Active learning ideas
British family life has undergone a revolution over the last 50 years. This unit examines the demographic shifts that have led to increased family diversity, including the rise in divorce, the decline in marriage, and the growth of lone-parent and reconstituted families. Students will explore the legal, social, and economic reasons for these changes, such as the Divorce Reform Act (1969), the changing status of women, and secularisation (the declining influence of religion).
Activity 01
Set up stations for 'Legal Changes', 'Economic Changes', 'Social Attitudes', and 'Secularisation'. Students rotate to match specific trends (e.g., rising divorce) to the correct cause and find one piece of evidence for each from a provided data pack.
Why have divorce rates increased in the UK?
Activity 02
In groups, students create a large timeline from 1950 to the present. They must place key events (like the Equal Pay Act or the introduction of Civil Partnerships) on the timeline and explain how each event contributed to a new 'type' of family becoming more common.
What factors explain the rise in lone-parent families?
Activity 03
Students read two short, contrasting views on the rise of divorce (one New Right, one Postmodernist). In pairs, they must identify the main 'fear' or 'benefit' each perspective sees in divorce and share their findings with the class.
How has family diversity changed over the last 50 years?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Divorce is rising because people don't value marriage anymore.
Sociologists point to 'higher expectations', people value marriage *so much* they won't settle for an unhappy one. A peer discussion on 'romantic love' versus 'empty shell marriages' helps students understand this shift in social attitudes.
Lone-parent families are a 'new' problem.
Lone-parent families have always existed (often due to the death of a parent). What has changed is the *reason* (divorce/choice) and the *visibility*. Looking at historical ONS data helps students see that family 'instability' is not a purely modern phenomenon.
Methods used in this brief
Functions of the Family
Students examine the role of the family in society from Functionalist, Marxist, and Feminist perspectives. They will debate whether the nuclear family is still the ideal model.
8 methodologies
Conjugal Roles and Childhood
Students investigate the division of domestic labour and power relationships within the family. They will also assess how the social construction of childhood has evolved.
8 methodologies