FREEDOM OF MARRIAGE

Freedom of Marriage



Freedom of Marriage

Introduction

Marriage is found in virtually all societies, and the majority (some 90%) of people in every society gets married at least once in their lifetime (Ember, & Peregrine, 2006). Cultures vary with regard to what is considered appropriate premarital behavior, whom one marries, how one marries, a proper marriage ceremony, and length and purpose of the marriage. Each culture also defines marriage differently although there are some common criteria across many societies. Marriage is typically defined simply as a “socially approved sexual and economic union, usually between a woman and a man”, which is generally denoted symbolically in some way (e.g., ceremony, certificate, symbols-rings). Normally, there are reciprocal rights and obligations between the two spouses and their future children. Viewing marriage as a social process where new relationships are set up between the kin of both the husband and the wife essentially describes all forms of marriage. With this, marriage maintains social patterns through the production of offspring.

Discussion

Traditionally, marriage was defined as a union between a man and a woman with children born to the woman being recognized as legitimate offspring to both parents. Marriage was thought to change the status of a man and a woman, stipulate the degree of sexual access for the married partners, establish the legitimacy of the children born to the wife, and create relationships between the kin of both the wife and husband. Anthropologists have since noted the exceptions to this standard definition and have expanded it to reflect broader practices. As such, Miller offers a working definition of marriage given the complexity of practices that fall under the umbrella of marriage-“a more or less stable union, usually between two people, who may be, but are not necessarily, co-residential, sexually involved with each other, and procreative with each other” (Miller, 2008). Thus, the aim of this paper is to provide several factors in freedom of marriage.

For example, every society has directives and ideological notions about which one should marry ranging from arranged marriages to exogamous individual choice of partner. Sometimes these directives are informal and implicit, and other times they are formal and explicit. Marriage is one of the primary ways to establish relationships of affinity in contrast to consanguine relationships, which are from bloodlines.

Other stories related to freedom of marriage include the exogamy, the practice of seeking a husband or wife outside of one's own defined ...