The family and Dysfunctionalism
Family Disorganisation

The first sociological question is whether disharmony in a family is exceptional.

For functionalists, a marriage that is dysfunctional must be exceptional, because the family is the bedrock of society, whereas for feminists and Marxists conflict is inevitable in society and projected into the family.
On a functionalist understanding, family disorganisation - that may well lead to divorce - comes about when there is role failure. In the symmetrical marriage (more shared roles), or in more traditional views of marriage (husband as provider, with housewife as homemaker and principal raiser of children), partners failing to carry out their roles postively lead from role failure to functional failure (theoretical analysis).
In small groups list what you think could be either the causes or effects of family disorganisation. Consider losses of family members, issues around caring for the elderly or disabled, absence of work, State administered punishment, changes of location for one or more family members, and loss of love.

Causes/ Effects of family disorganisation (drag the mouse):

  • Death, disability and serious illness of one or more of the family members
  • Responses to ageing and need
  • A birth outside the marriage involving someone else
  • An empty shell marriage
  • Abuse and or neglect between family members, especially where someone is in a caring role
  • Disruption caused to the family unit by:
    • One person moving away
    • Unemployment
    • Imprisonment
    • Persecution
How do the above lead to family disorganisation in each case?
Define in an extended sentence what is meant by an empty shell marriage. This will be questioned afterwards (drag the mouse):

An empty shell marriage is where the marriage partners continue to share common residence but the relationship is over.
The ability to divorce has a history. Note down the key dates and what was possible:

  • Before 1857 a private Act of Parliament required for divorce.
    • Only for the most wealthy
  • Matrimonial Causes Act 1857 - a new court for divorce.
    • Reasons for divorce included adultery, cruelty and desertion
    • At least one partner had to be proven guilty of one.
    • Cost still too much for most people.
      • 150 divorces a year for the next ten years
      • Nearly 600 from 1890-1900
  • Matrimonial Causes Act 1878 (and some additional changes)
    • Acts gave Magistrates Courts power to grant separation and maintenance orders
    • 1897-1906:
      • Around 8,000 separation orders a year
      • Average of 700 divorces for the same period.
    • 1971:
      • 94 separation orders granted
      • Over 74,000 divorces
  • Legal Aid and Advice Act 1949
    • Provided free legal advice and paid solicitors' fees for the poor.
  • Divorce Reform Act 1969
    • Irretrievable breakdown of the marriage grounds
    • No guilty party
    • Activated January 1971
Answer these in a paragraph each:

What was different about the 1969 (implemented in 1971) Divorce Reform Act?

Why does a rise in divorces does not necessarily mean an increase in actual relationship breakdown?


Women and divorce

Look at the change in the following statistics about who was filing for divorce (copy or write these down).
Proportion of petitions for divorce filed by husbands and wives
1946 - 1984

Year Husbands petitions (%) Wives petitions (%)
1946 63 37
1948 50 50
1950 46 54
1954 45 55
1961 44 56
1971 4C 60
1976 30 70
1980 29 71
1984 27 73

Suggest sociological reasons why the figures may have altered like this.
Britain has the highest rate in Europe. One in three marriages end in divorce. Consider reasons for this rise, including changes in religion, the extended family, law, women's roles, women in work (drag the mouse):

  • Changing attitudes to morality, related to secularisation (the decline in religion as a moral code)
  • The welfare state undermined the extended family and supportive functions - women can leave, be independent and support themselves
  • Legal changes mean divorce is relatively easy and cheap
  • Women's roles and attitudes have changed from dependency
  • More women work and can support themselves

Analysis

Oakley from a feminist perspective considers why marriage is ending now:

  • Marriage puts the responsibility for childcare and housework on women and makes them economically dependent on men
  • Men take out their anger and frustration on women, whereas women are isolated and have no one to lean on
    • As an addition to Oakley's views, consider again the Warm Bath Theory?
  • Women are physically and economically less powerful than men which means absence of control and even a threat of violence
  • Men try to control women's sexuality and fertility
      Women serve husbands and are expected to bear children
Write a paragraph summarising Oakley's feminist views.

Consequences of more divorce



Statistics hereClick here to see a table of divorces and marriages

Write down what kinds of families may increase as a result of greater divorce (drag the mouse):

  • One-person households
  • One-parent families
  • Co-habiting
  • Remarriage
  • Reconstituted families
There are other consequences of the decline of the nucelar family:

  • Increased welfare dependence
  • Disadvantaged children
    • The adverse effects of divorce on children's education and health is a subject of debate
Critics of the nuclear family
The nuclear family has failed:

  • The nuclear family is oppressive (e.g. Leach)
  • The nuclear family encourages violence (e.g. Dobash and Dobash)
  • The nuclear family exploits women (e.g. Bernard)
By yet supporters of the nuclear family who agree it is failing (consider the New Right):

  • Criticism of decline of traditional family values (e.g. Babies on Benefit, Panorama, BBC Current Affairs)
Arguments against decline
This is according to functionalists):

  • Divorce comes from higher expectations of a more highly valued marriage
  • Divorce means only individual marriages have failed, not the family in general
    •  Why is this not very sociological? 
  • Remarriage suggests disliking partners, not marriage itself.
  • Serial monogamy and reconstituted families are a change in the family not a decline
Critics of the family argue:

  • The family is changing as capitalism develops but continues to reproduce inequality (Marxist)
  • The family is changing but continues to exploit women (feminist)

Try some essay planning/ Write a timed essay (choose one):

Assess the arguments involved that a rise in the number of divorces after 1971 does not mean that marriage itself is in decline. (20 minutes essay)

Examine the claim that the increase in the divorce rate since the Second World War has been mainly due to changes in the law. (20 minutes essay)

Statistics hereClick here to see a table of divorces and marriages and Graph hereClick here to see the graph of divorces

Data:

Source: Office for National Statistics http://www.statistics.gov.uk

Year Divorce Marriages
1858 24 156070
1869 159 176970
1870 154 181655
1871 166 190112
1872 133 201267
1873 215 205615
1874 194 202010
1875 194 201212
1876 208 201874
1877 249 194352
1878 292 190054
1879 358 182082
1880 278 191965
1881 311 197290
1882 289 204405
1883 334 206384
1884 348 204301
1885 396 197745
1886 325 196071
1887 440 200518
1888 338 203821
1889 351 213865
1890 313 223028
1891 369 226526
1892 327 227135
1893 387 218689
1894 369 226449
1895 407 228204
1896 459 242764
1897 503 249145
1898 508 255379
1899 468 262334
1900 512 257480
1901 477 259400
1902 601 261750
1903 606 261103
1904 528 257856
1905 604 260742
1906 546 270038
1907 644 276421
1908 638 264940
1909 694 260544
1910 596 267721
1911 580 274943
1912 587 283834
1913 577 286583
1914 856 294401
1919 1654 369411
1924 2286 296416
1929 3396 313316
1934 4287 342307
1952 33922 349308
1957 23785 346903
1962 28935 347732
1963 32052 351329
1964 34868 359307
1965 37785 371127
1966 39067 384497
1967 43093 386052
1968 45794 407822
1969 51310 396746
1970 58239 415487
1971 74437 404737
1972 119025 426241
1973 106003 400435
1974 113500 384389
1975 120522 380620
1976 126694 358567
1977 129053 356954
1978 143667 368258
1979 138706 368853
1980 148301 370022
1981 145713 351973
1982 146698 342166
1983 147479 344334
1984 144501 349186
1985 160300 346389
1986 153903 347924
1987 151007 351761
1988 152633 348492
1989 150872 346697
1990 153386 331150
1991 158745 306756
1992 160385 311564
1993 165018 299197
1994 158175 291069
1995 155499 283012
1996 157107 278975
1997 146689 272536
1998 145214 267303
1999 144556 263515
2000 141135 267961

The above can be entered into a spreadsheet.

 

Adrian Worsfold

Pluralist