Diverse Family Characteristics

Diverse Family Characteristics

This Discussion has 2 parts:

1. Read/watch the Learning Resources.  What was most surprising to you in how love, marriage, and/or families have changed over time?

2. Identify and explain at least 3 key components of family life in another time or culture of your choice.

In your response, please refer specifically to at least three of this the Learning Resources, citing them in the text and also listing the Learning Resources you have used as references at the end of your post, using APA citation style. 

Learning Resources

Geiger, A. W., & Livingston, G. (2019, Feb. 13). 8 facts about love and marriage in America. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019

New Yorker. (2019, June 27). Esther Perel explains why wedding vows evolved with society. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7oWM07jA0c

Real Families. (2018, Feb. 12). Parenting around the world. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gmazdu2L64E&t=10s

Harmon, A. (2020). Marriage. Salem Press Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct

Marriage, also called matrimony and wedlock, is a legally binding and recognized union of two (or more) individuals who have pledged to spend their lives together. Marriage gives spouses and their children certain protections under the law. Marriage traditions vary by country, culture, and religion, and several types of marriages exist worldwide to meet certain social and economic needs. In addition, some countries only legally recognize certain types of marriages.

Brief History

Marriage in one form or another has existed since the beginning of time. It has evolved throughout the centuries to fit the needs of different societies. In ancient times, marriage was used for procreation and to protect property ownership. It preserved bloodlines, power, and land in royal families. People married out of necessity, not for love.

Several types of marriage were common in ancient times, and some of these are still practiced into the twenty-first century. Polygamy, in which a man takes more than one woman as a wife, was practiced to ensure a marriage bore many children. Polyandry, the practice of one woman taking multiple husbands, was common in cultures where the men outnumbered the women. Arranged marriages, in which families choose spouses for their children, was practiced mostly for economic reasons. The individuals in these arrangements had no choice in the process. In these types of marriages, either the bride's family gave a dowry (money or items) to the groom's family, or the groom's family was expected to pay a price for the bride in exchange for the marriage.

The Anglo-Saxons of the fifth century used marriage as a way to extend relationships. They sought out spouses for themselves and their children that would further their diplomatic and trade ties. Once wealth was established, people looked to marry off their children to people who were just as wealthy as or more powerful than they were to build their wealth. Marriage arrangements were also made to procure political advantages. Marriage continued to be seen as a way to protect interests in the centuries that followed. The individuals entering a marriage typically did not have a choice.

In 866, Pope Nicholas I of the Roman Catholic Church declared that a marriage should be considered void if both parties did not consent to it. Consent would then become an important part of marriage in the years that followed. In 1140, the Benedictine monk Gratian wrote about consent and marriage in his canon law textbook Decretum Gratiani. One of the laws required couples to give verbal consent before entering into a marriage contract. The law also mandated married couples to consummate a marriage by engaging in sexual intercourse. The Decretum Gratiani became the basis for subsequent religious policies on marriage.

By 1215, the Roman Catholic Church considered marriage a holy union and was referred to as one of the church's seven sacraments. Sacraments are religious rites and observances and include baptism, confirmation, Eucharist (Holy Communion), reconciliation (penance or confession), anointing of the sick, and holy orders. The Council of Trent officially declared marriage a sacrament in 1563. At this time, the church also required marriages to be performed by priests and in the presence of witnesses in public places.

In addition to religious marriage ceremonies, civil ceremonies existed. These were performed outside of the church and had their own requirements. Many countries began to regulate marriage and mandated licenses and fees.

Throughout history, the majority of marriages were binding economic arrangements. People were married without consent and were forced to stay together. Love was considered a silly reason for two people to marry. Into the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, this changed as many couples chose to marry because they were in love. The Industrial Revolution allowed many people to afford to marry whomever they wanted. However, wives were considered their husbands' property. As the civil rights and women's rights movements spread in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, wives demanded to be seen as their husbands' equals.

At this time, other factors, such as contraception and divorce, began to transform marriage. Married couples could choose how many children they wanted. They could also choose to leave a marriage if they were unhappy. Other social factors also affected marriage as people began waiting longer to marry, and some people chose not to marry at all.

Topic Today

While many wedding traditions and circumstances surrounding marriage are the same across numerous countries, cultures, and religions, many disparities regarding marriage persist into the twenty-first century. Same-sex marriage has been practiced throughout the world for numerous centuries, but not all cultures and religions recognize this practice. Some countries even have laws that ban it. Religions, such as the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Judaism, view marriage as a contract between one man and one woman and do not recognize same-sex marriages.

The topic of same-sex marriage began to enter the mainstream in the late twentieth century. The civil rights and women's rights eras that granted many people equal rights in the United States inspired other groups to demand their rights. One of these groups was the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning) community, who began to advocate for its members to legally marry.

Marriage provides couples with legal protections such as in the case of the death of one spouse. LGBTQ people wanted these same protections, but many countries—including the United States—were divided on the issue. Some countries and US states banned same sex-marriages. A few US states passed domestic partnerships that gave same-sex couples certain rights—but not the same rights as married people. Same-sex couples continued to fight for the right to marry.

In the United States, same-sex couples filed several lawsuits against legislation that made same-sex marriage illegal and laws that threatened the rights of same-sex couples. Several states began to allow same-sex marriage, but others continued to ban it. Finally, on June 26, 2015, the US Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in the United States. As of 2017, same-sex marriage is legal in about two dozen countries; however, many religions and cultures in these countries fail to recognize these unions.

Bibliography

Everitt, Lauren. "Ten Key Moments in the History of Marriage." BBC News Magazine, 14 Mar. 2012, www.bbc.com/news/magazine-17351133. Accessed 26 Jan. 2017.

Ghose, Tia. "History of Marriage: 13 Surprising Facts." Live Science, 26 June 2013, www.livescience.com/37777-history-of-marriage.html. Accessed 26 Jan. 2017.

"How Marriage Has Changed over Centuries." The Week, 1 June 2012, theweek.com/articles/475141/how-marriage-changed-over-centuries. Accessed 26 Jan. 2017.

Ryan, John Augustine. "History of Marriage." Catholic Encyclopedia, www.newadvent.org/cathen/09693a.htm. Accessed 26 Jan. 2017.

Stritof, Sheri. "The Future of Marriage and Its Past." About Relationships, marriage.about.com/cs/history/a/futuremarriage.htm. Accessed 26 Jan. 2017.

---. "History of Marriage." About Relationships, marriage.about.com/cs/generalhistory/a/marriagehistory.htm. Accessed 26 Jan. 2017.

Wolf, Richard. "Timeline: Same-Sex Marriage through the Years." USA Today, 26 June 2015, www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/06/24/same-sex-marriage-timeline/29173703. Accessed 26 Jan. 2017.

Zama, Farahad. "First Comes Marriage." New York Times, 5 June 2009, www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/fashion/07love.html. Accessed 26 Jan. 2017.

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