Evaluate sociological contributions to our understanding of the trends in divorce in the UK since
1970 [20 marks]
The enactment of the Divorce Law Reform Act in 1971 has contributed to an increase in UK divorce
rates. The Act made it easier for couples to divorce on the grounds of irretrievable breakdown and
made divorce available after two years if both parties agreed. Additionally, in 1984 the time needed
to file a divorce petition was reduced to 3 years. Changes in law have not only made divorce easier
but have also widened the reasons for divorce and given women more rights to petition for divorce.
Interestingly, data from the Office for National Statistics indicates that the over-50s divorce rate has
increased for the first time in ten years, rising by 5.8 per cent in 2016 among opposite-sex couples in
comparison to 2015. A reason of this increase could be the rise in life expectance. More people are
living longer after retirement, which means they have more years to spend at home with their
spouse. Therefore, if a marriage is not working, potentially couples are faced with decades of
unhappiness unless they seek divorce. Additionally, people are marrying later at around the age of
35, as statistics indicate that couples are more likely to seek divorce 12 years into their marriage, this
could also explain why the UK is experiencing a rise in divorce amongst over 50s.
Liberal feminists would argue that the gradual emancipation of women has also contributed to an
increase in divorce rates since the 1970s. Improvements in the economic position of women means
that they are less financially dependent on their husbands and are therefore better able to end an
unsatisfactory marriage. Furthermore, there is less stigma placed on divorced women. The UK has
adopted secular individualistic values which means that the shame a woman may have faced in the
1970s because she is a divorcee is not as prominent today. However, not all women have experienced
emancipation. For example, working class women from marginalised groups have less freedom to
end an unsatisfactory marriage in comparison to middle class women from dominant social groups.
Essentially, changes in divorce rates are leading to greater family diversity. For example, divorced
couples tend to remarry; in 2012 one third of all marriages were from re-marriages, which may help
to explain the rise in reconstituted families. Critically, the rise in divorce rates could also contribute to
changing attitudes to marriage. Couples may feel less inclined to marry because of the idea of going
through a messy divorce later in life and therefore choice to cohabit instead. Even though cohabiting
couples go on to marry, this trend is beginning to decrease as cohabiting couples with children is
becoming a fast-growing family type.
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