Chapter 6 Marriage Intimate Relationships and Society Chapter 7 Intimate Relationships and Marriage Chapter 8 Relationship Issues and Trends Overview Marriage Definitions Marriage is the socially legitimate sexual union begun with a public announcement and with some idea of permanence ID: 152628
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Unit 3: Couple Relationships
Chapter 6: Marriage, Intimate Relationships, and SocietyChapter 7: Intimate Relationships and MarriageChapter 8: Relationship Issues and TrendsSlide2
Overview: Marriage Definitions
Marriage is the “socially legitimate sexual union, begun with a public announcement and with some idea of permanence, and assumed with a more or less explicit contract”Anthropological definition used to describe relationships observed in all human societiesUsed to distinguish between enduring pair-bonds
and casual sexual encountersMarriage is a conjugal union whereby individuals live together in a sexual relationshipSociological definitionSlide3
The History of Marriage
Marriage was probably one of the earliest developments when human societies began to organize themselvesRegulates sexual activity so biological fathers can identify their offspringAdults become mutually responsible for nurturing and socializing childrenSlide4
The History of Marriage
Marriage has been viewed primarily as an economic unitUnites men, women, and children into a family unit that share resources and own propertyFor most of history love had no role in marriage and most women had little say in their choice of partnerSlide5
The History of Marriage
Polygyny = A man having more than one wifeThe preferred form of marriage in most societies historically84% of recorded cultures allowed it
Monogamy has been and continues to be the most common customSome anthropologists suggest that in societies that permit polygyny, monogamy occurs when it is not feasible for men to support more than one wifeSlide6
The History of Marriage
Polyandry = A woman having more than on husbandOccurs when a culture is so poor that several men are required to support a wife and childrenEx: rural NepalSlide7
The History of Marriage
The historical roots of marriage can be traced back to Ancient Romans, Greeks, and HebrewsThe study of history allows people to determine marriage expectations as described in recorded rulesBut it doesn’t always provide insight into married couples’ personal relationshipsThere is no way to legislate the feelings of individualsSlide8
PURPOSE OF MARRIAGESlide9
The Purpose of Marriage
Marriage is a relationship between two or more individuals based on sexual unionRecognized as legitimate and carries specific role expectationsThe practice of marriage varies widelyIt is necessary to examine this diversity to fully understand how Canadians form couplesSlide10
The Purpose of Marriage
Marriage in all its forms has survived as the primary relationship and the rite of passage that signifies transition into adulthood in almost all societiesDespite the predictions of many cynics over the last hundred years!Slide11
The Purpose of Marriage
Anthropologists suggest the durability of the pair bond is essential to the survival of humansThe only way people can ensure their continued existence is by reproducing and then protecting their childrenBoth men and women have a biological urge to produce children
The desire to form an enduring pair bond between a man and woman is a basic biological driveSlide12
The Purpose of Marriage
“Human beings almost never have to be cajoled into pairing. Instead, we do this naturally. We flirt. We feel infatuation. We fall in love. We marry. And the vast majority of us marry only one person at a time. Pair-bonding is the trademark of the human animal.” - Helen Fisher, AnthropologistSlide13
The Purpose of Marriage
Pairing of men and women may be a biological desire, but marriage is a social inventionFunctionalists describe marriage as a social institution that plays an important part in the organization of society to meet humans’ basic needsThe diversity of marriage reflects the various ways that societies organize to meet functional requisites of:
Sexual reproductionSocialization of childrenDivision of labourSlide14
The Purpose of Marriage
Most men and women serve useful purposes for society when they are marriedFunctionalists argue that people are happiest if they marrySocialists are interested in the norms that regulate the institution of marriage and the stability of the social group formed by marriageSlide15
The Purpose of Marriage: Love & Marriage
Most people choose to marry for personal reasons (not just a biological urge) including:Getting married confers upon them adult status within their society and familiesThey want to have childrenAllows individuals to share resources to improve their standard of living
Help form an individual’s identity by providing a sense of purposeMarrying is a cultural expectation that most Canadians fulfill at least once in their lives simply because it allows them to commit their unfailing love and support to the person they loveSlide16
People also marry for social and psychological reasons
Social life is based on couplesMarriage is a convenient primary relationship, offering friendship and companionship to men and womenAccording to social exchange theory, the desire to marry reflects a belief that being married will be better than being singleThe Purpose of Marriage: Love & MarriageSlide17
The Purpose of Marriage
Today, it is evident that many people are not marryingThe marriage rate has declined, but men and women continue to form conjugal relationshipsTherefore, it is necessary to expand the study of marriage to include other intimate relationshipsCommon-law marriages
CohabitationA male and female live together as husband and wife without legally marryingWe must also consider the choice of being a sexually active singleSlide18
Contemporary Marriage and Intimate Relationships
Despite the popularity of marriage, Canada’s marriage rate was at an all-time low of 5.1 per 1000 population in 1998Both men and women seem to be rejecting marriageSome sociologists argue that people want to marry but are unable to
Others suggest that people are less willing to marryEx: A rising divorce rate is often cited as a deterrent to marriageSlide19
Contemporary Marriage and Intimate Relationships
In the past, almost all men and women marriedNow, many are choosing to live in common-law relationshipsIn fact, common-law relationships have become so widespread that they are the first conjugal relationship for 52% of women under 30Although cohabitation begins less formally than marriage, spouses are still subject to some legal obligations (as the term “common-law” implies) and they are more likely to separate than if they were marriedSlide20
The Time for Marrying
The timing for significant developments in life is determined by:A culture’s social clockAn individual’s readiness to make the changeWhen asked about the appropriate time to start a family, Canadians believe the best age to marry is 24 and the best age to have the first child is 25
But according to Statistics Canada, Canadians are now waiting until their late twenties to get marriedSlide21
The Time for Marriage
Young adults are delaying marriage, but they aren’t postponing sexual activityMost cohabit before they marryIt is not clear whether cohabitation is a cause or an effect of delayed marriageSlide22
The Time for Marriage
Marriage is no longer the significant rite of passage into adulthood that it once wasSeveral adjustments in the social clock accommodate these changesDelaying marriage allows for post-secondary educationIt also gives young people time to find jobs in their chosen careers
Those who don’t have a stable job or who don’t think they can afford to marry may cohabit insteadSlide23
Why People Marry
In Canada, the romantic dream is that individuals will fall in love and marry some daySpouses are expected to be close friends and companions and to love and support each otherIn several surveys, the majority of both men and women identify love and companionship as the main reason to get marriedGenerally, marriage in Canada is assumed to be a relationship based on an enduring romantic connectionSlide24
Why People Marry
Husbands and wives are expected to express their love for each other in an exclusive sexual relationshipIn order for the marriage to be valid, it must be consummatedHusbands and wives assume they will enjoy an active sex lifeIn the National Fertility Study 40% of women stated sexual attraction was necessary for marriage, but 75% stated that sexual fidelity was necessary for a marriage to lastSlide25
Why People Marry
Since extramarital sex is widespread, a double standard exists in many culturesChildren are clearly linked to their mother, so a women should be a virgin at marriage and faithful once marriedThese restrictions are not placed on a manAn exclusive sexual relationship is central to the purpose of marriage
Refusing to have sex with a spouse was grounds for divorceSo was adultery (sex with a partner other than your spouse)Marriage continues to define the legitimate sexual partners of individualsSlide26
Identity
When individuals marry they acquire the status of husband and wifeMarriage changes how other people see them, but it also changes how individuals see themselvesSymbolic interactionism explains that by interacting with others who see them as husband and wife, individuals take on the appropriate marital role
From a developmental perspective, the choice to marry requires that individuals adjust their identity so that they can share themselves with others in intimate relationshipsSlide27
Identity
People seem to desire commitment, despite the acceptance of cohabitation and the availability of sex before marriageIn the National Fertility Survey 93% of married women aged 18-49 said that “Marriage adds something positive to the relationship”The companionate marriage
is based on friendship and a shared lifestyle, and assumes the relationship is based on romantic loveSlide28
Identity
Some people are more willing than others to make the commitment to marriagePeople often decide to marry following a family or societal crisis, such as the death of a parent or a war, that emphasizes the importance of family tiesOn the other hand, people who experienced their parents’ divorce are less likely to marry
Women who are cohabiting are more likely to separate than to marry their partnersFamily background affects whether individuals perceive marriage as a desirable step, and if and when they are willing to take the chanceSlide29
The Economics of Marriage
Marriage provides physical and economic survival benefits for a coupleFunctionalists would say the division of labour provides for the well-being of spouses and children and benefits the society in which they liveTalcott Parsons, an American sociologist who used a functionalist perspective, described clearly differentiated roles for men and women
Men had a goal-oriented instrumental role of providing for the family by working and earning and incomeWomen had an emotional expressive role of providing a supportive home for their husbands and childrenSlide30
The Economics of Marriage
Many men and women associate marriage with gender rolesMen with traditional views still feel pressured to accept full financial responsibility for supporting a wife and childrenMany women feel that they are expected to accept responsibility for housework and child care and to maintain a career tooSlide31
The Economics of Marriage
If women have a similar earning potential to men, men are less likely to accept full financial responsibility for their familiesWomen who are educated and earning comparable incomes to their husbands are less likely to accept traditional marriage rolesAs the dual-income marriage becomes the norm, egalitarian relationships
are more commonMen and women share the responsibilities rather than adhere to fixed gender rolesSlide32
The Economics of Marriage
Marriages are no longer essential for economic survival now that women are employed and self-supportingFrom a social exchange perspective, the benefits of marriage must outweigh the advantages of the alternatives (cohabitation of remaining single) for individuals to choose to marryMen and women with traditional views of marriage roles are more likely to marrySlide33
The Economics of Marriage
The more education men have, the more likely they are to to approve of women working and the more likely they are to marryMore education for women decreases their opportunity to choose marriageThe persistence of traditional functional roles results in an unequal power balance within marriageMen and women have nearly equal power outside of marriage
Men are assumed to benefit from marriage more than women doSlide34
Cohabitation
Almost 60% of young Canadians live together in their first conjugal relationshipMost people assume cohabitation means living together before marriageTherefore, it is a prelude to marriage, not an alternativeIn Canada, 63% of cohabiting couples eventually marry after living together for an average of 2.3 years
Cohabitation is gaining greater acceptance as a trial run at marriageSlide35
Cohabitation
Many young couples are reluctant to marry without living together firstBoth men and women might want to determine whether they are compatible when they are not on their best behaviourThe high divorce rate makes some people feel a need to test their relationship before making a firm commitment and exposing themselves to the risk of divorce
Since the roles of men and women are changing…Women may want to determine whether their partners can accept their independenceMen might be looking for more egalitarian divisions of labour and responsibilitySlide36
Cohabitation
Although cohabitation is perceived to be insurance for a lasting marriage, it is not effectiveCommon-law couples are more likely to separate than married couplesThis would suggest that it’s a good thing they didn’t marryBut couples that marry after cohabiting are also more likely to get divorced
The reasons for this are unclearSlide37
Cohabitation: Why it might decrease marital success
People who cohabit might do so because they have characteristics that don’t make them good marriage partnersPerhaps living together without a commitment changes people’s idea of marriage and family and reduces the importance of commitment so that they are more likely to separate when problems ariseIn some cases, the problems that prevented marriage in the first place might continue to cause difficulties after the marriageSlide38
Same Sex Couples
Became legally permitted in Canada with passing of Civil Marriage Act of 2005In Canada, people marry/cohabit based on romantic attraction of partners, NOT traditional responsibilities defined in laws or religious beliefs2009- 61% of Canadians feel same-sex couples should continue to have the right to marry
Challenged us to examine purpose of marriage and role of couple relationships in the life of individualsLegality of marriage provides same protection to partners and their children in same-sex families as it provides to heterosexual couplesSlide39
The Future of Marriage
Marriage continues to be typical for individuals in Canada and in all parts of the worldDespite the enduring assumption that men and women will meet, fall in love, marry in their early 20s, and grow old together, the pattern of marriage is constantly changingSlide40
The Future of Marriage
The current ideal of romantic marriage may be:Threatened by the increasing divorce rateStrengthened by an understanding that couples who no longer love one another need not stay togetherCohabitation could:
Threaten the stability of marriageRaise questions about the purpose of marriageCurrent challenges to the definition of marriage as an exclusively heterosexual union raises questions about the meaning of love and the reason for marriageSlide41
The Future of Marriage
Each couple makes a decision according to their own evaluation of the benefits of marriage and the alternativesFrom a social exchange perspective, perhaps the various controversies concerning the choice to marry will require a redefinition and clarification of marriage and intimate relationships for future generations