Meaning of Marriage Marriage is a contract by which a man and a woman express their consent to create the relationship of husband and wife. This contract, however, differs fundamentally from a commercial contract in the following ways: As a general rule, it can only be concluded by a formal public act. It can only be dissolved by a formal public act. More importantly, it creates a status which is taken into account in relation to, for example, succession, tax, legitimacy of children, and to some extent in relation to immigration laws . According to Tomlin’s Dictionary, “Marriage is a civil and religious contract, whereby a man is joined and united to a woman, for the purpose of civilized society” .
Categorized into three styles called companionship, dependence, and interdependence, married couples can be ‘in love’, individual with their own separate interests, or maintain a healthy balance within their relationship. Marriage is a tricky institution to navigate, and no one person will get it right, but considering the evolutionary changes of society and popular movements in history, these three styles describe the different marriages and gender roles. Before the 1920’s, men and women upheld separate gender roles in which men were the breadwinners, and females worked in the home, taking care of children and maintaining the love in the relationship. Eventually, women began to enter the workforce outside of their homes where they depended
At that time laws were based on the idea that after Marriage a woman becomes the property of man and now he has to take care of her. Marriages for women at that time were more like a contract, because laws were so rigid. Women were the property of their husbands just like American slaves were of their masters. Marriages were like a business at that time. Monetary security was first and love the second.
The notion of marriage is cross-culturally variable and depends on a range of factors including legality, contractual unions and conjugality. There are various interpretations of the family and the interpretations are deviating further and further away from the traditional concept of family. The family is often used as a blanket term for a general set of relationships that are domestic rather than public. (Comaroff, 1980, Gough, 1993: 182-194, Lyle and Murray, 1980: 112-115 and Pastemak, Ember and Ember, 1997: 77-85; 191-202) It is generally assumed that a family consists of consanguineal which is known as blood relations and affinal relations which are known as married relationships. There is a misconception that if these aspects are absent,
They also help define who we are and what we become at important stages in our lives, such as marriage. These sacred unions between men and women were compulsory for the begetting of children and for the formation of cohesive family units; these societal constructs helped ensure mutual survival and were therefore instrumental in the continuity of our species. Today, although marriage in the traditional sense is still commonplace, it is no longer regarded with reverence. Marriage is also not mandatory within the familial structure. Campbell's observations illustrate the emerging consequences in contemporary society: the collapse of the American family.
The dowry represented her social status and wealth, and would be displayed at the boy 's house. The most common dowries included scissors like two butterflies never separating, rulers indicating acres of fields, and vases for peace and wealth. ( Ancient Chinese Marriage Custom, n. d) Traditional marriage customs lost their popularity due to the collapse of feudal marriage customs and their complexity. However, traditional marriage can still be seen in the countryside, despite innovations. Now, traditional marriage customs are being revived in some places and they are attracting many prospective couples.
Introduction What is marriage? It is an institution where two people learn to love and cherish each other and carry on their family lineage by starting a family together. Marriage is a legally binding civil contract. It is a relationship in which both the parties have rights and duties towards each other and if anyone of the parties infringes the right of another or does not fulfill their duties towards another, then they will be held liable for this act. Concept of marriage in Islam Many religions advocate celibacy but, Islam does not.
As stated in the previous point that even in the circumstance of infertility, it is lawful for spouse to be in union because it is an expression of mutual love and a constitute of married love; as long as they don't deny its procreative significance. If they do (to either the unitive and procreative), they negate the plan of God, and the married act degrades. Moreover, any form of birth regulation that constitute to the denial of the procreative significance of the marriage act is considered unlawful by the Church's doctrine. With the present (economic) struggles, one would say that there should be the regulation of birth. The Church would agree to it but only through the method of natural family planning.
In Nigeria the major marriage practices that exist include monogamy and polygyny, just like in most cultures. Usually in Nigeria the marriage is an arrangement between two families instead of between individuals, although it is entirely up to the couple to make the marriage work for the sake of their families, it is up to them to make sure the marriage does not fall apart meaning that they have to sacrifice if they have to in order for the marriage to work. The man pays for the bride-price and this automatically makes him the head of the family or the relationship, which also makes it right for him to commit adultery but the woman is forbidden to do the same. Even so, marriage practices do differ across or amongst the Nigerian culture ( Omokhodion,1998).
Kin relationships are traditionally defined as ties based on blood and marriage. According to Radcliffe Brown kinship is “a system of dynamic relations between person and person in a community, the behaviour of any two persons in any of these relations being regulated in some way, and to a greater or less extent by social usage”. They include lineal generational bonds (children, parents, grandparents, and great grandparents), collateral bonds (siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews, and aunts and uncles), and ties with in-laws. Thus kinship defines the family relationships and helps us establish the rights and obligation of members. From the ancient time to modern era the family is only network, from where people usually use to get great support.