The impact of social change

on the family
Lo: to be able to describe and explain how divorce has played a part in
the changing nature of the family
What is divorce?
• Come up with a definition for divorce
• Divorce is the dissolution of marriage, it is the process of terminating
a marriage or marital union.
What is secularisation?
• In a 15 word sentence define • How has secularisation caused
what secularisation is the family structure to change?

• You need to write two sentences

to this question

• We are now going to talk about

this as a group
 Task:
• You are going to complete the grid filling in the 5 reasons for the
increase in divorce on pg 212-213
• You should include:
• 1) what each one means i.e what is stigma, include any theorists
(highlight them)
• 2) why has the reason (i.e. change in stigma) contributed to the rise
in divorce rates
 Reasons for the increase in the divorce rate – 42% 2021
Changes in the law: Change in the policies Rising expectations of marriage: Being treated
relating to divorce (by the government) how you expect – soul mates
Romantic love
• Equalised the grounds for divorce – easier for Less willing to work on relationships that they feel
both genders to get a divorced are not right – fallen out love
• Making the criteria wider for the reasons you Wider pool of individuals that you can form
can get a divorce relationships with
• The cost decreased - £500 – legal aid is stigma and changing attitudes
Declining
introduced Stigma is negative label – social attitudes
Social disapproval
Wider acceptance of divorce
Acceptance of divorce, norm
Secularisation Women’s increased
Decline in importance and influence of religion on financial independence
society Due to women’s equal opportunities – money
Morals – after life, no longer seen as a sinner Women have their own money
Churches relaxed rules on who can get married in Less reliance on men – for money
churches therefore people are more willing to get Women can start divorce
divorced Post divorce – during separation – survive by
• 6 feminist explanations • Modernity and individualisation
A divorce policy timeline
• Half of you will have a date
• The other half will have the key policy that matches
up with this
• You need to find the one that matches up with yours
The correct answers
• 1857 – men could divorce unfaithful wives, but women also had to prove
husbands’ cruelty or another matrimonial offence in addition to adultery.
Divorce is still costly
• 1923 – Grounds for divorce equalised for men and women
• 1937 – grounds widened to include desertion and cruelty
• 1949 – legal aid available, making divorce more affordable
• 1969 – divorce reform act – matrimonial offence or ‘guilty party’ abolished,
made the ‘irretrievable breakdown of marriage the sole grounds for divorce,
established by proving unreasonable behaviour, adultery, desertion or
separation either with or without consent. Divorce available after two years’
agreed separation, or five years if only one spouse wants a divorce
• 1984 – the minimum period after marriage before a divorce petition could
be filed was reduced from three to one
• 1996 – family law act encourages couples to seek mediation but allows
divorce agreement after a ‘period of reflection’
• 2004 – civil partnership act allows for legal dissolution of a civil partnership
on the same grounds as for a marriage – irretrievable breakdown
• 2007 – appeal court ruling: in divorce settlements, the principle of equality
applies, so the starting point is a 50-50 split of all assets, including salaries
and pension rights
• 2014 same-sex marriages became law, same grounds for divorce apply both
to same-sex and opposite-sex couples
Fletcher: the idea of love and romance

• People have high expectations of marriage and this has contributed

to the rising divorce rate. This is attributed to the fact that people
now have a clear idea of what they expect from ‘romantic love’ and
marriage will often not live up to that idea.

• To what extent do you agree with this?

• How do you think things have changed over time?
• What about culture?
Final question
• What do you think has had the biggest impact on divorce rates so far?
Starter: Pick out the key trends about divorce

• Identify two trends

for divorce making
reference to the
graph
 Contrasting reasons
• Of your 5 reasons for the increase in divorce which one do you think
is the most significant?
• Why?
Sociology of the personal life
• Do we have more choice in terms of divorce in the UK than
previously? What factors does this account for when it comes to the
reasons we have looked at so far
• How can we compare this to pervious topics?
• How would functionalist see the rise in divorce?
Exam question: 6 marks
Outline 3 reasons for the increase in the divorce rate in the last 50
years or so.
• Increased expectations of marriage, means that less people are willing
to simply be together for the sake of it and if they no longer feel in
love with their spouse they are much more willing to give up and end
the marriage.
• Changes in legislation, have meant that it is cheaper and easier to get
a divorce therefore it has become more accessible to everyone i.e.
women.
• Declining stigma
The hand of knowledge:
• You need to draw round your hand
• You are going to write one thing you have learned in each didgit
• Now put the one you feel is the most important in the middle
Compare your paragraphs
• Give them a mark out of 5 (as one paragraph

• Positive – what have they done well

•E
•E
•R
True or false
1. Women can’t initiate a divorce
2. Marriages are getting longer
3. Most marriages end in divorce
4. Couples marrying more recently are less likely to get divorced
5. The average age of a divorced woman is 44

Write down the statements and if you think they are true or false
True or false
1. Women can’t initiate a divorce 1. False
2. Marriages are getting longer 2. True
3. Most marriages end in divorce 3. False
4. Couples marrying more 4. True
recently are less likely to get 5. true
divorced
5. The average age of a divorced
woman is 44
10 mark Exam question:
• Outline and explain two reasons for the increase in the
divorce rate since 1960 apart from legislation (10 marks)
• Step 1: break down the question, what is it asking you to do
• Step 2: brain storm your initial ideas
• Step 3: select the two you think are the best
• Plan your two paragraphs: you MUST include the point (the reason), an
explanation, a sociologist linked to it, and why your explanation has directly
impacted the divorce rate, example
One reason for increase in the divorce rate in the last 60 years or so is
secularisation.
Secularisation is the decline and importance of religion in society.
Within certain religions i.e. catholism divorce is seen as a sin as a result
people were un able to get a divorce, they also were prevented from
getting remarried in a church too if they were divorced.
Religion has lost social influence on individuals in society as a result
individuals no longer are worried about what individuals or god may
think of them if they want to get a divorce. Marriage has also changed
meaning as a result of this and the vows that people take no longer
include an emphasis on ‘till death do us part’ as most people will get
divorced before they die.
Even churches have had to adjust their rules on who can get married in
churches as divorce is more common now than it ever has been, so if
the church continued to block out divorcees, no one would be able to
Exam questions are all going to be similar on
topics
• Compare your original question: Outline and explain two reasons
for the increase in the divorce rate since 1960 apart from
legislation 10 marks
• To the following, what is similar? Annotate the questions
• Outline and explain 2 ways in which changes in society may have
weakened the traditional nuclear family unit.
• Outline and explain 2 changes in society which have contributed to the
increase in single person households.
• Outline and explain 2 ways in which social policies have shaped family life.
• Outline and explain 2 factors which have led to a rise in cohabitation.
Figuring out what information we can use

• Task: from the information we have looked for each one write one of the
reasons you have learnt for the increase in divorce that you could use for
each of the questions below
• Outline and explain 2 ways in which changes in society may have
weakened the traditional nuclear family unit.
• Outline and explain 2 changes in society which have contributed to
the increase in single person households.
• Outline and explain 2 ways in which social policies have shaped
family life.
• Outline and explain 2 factors which have led to a rise in
cohabitation.
So what do you know now
• You have 2 minutes to write as many things as you can that relate to
the divorce topic
• This could be key words or policy