CHANGING PATTERN OF MARRIAGE, COHABITATION, SEPARATION, DIVORCE AND CHILDBEARING; THE

CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF THOSE CHANGES.

DIVORCE

- For most people in UK, Divorce can be happen because its is legal and they have financial stability in
the past 60 years.
- The evidence of changing pattern can be looked at a statistical breakdown of divorce below:

Year No. of divorces ('000s)

1921 3
1941 7
1947 47
1951 29
1961 20
1971 80
1981 120
1991 180
2001 157
2007 129
2008 136
2009 127

- In the early to mid 20th century, there are really small number people get divorce
- While in the late 1940s, people are tend to marriage in haste (tergesa-gesa) during the wartime which
after that war ended they realised they make mistake.
- After past 40 years, divorce become common and peaking in the 1990s.
- recent years the number of divorce are declining even if since 1981 it shows that there are doubling of
‘re-divorce’ (where people experiencing multiple marriage and divorce.
- the clear pattern that can be seen is the age of people getting divorce are getting older may due
because of later average age of marriage.
- as with marriage, raw number are sensitive to calculate the changes of pattern.
- The higher the number of marriage the higher number of hey getting divorce.

Causes:
 divorce happened by a range of social factors
 such as; legal change: whereas divorce made easier or more affordable
 however, divorce can make reliability problem
 the 1969 Divorce Reform Act (UK), introduced 'irretrievable breakdown of marriage' as the
requirement for divorce
 However, economic changes may be the crucial causes of divorce
 In 1949 (State of Washington), legal aid was made
o whereas; they provide financial support for the partner who took care of any children
  Hughes, state that 35% of divorces are childless- less complicated emotionally and financially

 The process of secularization means that many couples no longer see marriage as a ‘sacred
institution’ (exclusively devoted organization) that must be preserved.
 Increase life expectancy in modern societies mean marriages have longer to last, which can put
greater strain on relationships by increasing the chances of divorce
 Clarke & Berrington (1999) identify a number of factors which can lead to martial breakdown
(common process where relationship between married couple erode) :
o Young (especially teenage) couples are statistically more likely to divorce
o Population with a large proportion of married couples involve higher divorce rates
o Short courtship: Becker et al. (1977) arfue that stable marriage relationships occur when
each partner is well matched; short courtships do not give couples enough time to
ensure they are well suited
 Contemporary (happening now or at a same time) ideas about marriage are arguably governed
by romantic individualism
 Couples seek to fulfil their personal interest in one of two ways:
o Romantic love, where love given to the partner is unconditional, but if one partner
‘falls out of love’ there is nothing to hold the marriage together

Confluent love where love is contingent (dependent on): - one partner gives it in return for something
else. Example, one partner may marry because they believe it will enhance their social status (
Coverman, calls this ‘ status enhancement’) if it fails to happen or changes overtime, there is nothing to
hold the couple.

- divorcees are not unhappy marriage but they just unhappy with the person hey married.
- Becker et al. said that the misunderstanding between what someone expects to happen in marriage
and what actually happen can cause divorce.
- People may have romanticized about love and family life but when they realised the idea is unrealistic
so they may choose divorce to run away from this unhappy experience.