Divorce
- Divorce rose sharply after the Divorce Reform Act 1969 (in force from 1971) allowed divorce for "irretrievable breakdown" of the marriage.
- Other reasons: less stigma, secularisation (religion having less influence), women's greater financial independence, and higher expectations of marriage.
Marriage and cohabitation
- Fewer people marry, and those who do marry later. Cohabitation has increased, and more children are born outside marriage.
- Civil partnerships were introduced in the UK in 2004, and same-sex marriage became legal in England and Wales in 2014; in Guernsey same-sex marriage became legal in 2017.
- Reasons: changing attitudes, the cost of weddings, secularisation and women's independence.
Other changes
- Families have become smaller, as people have fewer children and have them later, partly because of contraception, careers and the cost of raising children.
- An ageing population means more grandparents and more older people living alone, and more beanpole families.
- Children are more child-centred today: they are seen as individuals with rights, and families spend more time and money on them.
Key terms
- Divorce rate
- The number of divorces per thousand married people each year.
- Secularisation
- The decline in the influence of religion.
- Irretrievable breakdown
- The legal ground for divorce: the marriage can't be saved.
- Ageing population
- A population with a growing proportion of older people.
- Child-centred
- Focusing on children's needs and rights.
- Stigma
- Negative social attitudes towards something.