Patterns Of Marriage And Cohabitation Essay
Examine the reasons for the changes in the patterns of marriage and cohabitation in the last 40 years or so.
In the last 40 years, Society in Britain has experienced many changes that have affected the family. There have been changes in attitudes to and expectations of family life, as well as official changes such as government laws. These changes have been induced by the rise of feminism; they have increased awareness of women’s rights and freedoms. Another change that has affected family is postmodernism, which has promoted freedom, choice and diversity. Secularisation has also affected the family, which has taken away stigmas attached to aspects of family life. The changes resulting have affected marriage rates, which are decreasing, …show more content…
Divorce rates have also increased in the last 40 years, following the changes in the law and attitudes.
As society’s view of a ‘conventional family’ has changed over the last 40 years, the variety of acceptable norms has increased drastically. In the past, an unmarried woman or spinster would be looked down on in society ,as it was a norm that a woman should be married with children. If they didn’t they would be judged as there was a problem with them so that they couldn’t have kids or a husband. The average age for a women first getting married in 1961 was 23.1 this has risen to 30 by June 2009. This shows that women are now waiting longer for their first marriage. This is down to many different reasons. Single women aren’t looked down on by the majority of people today, they are viewed as strong, independent women. This means that there is next to no pressure for women to get married quickly. This has resulted in the rise in cohabitation. Marriage is no longer seen as the definition of a proper relationship by society. 40 years ago, living together outside of marriage was a rarity; however cohabitation can now be seen as a socially acceptable alternative to marriage. This is partly due to the changing attitudes to sexual relationships mean that sex
In the last 40 years, Society in Britain has experienced many changes that have affected the family. There have been changes in attitudes to and expectations of family life, as well as official changes such as government laws. These changes have been induced by the rise of feminism; they have increased awareness of women’s rights and freedoms. Another change that has affected family is postmodernism, which has promoted freedom, choice and diversity. Secularisation has also affected the family, which has taken away stigmas attached to aspects of family life. The changes resulting have affected marriage rates, which are decreasing, …show more content…
Divorce rates have also increased in the last 40 years, following the changes in the law and attitudes.
As society’s view of a ‘conventional family’ has changed over the last 40 years, the variety of acceptable norms has increased drastically. In the past, an unmarried woman or spinster would be looked down on in society ,as it was a norm that a woman should be married with children. If they didn’t they would be judged as there was a problem with them so that they couldn’t have kids or a husband. The average age for a women first getting married in 1961 was 23.1 this has risen to 30 by June 2009. This shows that women are now waiting longer for their first marriage. This is down to many different reasons. Single women aren’t looked down on by the majority of people today, they are viewed as strong, independent women. This means that there is next to no pressure for women to get married quickly. This has resulted in the rise in cohabitation. Marriage is no longer seen as the definition of a proper relationship by society. 40 years ago, living together outside of marriage was a rarity; however cohabitation can now be seen as a socially acceptable alternative to marriage. This is partly due to the changing attitudes to sexual relationships mean that sex