Marriage and Family Structure Essay

matrimony is non a ritual or an end. It is a long, intricate, intimate dance together and no thing matters more than your take in sense of balance and your choice of positionner. These were words of Army Bloom sequence com custodyting on the topic of spousal relationship (Sard iodine 2010). Human race is a product of a family in one way or a nonher. However, not whole can be said to exist in the planet as result of union. They be those that were natural out of wedlock and either live with one p arnt or waste neer known both of their parents. Neverthe little, agitateual unions still take place and families continue to exist.With the development of society, both the uniting and family organize generate undergone transformation and many have veered off from the traditional definitions of the same. This paper is aimed at showing that man and wife and family are important parts of any culture despite in that respect universe different typefaces of mating and fami ly structure. According to Goepfrich (2007, p 3) in his book Marriage, Divorce and Re wedding, marriage can be defined as the hearty institution under which man and woman establish their decision to live as conserve and wife by legal commitments or religious ceremonies among others. Goepfrich acknowledges that for people to be recognized as marital, they must(prenominal) have witnesses and the ceremony conducted by either a civil servant or a religious minister. However such(prenominal) a statement by the author ignores the fact that on that point are so many people who take away to be happily get hitched with yet they have never been licitly married. In some cultures especially in the places such as Africa, a marriage can be validated by traditional elders without the necessity of the span being awarded a marriage certificate.However, one thing agreeable to all is that a marriage will lead into a family since any couples get married to form a family. Types of Marriages Autho rs have classified marriage into different categories depending on the context. The Sociology Guide (2010) divides marriages in several(prenominal) types polygyny (polygamy), polyandry, group marriage, monogamy under monogamy there is serial monogamy and straight monogamy. Polygyny (Polygamy) In this type of marriage, a single man has more than one wife at a particular plosive consonant (Sociology Guide 2010).There are different cultures that do not view this type of marriage as valid and therefore it is not encouraged. Civil laws in many countries do not recognize bigamous families and this leads the man to either live with the other wives secretly or without valid wedding certificate. Christianity as a religion teaches that a marriage should be one-man one-wife and thus one is required to declare that he has never married before and if he had done so, the wife had died. Some Christian denominations do not even join divorcees in the holy matrimony.However in Islamic cultures as w ell as in societies in South Africa, polygamous marriages are recognized. A good example is that of the incumbent hot seat of South Africa, Jacob Zuma who has more than four wives. Sororal polygyny or sororate is a situation where one man has married blood sisters, while in non sororal polygyny, the wives are not blood sisters (Sociological Guide, 2010). Polyandry Though not as gross as polygamous marriage, this type of marriage entails one woman having more than one keep up.This is not recognized in many cultures and therefore those who involve themselves in such do not do it in open. However, some cultures allow blood brothers to share wives especially if the husband is impotent or he only sires children of one sex. This type of marriage is referred to as fraternal or alelphic polyandry and is very common among the Todas. In non fraternal polyandry, the husbands are not related in any way and the other men cannot claim the woman as their wife at that particular time when he is living with one of them (Sociological Guide, 2010). monogynous FamilyThis type is reckoned as the i tummy type of marriage in addition to being the most common and acceptable by nearly all cultures and religions, even those that accept the other types of marriage. It is a one-man one-husband marriage. beneath this type of marriage, there is the serial marriage where a husband remarries later on the demise of his wife. In such a situation, this is not regarded as polygamy. Of recent, it has become common for the spouse to get another wife/husband after divorce. However, some people chose to remain single after the departure of their spouses.In what is referred to as a straight marriage, the spouse whitethorn not be allowed to remarry under any circumstances (Sociology Guide, 2010). strained Marriages In this type of marriage, the woman is abducted and the husband rapes her. In those cultures where forced marriages are practiced, there is a whimsy that once a man has intercourse with a woman, he automatically becomes her husband. This practice however is not very common in many societies of the world and is therefore detested in those cultures that do not practice it.In some African cultures, girls are married off to elderly men while they are still toddlers in exchange of livestock. The child continues to stay with her family until she reaches puberty and this is when she is taken to the husband by the parents, whether willingly or unwillingly (Sfetsu, 2009). Same sex Marriage The issue of same sex marriage has generated more heat than light in the contemporary society, with some supporting it while others demonizing it. However, same sex marriage has been legalized in different states of the world.Sexologists have employ the term homosexuality to refer to people who have a same sex gender sexual orientation However, in the friendship, the term gay has been used to refer to male homosexuals with the term lesbian referring to female homosexuals sometimes gay refers to both women and men. There are some who are attracted to people of both genders and are referred to as heterosexuals (Cantor, 2006, p. xiii). Those who oppose the same sex marriage argue that they are unnatural and that they provide the nonconductive environment for the raising of children.They also argue that it threatens marriage as an institution in addition to going against religious principles among other reasons. However, proponents of homosexuality state that homosexuals are human beings and thus have their own rights (Bidstrup, 2000). Marriage in the Western Culture In this century, marriage in European and American culture is often legally defined as monogamous. This does not look upon that there are no few societies that do still practice polygamy while others are in what is referred to as open marriages.In latter form of marriage, the spouse has the freedom to leave when he or she feels same(p). In the Western world, divorce has been made less complicated and thus has increased in rate. Marriage is seen as a legal covenant which recognizes the emotional union of the couples and can be terminated any time the partners feel like. In this world, it is the woman who is granted the custody of child and not the husband in case of a divorce or separation. In addition, all the partners have the duty of supporting their children (Sfetcu, 2009).When a child has been born out of wedlock, he or she is entitled to enjoy the same rights just like those that are legitimate. In the Western cultures, partners are protected by law from rape by their spouses and those who do so whitethorn find themselves in the court of law. More over, the law defends wives or even husbands from being physically abused or disciplined. In this culture, wealth that has been acquired since the couple married is often divided among the couple in case of divorce. What one gets however is determined by a court of law or community property law (Sfetcu, 2009).Marriage in the E astern World In these cultures, marriage is regarded as being quite different from the way it is regarded in the Western world. For example in the former, polygamy is permitted in fact men with many wives are generally considered as being wealthier than those with one wife. A large part of the universe in the Eastern world is Islamic and though the religion advocates for the marriage of a man and woman, the book of account allows a man to have a maximum of four wives (Sfetcu, 2009). However in such societies, all the wives must be treated as being equal by the man.In states where the larger part of the population is Muslim, marriage is only permitted when both partners are Muslim otherwise non Muslims must stolon betray their religions and embrace Islam. In some societies in China, a man in the upper class would first be formally married and then later allowed to get concubines. However, the current communist regime does not permit polygamy but only monogamy (Sfetcu, 2009). Famil y Structure As years have come and gone, the society, including the family, has undergone big(p) transformation.The term family has traditionally been used to describe the father mother and children as a unit. However, this structure has changed over time. The common types of family structure include childless, atomic, extended as well single (Shelton, 2010). Nuclear Family Shelton (2010) defines a nuclear family as that family that consists of a mother, father, and their biological or adoptive descendants, often called the traditional family Many anthropologists usually regard this type of family structure highly than any other type of family and conducive one for the offering of children.However, there must be emotional support, environment of love, economic support as well as nice time spent together. Single Parenthood Of the types of the family structures listed, this can be regarded as one the newest. This is because in the elderly days, the society could not have imagined that a person could have lived without either a wife or a husband. In case of death or separation, remarriage would either take, place or the woman would be inherited by the brothers. However, with the economic independence of women, many usually decide to stay single after the separation, divorce or death.Some women are not interested in marriage and therefore take to have children or one and raise them on their own. Research that has been done has shown that 25% of the children are born by women who are unmarried and mostly teenage mothers. Proponents of this type of family structure have stated that it has less pressure especially if it is formed after a divorce. However, some psychologists have claimed that this kind of marriage is inexpedient especially to children as sometimes it is associated with juvenile delinquency (Shelton, 2010). Childless FamilyIt is often the desire of many, if not all, couples to have a child or more after marriage however, this is not always the c ase. A couple may also not be able to bear a child because of either social or biological problems. However, others may later get a child of their own in incoming or just decide to adopt one. Though many of such couples may opt to sire together, in some cultures however, lack of children after marriage is viewed negatively and the man if forced to remarry. The brothers of the husband may also be required to sire children for their brothers if it is realized that he is impotent.Others may however decide to rear a pet or two who acts as substitutes (Shelton, 2010). Extended Family An extended family can be expound as a group of family members that is made up of adoptive or biological parents together with their children as well as other members of that family. In many global societies, an extended family has been described as the base family group. In some cultures such as those with Asian origin, an entire extended family may live under the same roof. These may include uncles, a unts, grandparents and even foster children.Sometimes children of parents who have died or separated may be raise by their grandparents (Mosbys Medical Dictionary, 2009). Conclusion Despite the many types of marriage and family structure, one thing that is clear is that, marriage and family are important part of the human race. This is why all cultures in the world have both. Marriage is often viewed as a gateway into a family, though there are those that form families without marrying formally. It is however important for people to formalize their marriages as it will be easier to deal with some setbacks in the families such as divorces or death. .