What has happened to marriage rates in the UK since the 1970s?

Marriage rates have declined significantly while the average age at first marriage has increased.

How has secularisation contributed to declining marriage rates?

As religious influence has declined, marriage is no longer seen as a sacred duty or religious requirement, making it less important to many people.

How have changing attitudes contributed to declining marriage rates?

Marriage is no longer seen as essential for a respectable life; cohabitation and remaining single have become socially acceptable alternatives.

How has women's economic independence contributed to declining marriage rates?

Women's increased participation in paid employment means they are less financially dependent on marriage and can choose to remain single or cohabit.

How does fear of divorce contribute to declining marriage rates?

High divorce rates make people cautious about marriage, leading some to avoid it altogether or delay it until they are more certain of their relationship.

How do alternatives to marriage contribute to declining marriage rates?

Cohabitation has become a widely accepted alternative, allowing couples to live together without the legal commitment of marriage.

AQA A-Level Sociology 7192

Education

Topic overview The role and functions of education Class differences in educational achievement Labelling, subcultures and processes within schools Gender and educational achievement Ethnicity and educational achievement Selection and marketisation Privatisation and vocational education Educational policy, equality and globalisation

Methods in Context

Topic overview Access, gatekeepers and research ethics in schools Choosing methods for research in schools Data, theory and validity in educational research

Theory and Methods

Topic overview Research design and choosing a method Sources of data and types of data Positivism, interpretivism and research ethics Consensus, conflict, structural and social action theories Modernity and post-modernity Is sociology a science?Objectivity, value freedom and social policy

Culture and IdentityOptional topic

Topic overview Conceptions of culture Socialisation and the agencies of socialisation The self, identity and difference Identity, age, disability, ethnicity, gender and class Identity, production, consumption and globalisation

Families and HouseholdsOptional topic

Topic overview Functionalist views of the family Marxist and feminist views of the family The New Right, postmodernism and family policy Marriage, cohabitation and divorce Family diversity and the personal life perspective Conjugal roles and domestic labour Power relationships and domestic violence The social construction of childhood Birth rates and death rates Family size and the ageing population Migration and globalisation

HealthOptional topic

Topic overview The social construction of health and models of illness Class and gender inequalities in health Ethnic and regional inequality, and access to health care Mental illness and the power of the medical profession The sick role and the globalised health industry

Work, Poverty and WelfareOptional topic

Topic overview Poverty: definitions, explanations and distribution The welfare state and welfare provision The division of labour and the control of work Work, worklessness and life chances Globalisation and the global division of labour

Beliefs in SocietyOptional topic

Topic overview Ideology and science as belief systems Functionalist views of religion Marxist and feminist views of religion Religion as a force for social change Churches, sects, denominations and cults New religious movements and New Age movements Religion, gender, ethnicity, age and social class Secularisation Believing without belonging and postmodern religion Globalisation, fundamentalism and religion worldwide

Global DevelopmentOptional topic

Topic overview Theories of development and underdevelopment Globalisation, transnational corporations and aid agencies Aid, trade, industrialisation and urbanisation Environment, conflict and human development Population, gender and postcolonial critiques

The MediaOptional topic

Topic overview The new media and its significance Ownership, control and media globalisation The selection and presentation of the news Media representations of social groups Media effects and models of the audience Reception analysis and selective filtering

Stratification and DifferentiationOptional topic

Topic overview Theories of stratification Life chances and dimensions of inequality Defining and measuring social class Changing structures of inequality and globalisation Social mobility

Crime and Deviance

Families and Households

Marriage, cohabitation and divorce

2 things to know
Paper 2

Overview

Why marriage rates have fallen and divorce risen, and what cohabitation is used for.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Process

Why have marriage rates declined?

Key term

Why have divorce rates risen?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What has happened to marriage rates in the UK since the 1970s?
Model answer
Marriage rates have declined significantly while the average age at first marriage has increased.
2
How has secularisation contributed to declining marriage rates?
Model answer
As religious influence has declined, marriage is no longer seen as a sacred duty or religious requirement, making it less important to many people.
3
How have changing attitudes contributed to declining marriage rates?
Model answer
Marriage is no longer seen as essential for a respectable life; cohabitation and remaining single have become socially acceptable alternatives.
4
How has women's economic independence contributed to declining marriage rates?
Model answer
Women's increased participation in paid employment means they are less financially dependent on marriage and can choose to remain single or cohabit.
5
How does fear of divorce contribute to declining marriage rates?
Model answer
High divorce rates make people cautious about marriage, leading some to avoid it altogether or delay it until they are more certain of their relationship.
6
How do alternatives to marriage contribute to declining marriage rates?
Model answer
Cohabitation has become a widely accepted alternative, allowing couples to live together without the legal commitment of marriage.

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Education

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Theory and Methods

Culture and Identity

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