Why have the number of divorces in the risen rapidly since 1960?

The first reason is that chnges in the law have occured.  Which have made divorce easier to get, cheapper and given men and women equal rights.

Many changes in society have also occured.  The first being, that women's  roles have changed in the UK and women have more rights than they did previously.  Around three quarter of the nuber of divorce papers in the UK have been filled out by women. today.

Functionalist sociologists believe that the number of divorce rates have increased because couples are expecting more from their marriage today than they did in the 1960s.  Another reason for the rise in divorce rates is due to the growing secularisation and change in social attitudes towards divorce in society.  (Seculrization is the decllining influence of religious influence in society which has led to marriage becoming less sacred and iportant).  This demonstrates that divorces are more widely accepted and therefore the number of divorces have risen rapidly since 1960.