Index IntroductionReasons for divorceConclusion IntroductionThe number of divorces has increased greatly in the last 50 years. In the 1960s there were around 30,000 divorces per year, while at the beginning of the 2000s there were around 120,000. The divorce rate means that, according to Chandler (2006), on average, 40% of all marriages will end in divorce. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Reasons for Divorce One of the reasons for the increase in the divorce rate is changes in the law. Over the past 50 years there have been three major changes in the law that have made divorce easier and therefore more common: equalizing the grounds for divorce between the sexes, broadening the grounds for divorce, and making divorce more affordable. In 1923 the grounds for divorce were standardized and this change caused an increase in the number of divorce requests from women. prove that the marriage was irretrievable in order to obtain a divorce. There was no need to meet any other criteria, so this led to a sharp increase in the divorce rate. Divorce was made cheaper in 1949 with the introduction of legal aid, thus making it more accessible for working-class couples and once again contributing to the rise in the number of divorces. Mitchell and Goody (1997) argue that one of the most important reasons for the increase in divorce rates is the decrease in the stigma associated with divorce and the change in attitudes towards it. In the past there was a lot of stigma attached to divorce, for example, many churches refused to perform marriage ceremonies involving divorcees. However, more and more people consider divorce socially acceptable. This means that more and more couples are seeing it as a viable option as they are less likely to feel embarrassed about it, resulting in a higher divorce rate. Another reason for the increase in the number of divorces over the last 50 years is secularization. As religious influence in society declines, people are less likely to be influenced by religious teachings when making divorce decisions. Although many religions are against divorce, some churches are softening their views on divorce and the divorced, perhaps because they are losing large numbers of people. Rising expectations of marriage are another reason for the increase in the number of divorces over the past 50 years. years. Many functionalists, for example Fletcher (1966), argue that higher expectations regarding marriage make couples less willing to endure an unhappy marriage. In the past, people did not have much choice about who to marry as this was largely related to economic reasons. This meant their expectations were lower, making them less likely to become unhappy. On the other hand, for many people nowadays, marriage should be based on love, and if there is no more love there is no reason to stay. married. This means that many couples are getting divorced, increasing the divorce rate. Although they accept that divorce is becoming increasingly popular, functionalists point to that people continue to marry and many people remarry, meaning that most people have not rejected divorce altogether. However, feminists argue that the main cause of divorce is the patriarchal nature of marriage and the oppression of women within the family, stating that functionalists do not explain why it is mostly women who ask for divorce. Divorces over the last 50 years represent changes in the position of women, as women have..