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INSTRUCTIONS to candidates

AS ESSAY – Scly1 Family/Households - 24marks – 24 minutes i.e. 2-2.5 pages average sized handwriting (2 pages typed) (AO1-14 & AO2-10)
ADD your Name/Option Group to the header
Size 12 font/calibri
Email a copy to MY.
Print /submit hard copy to your sociology teacher

NB: Type your essay below, using as many of the concepts/issues and sources from the MS below.
Cut/paste the words into your essay so that you can see the areas that you have missed.

Unit1. Marriage/Cohabitation/Separation/Divorce

QP: Scly1 Summer 2014 Examine the reasons for changing patterns of marriage and divorce over the last 50 years or so (24marks)

MS
Concepts and issues: secularisation; rise of feminism; attitude to careers; reconstituted families; cohabitation; confluent love; declining stigma; higher expectations of marriage; remarriage; welfare provision; the ideology of romantic love; privatisation of nuclear families; legislation; individualisation; life expectancy; domestic division of labour; variations in the patterns.
Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for instance through discussing the importance of different factors or by locating the debate between different perspectives (e.g. New Right, functionalist, feminist, postmodernist, etc.).
Sources: Abbott and Wallace; Allan and Crow; Barlow et al; Beck and Beck-Gernsheim; Chester; Dunscombe and Marsden; Fletcher; Gibson; Giddens; Goode; Hart; Hochschild; Morgan; Oakley; Stacey.

ER
Most students could provide evidence of sociological knowledge on changing patterns of marriage and divorce over the past 50 years or so. There were some excellent answers that discussed a number of changes to marriage and divorce patterns, and these were able to analyse successfully the reasons for such changes. The changing social position of women, secularisation and rising female expectations were linked effectively to both marriage and divorce, with factors such as the fear of divorce and legal reform also examined. The strongest answers employed a strong conceptual and empirical base (with the work of Sharpe on female aspirations, Giddens on confluent love and Fletcher on expectations all appearing), and had a detailed understanding of the nature of various divorce reforms. Stronger answers were able to analyse reasons for changing patterns, whereas weaker responses tended just to list reasons with little elaboration or comment. Some students reinterpreted the question into one on the effects of changing patterns, and this led to some ill-focused material. Many students introduced theoretical perspectives such as Feminism, the New Right and Postmodernism, but often simply offered a juxtaposed commentary on the outcome of changing patterns rather than focusing on the reasons for the changes. Some weaker answers were confused about some of the concepts employed, for example citing ‘the decline of secularisation’ or ‘less stigma attached to marriage’. Similarly, details of divorce legislation were often unclear or inaccurate, with a significant minority of students claiming that before the 1960s women were unable to get divorced at all.

ALSO try to use some of the following (ignore words or names that are repeated)

Scly1 Summer 2011 Examine the reasons for changes in the divorce rate since 1969.
MS
Concepts and issues: secularisation; rise of feminism; attitude to careers; confluent love; declining stigma; higher expectations of marriage; remarriage; welfare provision; the ideology of romantic love; privatisation of nuclear families; legislation; individualisation; life expectancy; domestic division of labour; fluctuations/recent decline.
Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for instance through comparing the relative importance of particular factors or by locating the debate between different perspectives (e.g. feminism, New Right etc.).
Sources: Abbott and Wallace; Allan and Crow; Beck and Beck-Gernsheim; Chester; Dunscombe and Marsden; Fletcher; Gibson; Giddens; Goode; Hart; Hochschild; Morgan; Oakley; Parsons.

Scly1 Spring 2011 Examine the reasons for changes in the patterns of marriage and cohabitation in the last 40 years or so.
MS
Concepts and issues: re-marriage rates, divorce, secularisation, rise of feminism, access to contraception, birth rates, welfare provision, attitudes to careers, confluent love, access to higher education, neo-conventional family, legislation, individualisation, single person households.
Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for instance through comparing the relative importance of particular factors.
Sources: Barlow et al, Beck and Beck-Gernsheim, Bernades, Chester, Gibson, Giddens, Hart, Morgan, Stacey.

Please START YOUR ESSAY ON THE NEXT PAGE.
[PRINT OFF all the pages so your teach can see which terms/sources you have used]

For many people recently in Britain a large section of the population believed that marriage was the basis on which a family life should be constructed, although over the past few years these beliefs have changed. An increasing number of couples in modern day Britain no longer believe that the label in which marriage gives is no longer needed to form a long term relationship or to form a family. Whichever type that is. This is leading to a rise in the amount of people/couples cohabiting in this day in age.

Better rights under divorce law, increased job opportunities and the provision of state financial support can all be seen as donating to developing the negotiating position of women in marital relationships. Women have, in the past 100 years, achieved many new rights in terms of property, the vote, employment and education, and the rise in divorce may reflect this shift in the position of women within society and make them less willing to accept an unsatisfactory marriage. Indeed it may have changed altogether the boundaries of the "acceptable" within marriage. In 1946, 45% of petitions were by wives. In 1986-1990, 73% of petitions were by wives.

The patterns of marriage are constantly changing. In 1971 marriages were extremely popular reaching their peak point for the better, although ever since then there has been a dramatic decline which has gradually continued to decrease reasons for this may be because society as a whole is changing. Leaving the norms and values of society to change, also it is no longer frowned upon to conceive a child outside of marriage.

There is now significantly much less social stigma and blame attached to divorce. Wilson (1966) argues that this reduction in stigma is a result of secularisation, the decreasing influence of religion in modern society. Less than 50% of marriages now involve a religious ceremony, and even those that do might not be based on a religious institution for religious reasons. The idea of a lifelong marriage blessed by God is clearly less significant now than previously. Attitudes towards the effect of divorce on children may have shifted. It had been considered in the past that couples should remain together for the sake of the children. Now it is more commonly thought that children are better off if parents split up so that they are not exposed to constant parental conflict.

The divorce reform act 1969 was a main part in request for divorce, as there was no need for a partner to be the guilty one. Marriages could be terminated on a breakdown of a relationship. Within this there was a provision for divorce. After a certain period of time. Proven by a 2-year separation period with mutual agreement from both partners after 5 years. Since 1971 the divorce, rates have almost doubled. Around 40% of new marriages today are likely to end in divorce and if the rates continue, more than 1 in 4 children will experience a parental divorce by the time they are 16 some reasons for these changes in law, and there is a decline in stigma and a change in peoples attitudes towards it.

Some people in marriages also choose to divorce as women’s expectations at marriage are rising causing then to find a better partner or a ‘new man’

On top of these reasons, increased job opportunities and financial support can all be seen as contributing to position of women in wedded relationships. Women have achieved many new rights in terms of voting, employment and education, and the rise in divorce may suggest this change in the position of women within society and make them less ready to accept a disappointing marriage.

Anderson (l983) said that lifelong marriage in the past often lasted a fairly short time. Marriage was frequently late and life expectancy was short. The utmost risk groups for divorce are; teenage brides, couples who had children early, couples with 4 or more children, and couples with relatively low income. Another part of the reason there are higher divorce rates among those married as teenagers has to be other influential factors. A study by Ineichen (l977) of 179 marriages in Bristol suggested that teenage marriages were often linked to other factors related with a higher risk of divorce such as poor housing, and sharing accommodation with relatives.