15 Changes in legislation, including divorce and civil partnerships Whether legislation drives social norms is a matter of debate, but there can be no doubt it can be a catalyst for social change. The number of divorces spiked upwards after the 1969 Divorce Reform Act which introduced the single ground of irretrievable breakdown, for divorce.29 Today, three in five people think that the divorce rate is higher because it is now easier than it was previously, whereas one in five thinks it is because marriage is less successful today.30 The stigma of divorce has also dissipated considerably: today nearly two thirds (63%) of people think it can be a positive first step towards a new life.31 Changes in legislation have also allowed for the formalisation of entirely new kinds of families. The introduction of civil partnerships is the most powerful example, but the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, which has allowed lesbian parents to have their own biological children, and anti-discrimination laws around adoption, have also allowed gay couples to become families with children. In 2007, new legislation made it illegal for publicly funded adoption agencies to discriminate against gay couples. However, despite this, there are still very few gay families with children. In 2007/8, just 80 gay couples adopted children compared to 2,840 heterosexual couples.32 Moreover, figures from 2006 show that only 0.5% of women receiving IVF cycles were registered as lesbian.33 Changes in legislation have also contributed to lasting changes in women’s employment circumstances. The removal of the ‘marriage bar’ in 1973 meant women in the public and civil services were no longer required to resign upon marriage, and the Sex Discrimination Act gave women important rights in the workplace that have, to some extent, enabled their greater labour market participation in recent decades. This has had an important effect on the division of labour within families.
29 Cabinet Office/ The Strategy Unit (2008) ‘Families in Britain: An Evidence Paper’ Department for Children, Schools and Families, p.25. 30 Cabinet Office/ The Strategy Unit (2008) ‘Families in Britain: An Evidence Paper’ Department for Children, Schools and Families, p.35. 31 Duncan, S. and Phillips, M. (2008) ‘New Families? Tradition and change in modern relationships’ in British Social Attitudes Survey, The 24th Report, National Centre for Social Research, London: Sage, p.11. 32 Community Care website, ‘Vulnerable children still waiting too long for placements’, 5th November 2008, Children looked after in England (including adoption and care leavers) year ending 31 March 2008’, accessed at http://www.communitycare.co.uk/ Articles/2008/11/05/109856/gay-couples-overlooked-in-adopters-shortage.html 33 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (2008) ‘A long term analysis of the HFEA Register data’.
Families in Britain Report