How and why have patterns of marriage, divorce and family life changed?
The changing patterns of family life in the UK: falling marriage and rising cohabitation, rising divorce and the reasons for it, and the growth of lone parent and reconstituted families.
A focused answer on changing family patterns for WJEC GCSE Sociology: falling marriage, rising cohabitation, rising divorce and its causes, and the growth of lone parent and reconstituted families.
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point covers the changing patterns of family life in the UK. You need to describe the main changes (falling marriage and rising cohabitation, rising divorce, and the growth of lone parent and reconstituted families) and explain why these changes have happened, especially the reasons for rising divorce. The skill is to link each change to clear social, legal and economic reasons.
Marriage and cohabitation
Rising divorce and its causes
The growth of other family types
What the changes mean
Try this
Q1. Identify two ways family life in the UK has changed. [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. Any two of: fewer marriages and later marriage, more cohabitation, more divorce, more lone parent families, and more reconstituted families.
Q2. Explain one reason why divorce has become more common. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Divorce laws have been made easier, quicker and cheaper to obtain, which means more couples in unhappy marriages are now able to divorce than in the past, when divorce was difficult and expensive.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
WJEC (Component 1)4 marksDescribe two ways family life in the UK has changed in recent decades.Show worked answer →
A describe question (AO1). Reward two distinct, accurate changes.
Marriage and cohabitation. Fewer people are marrying and more are cohabiting (living together without marrying), with many couples cohabiting before or instead of marriage.
Divorce. Divorce has become much more common, so there are more lone parent and reconstituted families.
Top band. Two clearly different changes, each described accurately.
WJEC (Component 1)8 marksExplain why divorce has increased in the UK.Show worked answer →
An explain question (AO1 and AO2). Reward several developed reasons.
Law. Divorce laws have been made easier and cheaper, so more couples can divorce.
Social change. Less religious influence and less social stigma mean divorce is more accepted; women's greater independence means they are less likely to stay in unhappy marriages.
Expectations. People now expect more from marriage, so are more likely to end one that disappoints.
Top band. Several clearly explained reasons (legal, social and economic), developed with how each increases divorce.
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Sources & how we know this
- WJEC GCSE Sociology (Wales) specification (C200QS) — WJEC (2017)