Tdeepa Darani

Question: Examine reasons for the changing patterns of divorce in the last 100
years.
In the year 1931, less than 4 000 people in the UK got divorced. Upon hitting the
1960s, the number of divorces per anum doubled to 8 000 and then doubled again in
1972. By 2004, there were a grand total of 165 000 divorce settlements per year. This
shows that the divorce rate in the UK has clearly increased quite dramatically in the
last hundred years or so.
Factors contributing to the increase in divorce rate over the years are teenage
couples, working class couples, people who are married for less than 5 years, childless
couples and couples of different class, ethnicity and religion. Working class couples
are more likely to divorce due to financial reasons and those of different cultural
backgrounds may divorce due to a difference of opinion or belief.
One of the main reasons why the number of divorces has increased would be
because of the legal changes that have been made over the years. It is much easier to
get a divorce nowadays compared to before. The Divorce Law Reform Act 1971 made
it such that you didnt have to prove your partner guilty of a matrimonial defence
(such as adultery). Instead, you would have to show that your relationship couldnt be
repaired. Couples who have been separated for 2 years or more can also get a divorce.
With this new law, the number of divorces in the UK rose rapidly, leading to The
Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984, which stated that couples are only
allowed to be divorced after 1 year of marriage. The Family Law Act 1996 then stated
that a divorce may only be granted to a couple who has been married for at least 18
months and the couples would have to have compulsory marriage counselling before
applying for a divorce.
It has been noted that 75% of divorce petitions are from women. A reason for
this is that women are much more career-focused in this day and age. Women are able
to support themselves and their children financially that they do not see reason in
staying in an unhappy marriage for the sake of financial security. This makes it much
easier for divorce to occur. Also, the traditional nuclear family is less popular now
what with more women having professional careers. This means that a woman is
viewed to be perfectly capable of taking care of her family without a man.
Besides this, the government provides welfare benefits for single-parent
families headed by women in need of financial aid. These benefits are of huge help,
especially to women who have managed to emerge from a domestically violent
relationship. With the welfare benefits provided, mothers are given the courage to
walk away from their unhealthy and abusive marriages because they know that they
will be able to support themselves and their children.
The feminists are particularly in favour of divorce. They believe that it gives
women the opportunity to break free from unhappy marriages, especially if it is
domestically abusive. Feminists also do not like the idea of the traditional nuclear
family or a patriarchal family, which show men to be the head of the household. In
contrary to the feminists, New Right and the functionalists disapprove of divorce for
the very reason that it breaks up the nuclear family, which is what they believe to be
the best environment, especially for the socialisation of young children.
Another cause for the rise in divorce rates would be that it is more socially
acceptable now to be divorced than ever before. Upon entering the 21st century,

people have become more open minded and there is less social stigma placed on the
occurrence of divorce. In the early to mid 20th century, divorce was very rare and seen
as a scandal. Men and women who were divorced were often turned into a social
pariah and gossiped about. As a result, couples would stay married even if they were
unhappy to avoid becoming a social outcast.
Most mainstream religions are opposed to couples getting divorced due to
moral reasons. Seeing as more people are becoming secular, they do not see a
problem with divorce. The disregard of religions view on divorce is most definitely a
reason for the increase in number of divorce.
It has also been argued by the functionalists that many people have an
unrealistic and fairy tale expectation of marriage. Back in the day, a man and woman
got married for specific reasons and securities. The man would be the breadwinner
who provided for the family financially while the woman looked after all the domestic
needs of the household. In the current age, people do not get married for the same
reasons, but rather for love. Much like everything else in life, the reality of
something is much more disappointing than the expectation of it. Divorce is the most
practical and convenient way out of such situations.
Lastly, with the evolution of medicine, the life expectancy of a person has
increased. When people live longer and have relationships for a longer period of time,
it is more likely that they will be unhappy what with all the problems that may arise
over the years. As previously mentioned, divorce is a definite way out of an unhappy
marriage.
As you can see, the divorce rate today is so much higher than it was before.
Reasons for this happening is because of the legal changes which made divorce much
easier to obtain, welfare benefits for single parents which provide financial security
for single mothers, the changing of social attitude which now accepts divorce as a
norm, secularisation, unrealistic expectations of marriage, increased life expectancy
and the support of feminists.