Marriage
Marriage. A Sociological ConceThe sociological concept I have chosen in the institution of marriage. Marriage is a legally sanctioned relationship, usually involving economic cooperation as well as normative sexual activity and childbearing that people expect to be enduring.
The first characteristic of marriage is that it is a legally sanctioned relationship. In other words, marriage is a formal relationship that is recognized and bound by law. In western societies, marriages are begun with weddings as a means to publicly announce the legal union of the couple. Marriages are performed by religious representatives (member of the clergy) or by marriage commissioners licensed by the province to perform marriages. Just in 1998, 151,224 marriages were registered with Vital Statistics.
The second characteristic of marriage is economic cooperation. Economic cooperation is a joint effort relating to the management of finances and household matters. Husbands and wives divide economic activities and domestic work between them according to traditional and approved ideas of man's and woman's work. Traditionally, the husband worked outside of the home and was responsible for the finances while the wife worked inside of the home taking care of domestic or household duties such as cooking, cleaning, and caring for the children. Generally, though, the strength of the more traditional attitudes to sex-differentiated roles in the marriage has weakened. In this era of post-industrialism, wives and husbands are sharing more of the responsibility for providing income for the family. There is also more sharing of the household duties but most married women working outside of the home still do the majority of regular housework.
The third characteristic of marriage that I will be discussing is normative sexual activity and childbearing. A primary, although not essential, purpose of marriage is the procreation of children; therefore, sex is always recognized as a legitimate part of marriage. The 1996 Canadian census reports that most married couples have one or two children. Traditionally, it was felt that the married woman's major role was to care for young children at home. With many wives in the working force and the weakening of traditional roles, one would think that both the husband and wife would share the responsibilities of childcare. In fact, husbands who actively share in the childcare duties are the exception rather than the norm. Generally, even when wives work outside the home they usually have the greatest amount of childcare responsibilities.
It is important to note that procreating is not the only purpose of normative sexual activity. Many married couples rate sexual fulfillment high in maintaining the marriage bond. Marital sexual relations tend to increase intimacy and closeness within the marriage. Sexual fulfillment and intimacy are one of the most discussed issues in popular magazines, talk show and self-help books.
The fourth characteristic of marriage is the expectancy that the union will endure and is undertaken with some idea of permanence. Marriage is a central institution in society; therefore, stability and permanence are societal concerns. An ideal type marriage is one that lasts until the death of either the husband or wife. The concern for maintaining life-long marriages is important to people as indicated by the number of articles appearing in magazines and newspapers. In communities throughout Canada and the United States, organizations are working to improve the quality of family life by offering preparation for marriage and courses in communicating in marriage and marriage counseling.
This concept has helped me to focus in on the many dilemmas that stem from the basic characteristics of marriage. Traditional norms have weakened so much that we are now in an era that strives for complete democracy. Many wives and husbands verbalize egalitarian ideals yet they still tend to struggle with sex-differentiated roles within the marriage. Sex-associated domestic work is still present but they do appear to be declining.
This concept has also helped me to understand how important marriage is to society. This is evident by all of the popular literature about maintaining life-long marriages. Today, permanence and commitment in marriage are seen as fading values in a changing world. The rising divorce rate is cited as the death knell of the institution of marriage. The stability of a society is often determined by the stability of its marriages. Marriage is one of society's central institutions and it is essential for the preservation of stable family life; now and for future generations.