1. Changing family patterns
Increased since 1960, peaked in 1993
Fallen since 1993 but still 6x higher than in 1960
Changes in the position of women
Changes in the law
7/10 requests come from women
40% of all marriages end
in divorce
reasons
secularisation
patterns
Declining stigma
Rising expectations
of marriage
divorce
More likely to divorce if you marry young, have a child before you marry, or if you’ve been married before
Changing family patterns
secularisation
Fear of divorce
Changing attitudes
More re-marriages
Decline in stigma
reasons
fewer
patterns
7% of all couples
attitudes
Position of
women
later
marriage
Declining stigma
laws
Same-sex
Less church
partnerships
Social policy e.g. same adoption rights
3x higher
than 1960
Mostly pensioners
increasing
Co-habitation
secularisation
One-person
2 million
in UK
patterns
men
Fear of divorce
reasons
divorce
Living apart together
Less stigma with sex b4 marriage
To double by 2021

2. Changing family patterns
5x more than 1970
Now 27, was 23 in 1970
Used to be divorced women
But single women now
1 in 4 born outside
marriage
Women having children later
90% headed by women
Children 2x more likely to live in poverty
patterns
Fewer children
patterns
More remaining
childless
24% of all
families
childbearing
Lone parent
Decline in stigma
reasons
Decline in
stigma
Changing family patterns
divorce
reasons
Increase in
co-habitation
Murray:
welfare
custody
More options than motherhood
childrearing
Single by choice
Has declined, except amongst Asian families
Extended families
10% of all families
Chamberlin: ‘dispersed extended family’ now a feature
More children to
support
stepfamilies
patterns
Ethnic families
Greater risk of poverty and tensions
reasons
Asian families more likely to live in extended families
custody
Kids from mum
Black families more lone parent, female families
divorce