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Summary Families and Households Part Two
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Families & Households part twoFH 2.1: marriage and cohabitation
Statistics:
- Marriage rates are at their lowest since the 1920s.
- In 2005 there were 170,800 marriages, half than the number of marriages in 1970.
- People are marrying at a later age - the average rose by 7 years between 1971 and 2005. It is 30 years old for women
and 32 years old for men.
- There are more re-marriages than ever before. In 2005, 4/10 marriages were a re-marriage.
- Couples are less likely to get married in a Church. In 1981 60% of weddings were in a church compared to 35% in
2005.
- Marriage rates are declining, whilst divorce rates are increasing. Increase of marriages in the 1940s: WW2, people
were going off to war, so people felt the need to get married first.
- The average marriage lasts 9 years.
Reasons for changing patterns of marriage:
- Changing attitudes towards marriage and declining stigma attached to alternatives.
- Secularisation.
- Changes in position of women.
- Rising expectations.
- First marriages.
- Fear of divorce.
What are the five key changes in the patterns of marriage in recent years?
- Marrying later
- Less likely to marry in church
- More remarriages
- Increase in divorce
- Career focused (women)
Reasons for Changing Patterns of First Marriages
First Marriages Changing Attitudes to Marriage
The fall in first marriages is similar to the reasons for the There is less pressure to marry and more freedom for
increase in divorce. individuals to choose the type of relationship they want.
Now a widespread belief that the quality of a couple’s
relationship is more important than its legal status.
Secularisation Declining Stigma of Alternatives
Churches are in favour of marriage, but as their influence Cohabitation, remaining single and having children outside
declines, people feel freer to choose not to marry. of marriage are widely regarded as acceptable.
According to the 2001 Census, 3% of young people with no
religion were married, as against up to 17% of those with a
religion.
Changes in the Position of Women Fear of Divorce
With better educational and career prospects, many Rising divorce rate, some may be put off marrying because
women are now less economically dependent on men. This they see the increased likelihood of marriage ending in
gives them greater freedom not to marry. Feminist view is divorce.
that marriage is an oppressive patriarchal institution – may
also dissuade some women from marrying.
Why are there also...
More remarriages? The main reason for the increase in remarriages is the rise in the number of divorces. The two have
grown together so that the rising number of divorcees provides a supply of people available to re-marry.
More marriages later in life? The age of couples marrying is rising because young people are postponing marriage in order
to spend longer in full-time education, and perhaps to establish themselves in a career first. Another reason is that more
couples are now cohabitating for a period before they marry.
Fewer church weddings? There are two main reasons to why people are less likely to have church weddings:
1. Secularisation – fewer people see the relevance of religious ceremony.
, 2. Many churches refuse to marry divorcees, who make up a growing proportion of those marrying, and divorcees
may have less desire to marry in church.
Evaluation – which of the above factors do you think is the most significant?
The most significant is the declining stigma of alternatives because people are feeling it is more accepting to be single
parents. Furthermore, I think age plays an impact because more couples are cohabitating before marriage and may
discover they don’t need/want to marry.
Is marriage losing its value? Functionalists’ view
- Functionalists argue that people in society still want to get married and do value it. Things are just getting in the way.
They use the evidence of this as the high numbers of remarriages after divorce.
- Functionalists argue that marriage today is too valued. People expect more and demand more from marriage and
this can lead to marital breakdown.
- Attitudes survey, 2000, found that only 9% of people did not see the point in getting married.
Against – Marriage IS losing its value: For – Marriage ISN’T losing its value:
- Secularisation, many (especially youth) view marriage - Although there is an increase in divorces, there
as a religious ceremony and are not deeply religious are also increases in re-marriages, which proves
anymore, so they see less desire to marry. people still want to marry.
- There is a declining stigma of alternatives thus, - Couples may cohabit because they are focusing
couples are more likely to continue cohabitating on careers and paying off debts e.g., bills.
rather than marrying. Especially due to their fear of Therefore, they are living together because they
divorcing too. cannot afford weddings.
- People prioritising education & careers over - People are willing to pay for marriages.
marrying. - Religion still impacts some people’s lives.
- Same-sex relationships not accepted by some Statistics:
churches. - 170,800 marriages since 2005.
- Some churches decline divorcees remarrying. - 26,250,000 worldwide weddings were arranged,
Statistics: which means over 50% of world marriages are
- Cost of marriage is high and puts people off. In the arranged.
UK, the cost can range from £6,275 - £67,000. - People re-marrying, in 2005, 40% of marriages
- People do not marry in fear of divorcing. Divorce were re-marriages.
rates have increased by 18.4% to 90,871 in 2018.
- People cohabiting – 2.2 million couples in the UK.
What is cohabitation?
Cohabitation is when an unmarried couple in a sexual relationship live together. Cohabitation has been increasing:
, - 2.9 million cohabiting heterosexual couples in Britain. Approximately one in eight adults are now cohabitating
(double the number in 1996).
- An estimated 69,000 same-sex cohabiting couples.
- About a fifth of those cohabiting are ‘serial cohabitants’ who have had one or more previous cohabitations.
- For some people, cohabitation is a step on the way to getting married, whereas to others it is a permanent
alternative to marriage.
Why is it increasing?
- Increased cohabitation rates are a result of the decline in stigma attached to sex outside of marriage. In 1989, only
44% of people agreed that ‘premarital sex is not right at all’ but 65% took this view by 2012.
- The young are more likely to accept cohabitation.
- Increased career opportunities for women may mean they have less need for the financial security of marriage and
are freer to opt for cohabitation.
- Secularisation: young people with no religion are more likely to cohabit than those with a religion.
What do the following sociologists tell us about the relationship between marriage and cohabitation?
Chester & Coast, 2006: Bejin, 1985: Shelton & John, 1993:
Robert Chester argues that for Some couples see cohabitation as Shelton & John found that
most people, cohabitation is a permanent alternative to women who cohabit do
part of the process of getting marriage. Bejin argues that less housework than their
married. cohabitation among some young married counterparts.
For example, according to people represents a conscious
Ernestina Coast, 75% of attempt to create a more
cohabiting couples say that personally negotiated and equal
they expect to marry each relationship than conventional
other. patriarchal marriage.
- Many see cohabitation as a trial marriage and intend to marry if it goes well. Most cohabiting couples decide to
marry if they have children. Cohabitation can be a temporary phase when one or both partners are waiting for a
divorce.
- Cohabitation has a different meaning to everyone, and every couple.
- Cohabitation covers the diverse range of partnerships and the relationship between marriage and cohabitation is
complex.
Same-sex relationships: a romantic or sexual relationship between people of the same sex.
What changes in the law have affected the same-sex relationships?
1967: Male homosexual acts were decriminalised in 1967 for consenting adults over 21.
2002: Cohabitating couples have had the same right to adopt as marriage couples.
2003: Age of consent lowered to 16 for men who have sex with men (from 18 in 1992). Section 28 repealed in England, Wales,
and Northern Ireland.
2004: The Civil Partnership Act gave same-sex couples similar legal rights to married couples in respect of pensions,
inheritance, tenancies, and property.
2014: Same-sex couples have been able to marry since 2014.
What do the following sociologists tell us about same-sex relationships?
Jeffrey Weeks, 1999 – Chosen Families
- Argues that increased social acceptance may explain a trend towards same-sex cohabitation and stable relationships
that resemble those found among heterosexuals.
- Weeks sees gays as creating families based on the idea of ‘friendship as kinship,’ where friendships become a type of
kinship network. He calls these ‘chosen families’ and argues they can offer the same stability and security as
heterosexual families.
Kath Weston, 1992 – Quasi-marriage
- She describes same-sex cohabitation as ‘quasi-marriage,’ notes many same-sex couples are now deciding to cohabit
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