Changing Patterns of Marriage, Divorce and Cohabitation
Since the mid twentieth century, patterns of partnership in Britain have changed considerably, with fewer couples marrying, more cohabiting, and the divorce rate rising sharply after reforms such as the Divorce Reform Act 1969 made divorce easier and faster to obtain.
Method
- Separate the three linked trends clearly: declining marriage rates, rising cohabitation, and rising then broadly high divorce rates, since exam questions may ask about any one of them.
- Learn the key legal changes for divorce: the Divorce Reform Act 1969, in force 1971, which introduced 'irretrievable breakdown' as the sole ground for divorce, and the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984, which reduced the minimum length of marriage before a divorce petition could be filed.
- Apply named explanations for each trend: secularisation, changing attitudes/reduced stigma, women's economic independence, legal change, and Giddens' 'pure relationship'/individualisation thesis.
- Use Ronald Fletcher's functionalist counter-argument that rising divorce reflects rising expectations of marriage, people now expect more emotional satisfaction from marriage, so are less willing to stay in an unsatisfying one, rather than the family declining in importance.
- Distinguish a change in the LAW, which makes divorce easier to obtain, from a change in the underlying rate of marital breakdown, which the law does not directly cause, but can reveal or accelerate.
- For a 'discuss'/'assess' question on whether marriage is in decline, weigh evidence of falling marriage rates and rising divorce against the continuing popularity of cohabitation, remarriage and civil partnership as alternative ways couples still commit to each other.
Worked example
Explain two reasons for the rise in the divorce rate in Britain since the 1960s, using named legal changes or sociologists.
- Choose two distinct types of reason so the answer does not repeat itself, for example one legal reason and one social/attitudinal reason.
- State the legal reason: the Divorce Reform Act 1969, in force from 1971, introduced 'irretrievable breakdown' as the sole ground for divorce and simplified the process, making it easier to legally end a marriage.
- Add detail: the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984 further reduced the minimum time a couple had to be married before they could petition for divorce, making divorce accessible sooner.
- State the social/attitudinal reason: secularisation has reduced the influence of religious institutions that traditionally treated marriage as a lifelong, indissoluble bond and stigmatised divorce.
- Add detail using a named sociologist: Anthony Giddens argues relationships have become 'pure relationships', continuing only while both partners are personally satisfied, which makes couples more willing to divorce when a marriage no longer meets their needs.
- Conclude by linking the two reasons: legal change made divorce practically possible, while changing social attitudes made it more socially acceptable, and together these help explain the rise in the divorce rate.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1Name the act that introduced 'irretrievable breakdown' as the sole ground for divorce in England and Wales.Show answer
Answer: The Divorce Reform Act 1969, in force from 1971.
Q2What did the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984 change?Show answer
Answer: It reduced the minimum length of time a couple had to be married before they could petition for divorce.
Q3Define 'cohabitation'.Show answer
Answer: A couple living together in an intimate relationship without being legally married or in a civil partnership.
Q4Give one reason for the rise in cohabitation rather than marriage.Show answer
Answer: For example, reduced social stigma around living together outside marriage, or the cost of a wedding, or wanting to test a relationship before marrying.
Q5What is meant by 'secularisation' in relation to marriage and divorce?Show answer
Answer: The declining social influence of religion and religious institutions, which traditionally discouraged divorce and cohabitation.
Q6According to Anthony Giddens, what is a 'pure relationship'?Show answer
Answer: A relationship that continues only because both partners are personally satisfied with it, rather than because of economic necessity, tradition or social pressure.
Q7Give one functionalist explanation, other than secularisation, for the rise in divorce.Show answer
Answer: Ronald Fletcher argued rising expectations of marriage mean people are now less willing to remain in a marriage that does not meet their higher standards for emotional satisfaction, so more marriages end in divorce.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Sociology exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Explain two reasons for the decline in marriage rates in Britain.
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'Marriage is no longer important in modern Britain.' Discuss this view.
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See real GCSE Sociology past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
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