Romance without Finance - Research Paper Example

Though two princes sought Portia’s hand in marriage, their royalty and riches did not impress her, settling instead for Bassanio who did not have an impressive title or riches but pleasant character impressed her and they married (Smith 45-47). This play is reflected in current romantic relationships whereby some flourish without finances while others fail. Finances play a crucial role in romantic relationships, but they are not enough to sustain them. In society, Smalley (1997, p12) notes that the roles of men and women are well defined in family, and other social places.

These roles are clear from ancient times and they are included in religious texts including the Bible, the Koran among others. Providing the family with security and other necessities is the role of man, while the woman is supposed to take care of the children and the husband (Smalley 17-21). According to Christian teachings, the man is the leader of the family responsible for making all decisions even without consulting with his wife (Smalley 41). In this regard, a man is supposed to dedicate his efforts working to ensure that his wife and children are well provided, while the woman should dedicate her life doing domestic chores and taking care of the children. . Men for instance are supposed to be aggressive and competitive while women are required to be submissive and loyal to their husbands.

Consequently, men hold most leadership positions in the society while women are relegated to lower segments. For long period, women remained in the periphery of the society, due top lack of economic and political power. Because of the imbalance between the two sexes, women for long periods have remained completely dependant on their husbands in families and in relationships. Thus, the role of man as the sole provider is so entrenched that women expect men to provide them with emotional and material resources in romantic relationships (Bach 54-59) Many relationship experts contend that the current romantic relationships are based on the traditional roes of both sexes, whereby women are expected to be that helpless girl, waiting to be rescued by a handsome, armored prince (Smalley 53).

In the current society, it is widely accepted for a woman to depend on the husband for financial support, but if the woman is the one supporting the husband, it is considered that there is no romance in the relationship. In the modern society, the welfare of the women has changed dramatically from the traditional woman whose role was restricted to domestic work to powerful and more assertive individuals. Today, women hold prestigious positions, including head of states, chief executives of large multinational companies, and successful business owners among other influential positions in the society.

While submission and humility characterized the traditional woman, many of them nowadays are competitive and risk takers who know exactly what they want in a relationship. In an ordinary family set up and in relationships,