Main Reasons for The Rise in The Number of Divorces

Introduction

The number of divorces has increased a lot in the past 50 years. In the 1960s there were roughly 30,000 divorces per year, whereas in the early 2000s there were around 120,000. The divorce rate means that, according to Chandler (2006) on average, 40% of all marriages will end in a divorce.

Reasons for divorce

One of the reasons for the increase in the divorce rate is changes in the law. Over the past 50 years there have been three main changes in the law that have made divorce easier and therefore more common: equalising the grounds for divorce between the sexes, widening the grounds for divorce and making divorce cheaper. The grounds for divorce were equalised in 1923 and this change caused a rise in the number of divorce petitions from women.

In 1971, the Divorce Law Reform Act of 1969 widened the grounds for divorce to ‘irretrievable breakdown’ – this means that couples only had to prove that the marriage was unsalvageable in order to get a divorce. No other criteria needed to be met, so this led to a large increase in the divorce rate. Divorce was made cheaper in 1949 when legal aid was introduced, thus making divorce more attainable for working class couples and again contributing to rise in the number of divorces.

Mitchell and Goody (1997) argue that one of the most important reasons for the increase in the divorce rate is the declining stigma attached to divorce and the changing attitudes towards it. In the past there was a lot of stigma attached to divorce, for example, many churches would refuse to carry out marriage ceremonies involving divorcees. However, more and more people are regarding divorce as socially acceptable. This means that more couples are considering it as a viable option as they are less inclined to be embarrassed about it, causing there to be a higher divorce rate.

Another reason for the rising number of divorces in the last 50 years is secularisation. As religious influence in society declines, people are less likely to be influenced by religious teachings when making decisions about divorce. Although many religions are opposed to divorce, some churches are making their views on divorce and divorcees less harsh, possibly because they are losing large amounts of people.

Rising expectations of marriage is another reason for the increase in the number of divorces in the last 50 years. Many functionalists, for example Fletcher (1966), argue that higher expectations of marriage make couples less willing to endure an unhappy marriage. In the past, people didn’t have a lot of choice in who they married since it was largely linked with economic reasons. This meant that their expectations were lower, making it less likely for them to become unhappy.

On the other hand, for many people nowadays, marriage should be based on love, and if there is no longer any love then there is no reason to remain married. This means that many couples get divorced, adding to the divorce rate. Although they do accept that divorce is becoming increasingly popular, functionalists indicate that people are continuing to get married and many people get remarried, meaning that most people have not rejected divorce altogether. However, feminists argue that the main cause of divorce is the patriarchal nature of marriage and oppression of women within the family, stating that functionalists do not explain why it is mostly women who petition for divorce.

A final reason for the rise in the number of divorces in the past 50 years is changes in the position of women, since women are more likely to request a divorce than men. Nowadays, women are much more likely to be in paid work; 47% of women were working in 1959 compared to 70% in 2005. This means that that it is less likely for a woman to be dependent on a husband and more likely that she would be able to afford a divorce. However, feminists argue that, since women are now wage earners as well as homemakers, this has created more conflict within marriage and is the reason for the increase in the divorce rate.

The pay gap between men and women has decreased hugely due to equal pay and anti-discrimination laws have also meant that women are less dependent on men. Girls are achieving more in education than boys today, meaning that they are able to achieve higher-paid jobs, so they can afford to get divorced if they choose to. Also, welfare benefits mean that women can get divorced even if they are dependent on their husband during marriage. Allan and Crow argue that “marriage is less embedded in within the economic system” now, since there are fewer family firms. This means that couples are do not depend on each other financially and so are able to get divorced.

The increase in the number of divorces over the last 50 years means different things to different sociologists. For instance, the New Right see a high divorce rate as undesirable because it undermines the nuclear family and leaves boys without an adult male role model. In contrast, feminists see a high divorce rate as desirable because it indicates that women are escaping the oppression of the nuclear family. Postmodernists see a high divorce rate as a cause of greater family diversity, while functionalists argue that a high divorce rate is the result of people’s high expectations of marriage. Finally, interactionists want to find out what divorce means to individuals, for example Morgan says that we shouldn’t generalise about the meaning of divorce since it is different for everyone.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the main reasons for the rise in the number of divorces in the last 50 years are changes in the law, declining attitudes and changing attitudes, secularisation, rising expectations of marriage and changes in the position of women.