A major change that has occurred in the Western family is an increased incidence in divorce. Whereas in the past, divorce was a relatively rare occurrence, in recent times it has become quite commonplace. This change is borne out clearly in census figures. For example thirty years ago in Australia, only one marriage in ten ended in divorce; nowadays the figure is more than one in three (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1996: p.45). A consequence of this change has been a substantial increase in the number of single parent families and the attendant problems that this brings (Kilmartin, 1997).
The past 40 years have seen the views and opinions on marriage and cohabitation change significantly at a rapid pace. Culture has played a big part in these changes, and has given the outlook on marriage, what some would describe as a totally different meaning and outcome. Today it's felt by a considerable portion that the 'traditional family' that marriage forms, is under threat and that there is less of a emphasis on the family as an institution. Rather, marriage and family today, focuses on the emotional needs of two individuals – A statement taken from Philosopher Brenda Almond in 2006. The late 60's early 70's saw marriages in the UK grow, reaching the highest peak recorded in the history of the UK in 1972 at 480,000, however by 2001 this figure had dropped to 206,000.
Legal changes are changes in the laws surrounding divorce. Changes in these laws have made divorces easier and cheaper to get and given men and women equal rights in filing for one – leading to a rise in divorce rates. However, there are many other factors that also contribute to a rise in divorce rates, for example secularisation and feminism – changes in society and its attitudes that form its views on different matters, including divorce. All of these factors play a role in the rate of divorce in the contemporary UK, but as to which is the main reason for the increase in divorce over the past forty years will be discussed in this essay. On the one hand, it can be said that legal changes are the main reason for the increase in divorce over the last forty years due to acts brought into force, such as the Matrimonial Proceedings Act 1984.
One of these policies is the divorce act 1969; which has made it easier for couples to get divorced. Due to this, marriage has become less sacred which has made the family unit weaker. Couples may get a divorce instead of trying hard in the relationship to make it better. Another law affecting the family is the new deal 1998; which makes it easier for lone mothers to get back into paid work. This was introduced by the Labour party, who Lewis argues have taken on the idea of ‘social investment in children’ seriously and have realised family forms are changing.
Change in divorce rate essay. A divorce is the legal separation of married people through the court. Divorce rate is the number of people per thousand of the married population getting divorced per year. Since the 1900s, divorce rate has been increasing for many different reasons such as secularisation, the changes in the expectations of adulthood and the changes in the laws concerning divorce, however in the last few years it’s been slowly decreasing again. One reason for changes in the divorce rate is the change in how divorce is perceived by society.
The legalisation of Civil Partnerships in 2005 is a main reason for the increase in number of same sex families in Britain. Another type of family diversity that is greatly increasing in Britain is ethnic family units. Changes in immigration laws have led to an increase in ethnic families such as south Asian families, who have contributed to an increase in the number of vertically extended families in Britain (three or more generations living in the same household). West Indian Families have also chosen to inhabit the UK in large numbers; these households in Britain tend to have a higher number of lone parent families and matriarchal households- families led by a woman. Sociologists have different approaches to family diversity and its importance.
Examine the reasons for changes in the divorce rate in the UK since 1969 There is plenty of reasons in which divorces rates have changed since 1969, such as legal changes, the position of women and roles changing in the household. Comparing the past and present to understand why changes have taken place would be necessary. Traditionally the 'nuclear' family, a man, a woman and two children, was the most historically popular. However today divorce is very highly acceptable for half of the couples who get married. Children are now living with one parents (a lone parent family), with another family member or are being adopted.
b. It is possible to legislate (pass laws) against sexual discrimination as a way of changing individual attitudes and behaviour. For example, the Sex Discrimination and Equal Pay Acts in the 1970's in Britain. c. The general position of women in our society has significantly improved in the past 100 years. woman have legal equality with men, although they still do not have status equality with men (that is, males still tend to have generally higher social status than women).
The post industrial revolution has contributed to economic change which is associated with changes found in demographics, work and education. These, in turn, link to changes in families (Starbuck, 2010). Following World War II, childbearing rates increased dramatically. As a result of the baby boom, this partially increased divorce rates and crime as the majority of teenagers and young adults were most likely to get divorced and involve themselves in delinquent acts. Both skills and industrial habits, such as punctuality and discipline were stressed as being important in order to prepare the young to live in a democratic, industrializing nation (Starbuck, 2010).
In 1990, when the divorce rate was 4.7, there were 1,182,000 divorces in the United States (Births, Deaths, Marriages, & Divorces, 2006). This is not only affecting the people involved in the marriage, but it affects their families, children, and friends. Even though during my lifetime the divorce rates have been leveling off it is still a big part of our society. There are multiple social factors that led to the rising rates of divorce during the 1960s and 1970s and there are also ways that we can help lower the divorce rate even more by simply educating the teenage generation. In many divorce cases children are involved.