Family life and the structures of households have shifted and evolved considerably, some of which you may have noticed or experienced yourself. Let’s examine some of the major trends and patterns in this, as well as sociological perspectives on them.
Examples of changing family patterns in sociology
In this section, we will be looking at examples of changing family patterns in sociology, including trends in:
marriage
divorce
child-bearing,
lone parenthood,
and LAT relationships.
Changing patterns in marriage
Marriage refers to the legal union of two individuals that comes with state benefits, rights, and regulations. Let’s study how this institution, once considered the only means of achieving social, economic, and personal stability in adulthood, has declined over the years.
Examples of changing trends in marriage
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS)1:
Overall, the number of marriages in Western countries has steadily declined since the 1970s.
In 2019, marriage rates for heterosexual couples in the UK dropped to their lowest since 1862!
Less than one in five (18.7%) marriages between opposite sexes were religious ceremonies in 2019, down from 21.1% in 2018 and the lowest proportion ever.
Marriage rates for same-sex couples have remained fairly steady since same-sex marriage was introduced.
Since 1999, the average age of marriage for men has increased by 8.5%, while that of women has increased by 9.9%. (31.6 years for men and 29.4 years for women).
Sociological perspectives on changing patterns of marriage
Feminists view traditional, heterosexual marriage as oppressive for women, and view the declining rates of marriage and later-in-life marriages favourably. Postmodernist theorists and sociology of personal life theorists also view these phenomena positively, believing that marriage and romantic, monogamous relationships are not everything and that people have other aspirations in life.
However, functionalists and New Right thinkers view marriage and the nuclear family as essential building blocks of society, and argue that changing trends in marriage are causing social and moral decline.
