In the past, "traditional" families consisted of a husband, his wife, and their children. Today, divorce is close to the norm with nearly 50% of marriages crumbling. Every combination of parent and child is an acceptable; children may live with either mother or father, another family member, two gay dads or two moms, or a foster care situation. Sociological types of divorce include functionalist perspectives, conflict theories, and both interactionist and feminist perspectives. .
Functionalists see divorce from a negative point of view. A functionalist would blame divorce on the failure of social institutions, as opposed to looking into the individuals involved in the divorce. Their view is that institutions have not provided adequate instructions and that marriage partners should seek higher knowledge. Functionalism is about promoting communication, cohesiveness and uniformity. .
Conflict theorists focus on the ways in which each person in the relationship tries to benefit from the outcome. Meaning, battle over property, child custody and whose fault it was that the marriage failed. Divorce is expensive especially when you consider attorney fees, court costs, alimony and child support. A conflict theorist would push to make people aware that the couple will suffer financially, and the government will benefit from the collection of taxes. Conflict theory suggests that society is at fault for divorce and that individuals are choosing the easy way out of a divorce.
The Interactionist perspective focuses on the tone being used while the couple interacts, such as the legal documents, the court proceedings, and the differences each person might bring to the table. They look for problems within the individuals, as opposed to society in general. From their point of view, and their way of understanding social issues, interactionists would say that divorce is a result of two individuals that have been influenced by their friends and family members.
