Changing family patterns in recent decades include fewer marriages, more cohabitation and divorces, and same-sex couples being more open. People are delaying marriage to pursue careers and education, and there are more re-marriages due to higher divorce rates. Cohabitation without marriage has increased significantly as it is now more socially acceptable, and women have more financial independence. Same-sex relationships and one-person households have also grown due to greater social acceptance of alternative lifestyles and living arrangements.

1. Changing Family Patterns

2. LESSON OBJECTIVE
• To learn how our family and
household patterns have
changed

3. LEARNING OUTCOMES
• All: will be able to outline changes in the
partnerships we live in (marriage,
cohabitation, civil partnerships)
• Most: will be able to explain why these
changes have occurred
• Some: will be able to outline the impact of
these changes

4. Partnerships
• Important changes in
marriage include…
• Fewer people are
marrying.
• There are more re-
marriages leading to
‘serial monogamy’.
• People are marrying
later.
• Less couples marry in
church.

5. Reasons for changing
patterns of marriage
• Briefly
explain each
of the
following
reasons for
changing
patterns of
marriage…

6. Changing attitudes to marriage…

7. Secularisation…

8. Declining stigma attached to
alternative to marriage…

9. Changes in the position of
women…

10. Fear of divorce…

11. • Re-marriages have • Couples are less
increased because of likely to marry in
the rise in divorce. church for two main
• More divorcees reasons…
provide more people 2. Secularisation.
available to re-marry. 3. Many churches
• The age of marriage refuse to marry
is rising because divorcees.
people spend more • However, marriage
time in education and does remain
establishing a career. popular, according
• Also, many couples to the British Social
cohabit before Attitudes Survey
marrying. 2000.

12. Cohabitation
• Cohabitation involves an unmarried
couple in a sexual relationship living
together.
• The number of couples cohabiting has
increased in the UK with about 25% of all
unmarried adults under 60 cohabiting –
double the number in 1986.
• The number of cohabiting couples is
expected to double by 2021.
• Reasons for this increase in cohabitation
include…

13. • Decline in stigma –
cohabitation is seen as
more acceptable,
particularly among the
young.
• Increased career
opportunities for
women mean they
have less need for the
financial security of
marriage.
• Secularisation – people
with no religion are
more likely to cohabit
than those who are
religious.

14. • Some couples see cohabitation as a
step on the way to marriage.
• Coast (2006) – 75% of cohabiting
couples expect to marry each other.
• However, others see it as a permanent
alternative to marriage.
• Bejin (1985) – cohabitation is a
conscious attempt made by some
young people to create a more equal
relationship than traditional patriarchal
marriage.

15. Same-sex relationships
• Stonewall (2008) • Reasons for an
estimates that 5-7% increase in same-sex
of adults in Britain relationships,
today have same-sex according to the
relationships. statistics, include…
• This may not be an
increase than in the
past – it may simply
be because less
people are likely to
hide these
relationships.

16. Change in attitudes…

17. Social policy…

18. One-person households
• There has been a big rise in the number of
people living alone.
• Many of these people are over 65.
• Men under 65 are also likely live alone.
• Reasons for this include…

19. Increase in divorce & separation…

20. Decline in numbers marrying…

21. Older widows…

22. Living apart together – LATs…
• An increasing number of adults are in
significant relationships but are not
married or cohabiting.
• This may be because some chose to
remain in their own home.
• Some couples may not be able to afford to
live together.
• Attitudes towards LATs are favourable.