Changing Patterns of Divorce Sociology

You may have heard the statement that 50% of marriages end in divorce. Have you ever wondered what lies behind the rising divorce rate in the West?

We will discuss the changing patterns of divorce in sociology.

• We will start by defining divorce and looking at the changing patterns of marriage and divorce in Britain.
• We will look at the causes of divorce and the three main reasons for the increase in divorce in sociology.
• Then, we'll look at the different alternatives to divorce.
• We will consider the consequences of divorce in sociology.
• We will conclude with the sociological analysis of divorce by mentioning many different perspectives.

Changing patterns of marriage and divorce in sociology

Let us start by defining divorce.

Since the 1970s, it has become easier to get a divorce in the West, both from a legal and a social point of view. This resulted in a gradual increase in the number of divorces in most Western countries.

According to the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS), in 2019 there was an 18.4% increase in divorces between heterosexual couples in England and Wales, compared to 2018. There were near twice as many divorces between same-sex couples in 2019 as in 2018, shows the analysis.

Fig. 1 - The divorce rate has been increasing while the marriage rate has been gradually falling in the West, as exemplified in the UK graph above.

What are the causes of divorce in sociology?

There are many different reasons why people apply for a divorce. In 2019 'unreasonable behaviour' was the most common ground for divorce both among opposite-sex and same-sex couples in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics, 2020).

Reasons for the increase in divorce in sociology

We will look at several reasons why divorce rates have been on the rise, below.

Changes in social policies and law

There are three key social policy changes to consider.

• 1923: Grounds for divorce were equalized in Britain.

• 1969: The Divorce Reform Act included ‘irretrievable breakdown’ as a ground for divorce. It made it possible for a couple to get a divorce, even if only one person desired it.

• The legal procedures around divorce became cheaper and, as a result, more affordable.

All major legal changes regarding divorce resulted in a rise in divorce petitions by women.

Changes in gender roles and in the position of women

There have been marked changes in gender roles and in women's place in society and the labour market.

• Women have more work opportunities, so they are no longer dependent on their partners financially.

• Spouses have separate wages, so divorce does not have to mean poverty for women.

Fig. 2 - Women have more work opportunities so they no longer depend on a husband financially, they are freer to leave a marriage that does not make them happy.

The role of feminism in the changes of the position of women

Feminism has had a large role to play in raising awareness for and campaigning against:

• The unequal division of household labour.

• Domestic abuse; sexual assault in a marriage was not considered a criminal offence in England until 1992.

• Controlling women's sexual behaviour; contraception and legal abortion allow women to have control over pregnancies. Anthony Giddens (1992) claims that women without children (or with fewer children) are freer to leave marriages.

There has also been a declining stigma around unhappiness in marriage and divorce. It is seen as more acceptable to leave a marriage due to unhappiness than in previous times.

Changes in social attitudes to divorce and marriage

There have been changes in social attitudes to divorce and marriage, including a declining stigma around divorce and divorcees. A few trends are identifiable.

Secularisation's role in changes in social attitudes to divorce and marriage

• Religions that preach about the sanctity of marriage have steadily lost their influence over Western society.

• There are fewer religious marriages. Legal marriages are seen more like a contract than a sacred union, so they are easier to terminate.

Rising expectations toward marriage

• According to Fletcher (1966), people have started to expect their partners to be perfect lovers, parents, and counsellors, all at the same time. These expectations are difficult to meet.

• David R. Gibson (1994) argues that people in modern capitalist society regard marriage as a product. If it does not meet their needs anymore, or something better comes along, they can easily decide to 'get rid' of it.

Changes in the private sphere affecting divorce and marriage

• Privatisation of the nuclear family: there can be more stress and tension between the partners as they experience less support in their daily lives from the extended family.

• Higher life expectancy: there is more time for problems to arise in a marriage.

Alternatives to divorce

Attitudes to divorce still vary in different societies, cultures, and religions. In more religious countries, divorce still holds a stigma, and the technical procedure of divorce is not necessarily as smooth as in the majority of Western countries.

Even in the West, people might choose an alternative to divorce if they want to continue their lives separately from their partners.

Legal separation

Legal separation is a well-known alternative to divorce.

There are many cases when the couple separated after a mutual decision but did not go through a legal separation or divorce in front of a court. In some of these cases, the individuals entered new partnerships while still being married to their old spouses. This is allowed if the second partnership is not a registered marriage.

It is difficult to keep a record of the number of separations because many do not include a legal procedure.

Desertion

Desertion is used by some partners as an alternative to divorce.

Consequences of divorce in sociology

The consequences of divorce vary immensely based on the personal experiences of the individuals involved in the breaking up of a marriage. The causes and consequences of divorce on the personal level are more the concern of psychology than that of sociology.

Sociological analysis is more concerned about how the increasing divorce rates influence the beliefs, culture and value-system of wider society.

Researching divorces and marriages is difficult because of the missing legal records and confusing statistical data. Nevertheless, the increase in the number of divorces and the decline in the number of marriages in the West has been clear for decades.

Different sociologists have found different reasons for this pattern and evaluated the changes in various ways.

Sociological analysis of divorce

We will look at sociological perspectives on divorce and marriage, including feminism, functionalism, the Night Right, postmodernism and the personal life perspective.

Feminism on divorce

Feminist sociologists of the 1980s, led by Ann Oakley and Christine Delphy, had very negative views on marriage. They saw marriage as the product of the patriarchal system, built on the husband's exploitation of his wife. Feminists celebrated the possibility of divorce because this meant that women could 'break free' from men's control by leaving them.

At the same time, radical feminists pointed out that children usually stay with their mothers after a divorce. These single-parent families often suffer from serious financial and emotional difficulties. So, divorce is not always a path to freedom for women. Sometimes it may make women's suffering worse.

Fig. 3 - Children usually stay with their mothers after a divorce. These single-parent families often suffer from financial and emotional difficulties.

Functionalism on divorce

Joseph F. Fletcher (1966) argued that people nowadays have very high expectations of marriage. When these expectations are not met, they file for a divorce. He claimed that women especially are more ready than before to leave a marriage that does not meet their needs anymore.

Functionalists also claim that the family has lost its function. The survival of the individual does not depend on their familial relationships, so there is a looser bond between the partners. This makes it easier to break up the marriage (Dennis, 1975).

The New Right on divorce

The New Right sees a general moral decline as the cause of the many divorces in the West. According to the New Right, divorce has several negative consequences:

• Elimination of the building block of society: the nuclear family. They do not believe other family types can replace it.

• A negative influence on children.

• A rising number of single mothers who depend on and take advantage of the welfare system.

Postmodernism on divorce

Ulrich Beck and Elisabeth Beck-Gernsheim (2001) did extensive research on relationships in postmodernist society. They see postmodernism's individualisation as the cause behind the changes in relationship trends.

People have more opportunities, but also more insecurity in their lives. They are free to enter or exit a relationship based solely on whether it serves their individual happiness. This has created an environment where people are hesitant to commit to one person in marriage in the first place.

At the same time, people get a divorce easier if a 'more perfect' partner or a more suitable type of relationship comes along. Beck and Beck-Gernsheim call this 'a clash between love and individual freedom' which is very difficult to navigate (Beck and Beck-Gernsheim, 2001).

The personal life perspective on divorce

Sociologists of the personal life perspective aim to understand what divorce means for the individual.

The personal life perspective is strongly influenced by interactionists, who argue that romantic relationships can be substituted by non-romantic personal relationships of the individual. Emotional support, happiness, and fulfilment can come from friends, relatives, hobbies, sports, and even work.