Marriage and Divorce as a Social Issue - Essay Example

? Marriage and Divorce as a Social Issue History of Marriage and Divorce Marriage s back in ancient history that has been recorded and handed down from generation to another (Pendleton, 2010). The way of conduct of marriage including the rules observed and the procedures differ from society to another. This rules and ramifications have been conditioned and thus have changed over time in reference to culture and demography. Various theories have been formulated concerning the origin of marriage and these also vary from one community to another. Some believe that it is as a result of man’s need for assurance. In this case, the man is considered to want to be certain of the paternity in regard to his children. As a result, he willingly chooses to provide for a woman or pays a bribe price which is used in exchange for exclusive sexual access. In such a case, the result of such a union is legitimate. In other societies like the Comanche, most women who are in matrimony often do hard work, lack sexual freedom and also fail to obtain any benefit from such unions. Others believe that marriage is as a consequence of idleness. In this case the nubile women lack something to do in the society and thus are a major source of strife and jealousy. Due to such circumstances, they have no other choice than to get married. However, the most common scenario is that, in all the societies, the access to women is institutionalized so as to reduce competition intensity among the parties involved. It may include the payment of bride price or conduct certain ceremonies depending on the norms and culture that is maintained by the people (2010). In the current times, divorce cases have increased widely in all phases of life. In the traditional society, divorce was not allowed. Marriage cases were solved by elders who made decisions on the course of action. Where the wife did not give birth, the husband was allowed to marry many wives. Polygamy was allowed and the first wife had to choose a second wife for her husband. In the modern era, this has greatly changed due to the introduction of religion among other factors (Hamilton, 2007). Divorce cases have increased currently and even being endowed by the courts of law. Disagreements within the family however small have led to break-ups within the family structure. Others separate basically due to financial factors and influence of friends when they think they cannot take it anymore. Religiously, divorce is not allowed as most religion emphasize on the sanctity of marriage. Traditionally, succession in marriage after a death of a spouse was taken by the other and later passed to the children. Currently, legal action which involves the use of wills and trusts has altered this course of life. Various provisions have been enacted including the retaining of one’s property in case of divorce instead of owning half. Social Definition of Marriage and Divorce In every society, there exist rules of conduct and rites of passage which in most cases have to be adhered to for efficient running of the society. The way of life in most societies to a great extent shape individuals and determine the behavior of the people as well as their way of life. Societies are involved in different activities in different zones which explain the different culture experienced in various parts of the world. The varieties of behaviors experienced bring us to the aspect of societal issues like: marriage, divorce, circumcision, family and culture which are social in nature. In many traditional societies, marriage has been considered to be important as it relates to continuity. The basis of the study rotates around the marital institution, its impacts and its contribution to the society. The methodologies involved include the use of written and non- written sources. Use of interviews, questionnaires as well as direct observation is rampant in the drawing of the conclusion herein. Marriage is a social and legal union made between people that create kinship ties (Hamilton, 2007). This union is normally made formal through the wedding ceremony and is normally based on the culture and the way of life of various societies. The matrimony is an institution which entails the acknowledgement of interrelationships which usually involve intimacy and sexual in a variety of ways. This will in most cases depend on the culture of the subculture in which the institution is founded and found. Originally, marriage is dated back since inception of society and is mainly the means by which people exist today. The reasons for marriage differ in relation to social, legal, economic, political, emotional, religious and libidinal. These reasons vary from normal arranged families, protection of children as well as just a mere public declaration of commitment. The general course of marriage creates legal and binding roles between the parties involved and in most cases, these obligations also are extended to the family members of the married individuals. In the states, marriage is normally recognized as legal and a contract, especially in civil marriage, which is a governmental institution irrespective of whether it is religious or not. Divorce is an on-going issue in our society. Divorce is such an accepted part of our culture today that single-parent families are part of the new family structure. Divorce results from many and diverse reasons, which include but not limited to abuse, different goals, conflicting parenting styles and addictions. However, our society doesn’t realize what we’ve done. Ahrons says, “There is no stigma on divorce today. It’s normal for couples to end their marriage” (Why the Popular View of Divorce is Wrong, pg. 402). With the high vulnerability that married couples face a divorce, there are many organizations that exist around the world to put efforts to decrease divorce and cohabitation rates and increase successful marriages. Two specific organizations have done so successfully, Marriage Savers and Retrouvaille. Social Categories Affected by Marriage and Divorce Families are important components of the society. Marriage is viewed as uniting factor and an important aspect of the family life. Divorce on the other hand is attributed to negativities or the failure to have a functional family. Marriage and divorces cut across the social interests of every member of the society. Marriages unite families and the society at large. It becomes favorable for the couples, children and the parents. On the same note, the impact of a divorce is purely borne by the identified social groups. While couples may divorce because they are not happy with one another, children may not be benefited by this fact. The separation is prone to cause them psychological disturbances alongside the characteristic change of lifestyle. Parents at the same time work towards uniting the divorced couples which may succeed or fail altogether. This is prone to eliciting conflicts among the couples, children and the parents to these couples. Changes over Time Modern customs and way of life have had a big influence in the marriage arena. These have affected various aspects in marriage like dowry, divorce, child bearing and structure. In very many systems the transition ranges from the current modernization to the dressing codes as well as the interrelationships among the various people in the institution. Information technology has had a dynamic transformation on the lives of people through discovery of unfaithfulness in marriage. A diverse change is involved and men have transformed from a big polygamy families to single one wife family as dictated by religion. Religion has also had its share in these transformations as well as economically. The mode of payment of dowry has changed. Many of the young people currently pay dowry in the form of money which is contrary to the old forms. Dowry in the ancient moments was presented in terms of property, goats, cows and food. Money as a current means of exchange has had a transformation in this as the dowry can be quantified in monetary terms. However, some families still engage in this form of dowry presentation which depends on the society, culture and individual families since the dowry was not an unconditional gift, rather than a part of marriage settlement. In some countries, dowry is modulated in terms of the amount to be presented so as to prevent extortion (University Strayer, 2009). Matrimony entails various parties which include the couple, the family and the society at large. In the developing countries, marriage as a societal issue has influenced the economy due to its contribution. A significant number of girls are coerced into marriage even before they reach adulthood. This has had a great impact in the population growth due to illiteracy and increased poverty levels in these countries as they lack sufficient income. Subsequently, their access to improved medical care, education, economic and social opportunities is reduced. In the ancient times, early marriages were secured as a way to gain wealth, for prestige and to maintain ties. However, today some of the factors cited for early child marriages are irrelevant to the state in development and do not comply with the standards of life. Some of the factors include: poverty, malnutrition, lack of economic and education, safeguard of virginity, culture and norms. These elements are irrelevant if the state is to progress in terms of development and empowerment .In some regions, bride abduction is common and this is conducted when the bride is unaware. Instances arise where the person abducted is married to an old man who probably has other wives. In instances of child marriages, the women end up giving birth to too many children whom she cannot raise due to lack of income. The husband may also fail to provide for the family choosing to spend his income on less important elements. The children are then forced to leave or they begin to engage in other vicious activities like theft. Some families are characterized by violence and this may arise due to failure of one party to be responsible or drunkenness (University Strayer, 2009). These factors pull down the marriage sector leading to lack of achievement socially and economically. Recommendations Education and behavioral campaigns to reduce child marriages The state and the society concerned should educate their young ones on the risks portrayed in early marriages. Educational programs should be included in schools to ensure that the students learn right from their low school levels on the importance of education. Promotion of education through campaigns against early marriages should be conducted in the more prone areas. In addition to this, strict action by laws should be employed on the parents that deny their children education so as to marry them off. Besides this, penalties should be enacted so that the people beware on their acts. In the recent past, some states have done these through the provision of funds to help prevent the violence imposed on women. It involves efforts to influence national policies and creating awareness on the negative effects that violence, early marriages, dowry and polygamy have on the development process. Community mobilization These includes activities like airing of messages about the dangers of early marriages, training of religious leaders on issues to share with their congregations as well as the use of community outreach worker to spread the message on the goodness of delayed marriages. This ensures that the average age to marry off is maintained. This also involves the removal of harmful traditional practices relating to marriage and gender-based violence. The economic opportunities for women are improved through change in attitudes. Methodologies for Sociological Research Ethnography is one of the methodologies that can be applied in the recommendations above. It involves intensive field work tailored towards studying the characteristics of the population in whatever aspect. In order to undertake education and behavioral campaigns, it is necessary to fully understand the population that is being dealt with, in terms of what characteristics influences its behavior and choice. In this way, field work as described by ethnography is fundamental and applicable. On the same note community mobilization would require that the society be well understood so that choices on the variables to use are easily made and that these choices are fully integrative in the social setting. Cross-cultural methods are also applicable in this case. Such studies of different social settings and prior lifestyles are necessary in determining how a given society will be accounted for in a sociological research. References Hamilton, F. et al. (2007). American sociological review, Volume 21.Michigan: American Sociological Association. Pendleton, J. (2010). Divorce: A Study in Social Causation. California: Kessinger Publishing. University Strayer. (2009). Introduction to Sociology. New York: Prentice Hall. Read More