Examine the reasons for changes in the patterns of divorce, marriage and cohabitation in the past 40 years (24 marks)

Over the past forty years marriage, divorce and cohabitation rates have fluctuated significantly. For example, the number of divorces has increased from 27,000 in 1961 to 153,000 by 2006, whilst the Telegraph newspaper reported that ‘one in six people are cohabiting as marriage rates decline’. Why is this? There are multiple reasons for these varying statistics.

Fewer people are marrying for numerous different reasons. There’s a lot less stigma surrounding the issue of marriage in comparison to marriage in the1950’s for example. It’s no longer expected. This means that people now feel free to choose the type of relationship they want without scrutiny or judgement for their choice.

The decline of secularisation also contributes to the decline in marriage rates. The Church has always been in favour of couples marrying, however less people are practising religion and the influence of the Church is declining too. Without this influence we are again free to choose what type of relationship we desire and marriage does not seem as relevant as it previously was.

The days are long gone since women were expected to stay at home doing the house work and looking after children whilst men had careers. There are prevalent job opportunities on offer for women now in comparison with the lack of opportunities in previous years. Women are becoming just as independent as men, economically as well as independent in becoming successful.

In addition to the decline in stigma, there’s also a sharp decline in moral values. People are less aware or uncommitted to the idea what is right and wrong. Rather than marrying some people chose to be serial monogamists. This would have been promiscuous and wrong in the past, there is not as much stigma attached to it now.

Yet another valid reason for the decline is the finical commitment involved. The average cost of a wedding is now at 18,000, which in the economic state of society is a strain for many couples; therefore the concept of marriage isn’t exactly appealing.

So what other alternatives to marriage are people taking? – Cohabitation. By 2021, the number of co-habiting couples is expected to double from the figure which currently stands at a staggering 2 Million.
Stigma has not only declined around the subject of marriage, but also sex outside of marriage. In 2000, 62% of people though that ‘premarital sex is not wrong at all’ (according to Social Trends 34, 2004). People don’t need to get married; they can cohabit without being chastised for having a sexual relationship outside marriage.
Cohabitation is much more casual than being married. There are no legal ties, you could, theoretically speaking, leave a cohabited relationship with no strings attached. People don’t want to marry because of the fact that 42% of marriages end in divorce (gathered from the latest government statistics) making the prospects of cohabitation so much more appealing.

Divorce – it’s rapidly on the increase. Over 16.4% of 53 year olds are now divorced, and it’s only going to carry on increasing.
Changes in the law remains a key factor concerning the rising rates in divorce. Removal of legal and financial barriers makes divorce more. For example, prior to 1857, divorce could only be obtained by Act of Parliament. Custodial laws are also in place, if two people whom had a child together and are divorced wanted access to their child, there are laws in place to make access easier without the complication of not being able to have access to their child. Easier ways to divorce results in more divorces.

Changing attitudes towards divorce is another large contributor towards increasing divorce rates. If someone was to get divorced in previous years, they would have been under extreme scrutiny as it was practically unheard of. Postmodern beliefs now show that divorce is becoming more acceptable.

Issues within a marriage have an impact on divorce. Domestic violence is on the increase (according to the BBC) making divorce inevitable as it is, for most people, the only way out of a violent relationship. People also feel the need to file for divorce after adultery is committed. Both issues come down to the decline in moral values and attitudes with more people thinking it is acceptable to have relations outside marriage or use violence against their partners. These moral issues are also linked with secularisation. Without the guidance of the church to implicate moral values and their opinion on divorce (which is unaccepted in their view) there is little teaching of right and wrong resulting in divorce being seen as the norm.

The changing position of women is not only relatable to marriage, but also to divorce, Women are realising there is a wide horizon of opportunities for them which might not have been accessible before are now available. They can now get better jobs and education meaning they’re not going to be as dependant on men as they were in previous years. These changes make divorce an option to be free and independent.

Overall, the reasons for the changes in patterns in divorce, marriage and cohabitation have a consistent theme throughout; morals and expectations are declining throughout our society as well as stigma surrounding the issues, religion is taking a back seat concerning marriage divorce and cohabitation and people are becoming more independent as individuals. Unless these contributing factors change dramatically they will continue to fluctuate.