTrends1. Lone-parent families now make up 24% of all families. 1 child in 4 lives in a lone-parent family2. Over 90% of these families are headed by a woman3. Until the early 1990s divorced women were the biggest group of lone mothers. From the early 1990s single (never married) women became the biggest group of lone mothers4. A child living with a lone parent is more than twice as likely to be in poverty as a child living with two parentsReasons for the patterns1. Increased due to the number of divorces and separation2. Never married women having children is linked to the decline in stigma3. Lone-parent families tend to be female headed because of the widespread belief that women are by nature better suited to the expressive role4. Murray argues that the growth of LPF is a result of an over-generous welfare state – perverse incentivesVariations in family types:Ethnic differencesImmigration in to Britain since the 1950s has helped to create greater ethnic differences. Greater ethnic diversity has contributed to changing family patterns in the UK.Black families Black Caribbean and Black African people have a higher proportion of lone parent householdsIn 2012, just over half of families with dependent children headed by a black person were lone parent families Mirza argues that the higher rate of lone parent families among blacks is not the result of disorganisation, but rather reflects the high value that black women place on independenceAsian familiesBangledeshi, Pakistani and Indian households tend to be larger than those of other ethnic groupsSuch households sometimes contain three generations, but, most are in fact nuclear rather than extendedLarger Asian household sizes are partly a result of the younger age profile of British AsiansThey reflect the value placed on the extended family in Asian culturesThe extended family According to Parsons the extended family was dominant in pre-industrial society but has been replaced by the nuclear family in today’s society. Wilmott however says that while the extended family may have declined it has not completely disappeared. We now have what he calls a dispersed extended family – where relatives are geographically separated but maintain frequent contact through visits and phone calls. The extended family survives because it performs important functions, this includes; financial and domestic help. The beanpole family This is a particular type of extended family which is long and thin:It is extended vertically – three or more generationsIt is not extended horizontally – it doesn’t involve aunts, uncles and cousinsThis occurs as a result of increased life expectancy and smaller family sizeGlossary of Key Terms to Learn:Concept DefinitionSecularisationSerial MonogamyMarriageCohabitationDivorceRe-constituted familiesStigmaSame-sex couplesLiving apart togetherChild bearingChild rearingBeanpole family Welfare StateOne-person householdTopic Summary:Recent decades have seen some major changes in family patterns. _______________ ___ ____________________ include fewer first marriages, more divorces, re marriages and cohabitations. ___________________ _________________ ___ ___________________ include more births outside marriage, lone parents and stepfamilies. There are more ______ _________ ____________________and ________ ________families. There are also _______________ ________________in household composition. The _______________ _____________ survives mainly in dispersed form. Reasons for these changes include greater individualism, __________________, reduced stigma and changes in attitudes, changes in _____ _________(eg regarding divorce and homosexuality.) and in the _______________ ___ ________________. Ethnic differences secularisation changes in partnerships changing patterns of parenting extended family position of womenone person households same sex the lawQuick Check Questions:Approximately what percentage of marriages end in divorce? Why might the ‘pure relationship’ lead to more divorce? What proportion of marriages are re-marriages? Give one reason for the increase in the number of one person householdsIdentify two changes in patterns of childbearing in recent years.Identify three changes in family patterns where decline in stigma may be partly responsibleSuggest two reasons why lone parent families tend to be poorer than couple families. Exam Questions:Outline and explain two ways in which government policies may affect family structure. [10 marks] Point 1 Point 2One example of a government policy is…This has affected family structure because…A second example of a government policy is…This has affected family structure because…EGs of policies:divorce legislation and the impact on family structure welfare policies that facilitate the existence of lone-parent families equal opportunities legislation on gender roles within the family migration policies that may lead to alternative family structures, eg multi-generational households policies on gay marriage which may encourage alternative family forms adoption policies that enable different family structures housing policies and boomerang childrenTOP TIP 1: Just briefly describe the policy, this question should focus on how it affected family structure not the policy itself!TOP TIP 2: The question is about structure and not size, if you only discuss size you will limit your marks!TOP TIP 3: Although China’s one child policy was accepted it is not really the best to maximise marks, focus on UK policy. Item AThere has been a significant increase in the number of divorces since 1970. One important factor behind the increase has been changes in the law relating to divorce. However legal changes alone may not be enough to explain the trend and sociologists have suggested a number of possible causes of a higher divorce rate. One of these is a decline in the influence of traditional norms about marriage that used to stigmatise divorce.Applying material from Item A and your own knowledge evaluate sociological contributions to our understanding of the trends in divorce in the United Kingdom. (20)P1 Introduction P2P3P4P5Conclusion Introductory sentence/paragraph? Used the item x 3 5 Sociologists names? Sociological theories/Perspectives?Conceptually detailed? Evaluation? Examples? Conclusions?Independent Study Checklist:Activity Tick when doneComplete an A3 revision sheet for this topicCreate revision cards/key cards for the concepts in this topic Make a coloured circles powerpoint quiz for this topic (your teacher will email this to you) Create a timeline of key divorce policies and laws on an A3 sheet of paper. Add detailed notes on each policy Create fact sheets on marriage, divorce and cohabitation detailing key trends, reasons and effects for each oneMake flashcards for each theory detailing their views on divorce (New Right, functionalism, feminism, postmodernists, personal life, interactionists) For more resources and articles see: aqusociology. ................
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