MODULE 5-FAMILY AND MARRIAGE

RAR 509 LECTURE -10

SUBMITTED BY –
AMAN KUMAR
B.ARCH 3 RD YEAR
ITMSATP, LKO
WHY DO PEOPLE GET MARRIED?
- LOVE
- SECURITY
- COMPANIONSHIP
- CHILDREN
- TRADITION

WHY DO WE GET DIVORCED?

- ECONOMIC REASONS
- SENSE OF SECURITY LACKED

- - YOU TEND TO BECOME MORE INDEPENDENT

- ITS ALSO REALLY EASY
Marriage

The emotional and legal commitment of two people to

share emotional and physical intimacy, various tasks, and
economic resources
Characteristics of Marriage
1. demographic event
2. joining of two families
3. legal contract between the couple and the state
4. economic union
5. most common living arrangement for adults
6. context of most human sexual activity
7. reproductive unit
8. unit that socializes children
9. opportunity to develop an intimate, sharing
relationship
same-sex marriage - not legal in 2014
- legal today
HOW DOES THE GOVERNMENT LOOK AT A MARRIAGE?
THEY GENERALLY LOOK AT MARRRIAGE AS A LEGAL
RELATIONSHIP, CONTRACT, OR BINDING.

HOW DOES SOCIETY LOOK AT A MARRIAGE?

MARRIAGE IS A GROUP’S APPROVED MATING ARRANGEMENT,
USUALLY MARKED BY A RITUAL

WHAT IS THE TOP REASON THAT PEOPLE GET MARRIED?

LOVE IS THE NUMBER 1 REASON, 93% ACTUALLY BELIVE THAT IS
THE ONLY ASCCEPTABLE LEGAL MARRIAGE
Intimacy

Sharing intellectually, physically, and/or emotionally with another

person

Diversity
Cultural groups bring a wide range of values, beliefs, and practices to
help make a marriage work
1. Romantic Love Provides the context in which people today seek mates
and form families

2 Components:

Emotional- feeling of attraction

Cognitive- the feeling we describe as being “in love” Social channels of

love and marriage include age, education, social class, race and religion

People tend to marry others with similar characteristics Interracial

marriage is exception

\
Theoretical Perspectives

Functionalists- Focuses on the structural properties and

important social functions performed by the institution

families contribute to the well-being of a society

Economic production, socialization of children, care of the

sick and aged, recreation, reproduction

Incest taboo helps family avoid role confusion and forces

people to look outside the family for marriage partners
Theoretical Perspectives

Conflict- Emphasizes how the family perpetuates patterns of social inequality. Rather
than providing benefits to the society as a whole (SF), the family is seen as the principle
institution in which the dominance of men over women is expressed in society.

within a family the conflict over housework is really about control over scarce resources-
time, energy, leisure

Most men resist doing housework, women end up doing almost all, even though men
believe it is equal

Arlie Hochschild found that after an 8 hr work day, women come home to a “second
shift”
Wives work an extra month of 24 hour days each year
Theoretical Perspectives

Symbolic interactionists- interested in how husbands view housework

Research indicates that the less difference between a husband and

wife’s income, the more likely they are to share responsibilities

When husbands are laid off from work, their contributions decrease
Husbands who earn less that their wives do the least housework

Contributed to gender roles and the “threat to their masculinity”

Theoretical Perspectives

Feminist Perspective

Gender is central to the analysis of

Theme family; male dominance in family
and society is oppressive of women.
Key Male dominance; Power and
Concepts inequality; Sex/gender systems
Work and family; Domestic violence;
Current
Family power; Advocacy of women’s
Research
issues
Theoretical Perspectives

Biological Perspective

Proposes that human evolutionary biology--anatomy, genetics,

hormones--affect family related behavior (e.g. Gender Roles)

“Boys will be Boys” vs. “We promote them to be that way”

Theoretical Perspectives

EXCHANGE THEORY

Focuses on issues of cost, reward, available

resources, and equity in interaction .Basic
premise: individuals use their different individual
resources to bargain and secure advantage in
relationships .
Cultural Variations of Marriage

1. Minimum Age
In India it is 18 years (traditonally child marriages were
common with parental consent).

2. Arranged Marriages
Parents decide on child’s spouse based on suitability and
background.
Marriage is arranged from young age.
Popular in cultures such as India.
INDIA MOSTLY
- MONOGAMOUS
- CERTAIN RELIGIONS ALLOW FOR MORE THAN ONE SPOUSE

WHEN YOU HAVE "2" OR MORE SPOUSES

- POLIGAMY
HOW MANY FORMS OF POLIGAMY ARE THERE?
THERE ARE 3 FORMS.

- POLYGYNY
- POLYANDRY
- PANTAGAMY

THIS FORM IS WHEN YOU HAVE MULTIPLE (WIVES) (WIFE) (OLD LADIES)
- POLYGYNY ******hint the term "GYN" is in there, think a woman then.

Polygynous marital relations are commonly practiced in African nations and Islamic
community. Dominant figure is the MAN, who controls all financial aspects and
decision making .This is known as Patriarchal (man dominates).
THIS FORM IS WHEN YOU HAVE A TON OF HUSBANDS.
- POLYANDRY ******"ANDR" is in there like andro, for a male
Popular in certain Tibetan Tribes and among the Inuit Eskimos.
Occurs in very poor cultures where a number of working males are
considered necessary to support one wife and children.
Obeys husbands’ wishes.
One child from each husband.

WHEN YOU SOMEHOW ARE MARRIED TO EVERYONE?

- PANTAGAMY
Rights and Responsibilities of Married Couple

Each spouse is entitled to live together.

Each spouse is expected to remain faithful to
the other.

The Maintenance of Spouse and Children’s Act

1976 states that each spouse Financially
support one another.

Legally any child born must be looked after

physically, morally and socially.

Joint Custody and responsibilities for care and

upbringing shared.
Marraige in India is governed by Personal law

The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955

Besides amending and codifying Sastrik Law, it introduced separation and divorce,
which did not exist in Sastrik Law. This enactment brought uniformity of law for all
sections of Hindus. In India there are religion-specific civil codes that separately
govern adherents of certain other religions.
This Act applies -
• to any person who is a Hindu by religion in any of its forms or developments,
including a Virashaiva, a Lingayat or a follower of the Brahmo, Prarthana or
Arya Samaj;
• to any person who is a Buddhist, Jain religion;
• to any other person domiciled in the territories to which this Act extends who is
not a Sikh , Muslim, Christian, Parsi or Jew by religion, unless it is proved that
any such person would not have been governed by the Hindu law or by any
custom or usage as part of that law in respect of any of the matters dealt with
herein if this Act had not been passed.
• Muslims also have their own personal law, which states that
Nikah or marriage is a contract and may be permanent or
temporary and permits a man four wives if he treats all of them
equally.

• Similarly for the Parsees there is a Parsee Marriage & Divorce

Act, 1939, which governs the provisions of their marriage and
law.

• For Indian Christian there is a Indian Christian Marriage Act

1889.

• A notable piece of legislation applicable only to the Sikhs is the

Anand Marriage Act, 1909. Till date, it is the solitary enactment
in the area of personal law which is applicable only to the Sikhs.
 The Indian Constitution has provided many rights to the wife.
Some of the key rights are:
Right to Streedhan:
Streedhan is the property which a woman obtains at the time of her marriage, it is
different from the Dowry in a way that it is voluntarily gifts given to the wife before or after
her marriage and there is no element of coercion. The Courts have clearly said that women
will have absolute rights over their streedhan even if it is placed in the custody of her
husband or in-laws. The case of Pratibha Rani vs. Suraj Kumar1 also discussed.

Right to residence: A wife has the absolute right to reside in a matrimonial household
where her husband resides, irrespective of whether it is an ancestral house, a joint family
home, a self-acquired home or a rental house.

Right to a committed relationship: A Hindu male is bound not to marry any other girl or
have an affair with anyone else unless he is legally divorced. In case if the husband having a
relationship with any other woman then he was charged with adultery under section 497
of IPC. His wife had the right to file divorce on the ground of having an extra-marital
relationship with any other woman.However this law has since then been amended.
Right to maintenance by husband: Under section 18 of the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance
Act, 1956
A Hindu wife is entitled to claim maintenance from her husband in case if he is guilty of cruelty,
desertion, polygamy or has a venereal disease, thereby enforcing her rights in divorce. Under
section 25 of this act provides for permanent Alimony and Maintenance. This section allows any
court which has jurisdiction under this Act may pass an order upon receiving an application from
the aggrieved spouse directing the respondent to pay the applicant for her support and
maintenance.

Right to live with dignity and self-respect: A wife has the right to live her life with dignity and to
have the same lifestyle that of her husband and in-laws have. She also has right to live free from
any mental or physical torture.
Right to child maintenance: Husband and wife must provide for their minor child. If the wife is
incapable of earning, then the husband must provide her financial support.

1 AIR 1985 SC 628

Domestic Violence Act, 2005: This Act enacted by the parliament to protect the wife or women
from domestic violence by her husband or relatives of her husband. This Act gives the right to the
wife to file a petition against her husband or relatives of the husband in case of violation of her
rights or if any harm is done to her whether physical, mental or emotional.
Family
Two or more people who are committed to each other and share
intimacy, resources, decision-making responsibilities, and values

3 clusters of people

exclusionists, moderates, and inclusionists

Exclusionists
hold onto a more narrow definition of family

Moderates
willing to count same-sex couples as family if children are involved

Inclusionists
have a very broad definition of family
Types of families

Nuclear family- husband, wife, and children

Extended family- a nuclear family plus other relatives who live together

Family of orientation- family in which you grow up

Family of procreation- family that is formed when a couple’s first child is born
Common themes among marriage and
families

Each group establishes norms to govern

who may and may not marry

Endogamy- marrying within your group

Exogamy- marrying outside your group
Patriarchy- male dominated society
Matriarchy- female dominated society
Egalitarian- authority equally divided
Marriage Marital satisfaction usually decreases with the birth of a
child

Social class influences how couples adjust to children

Working class are more likely to have kids 9 months after

marriage and have major interpersonal and financial problems

Middle class are more prepared because of more resources,

postponement of children and more time to adjust to one another
Raising children Traditionally fell on the mother, but this pattern is
changing

For married couples, almost 1 in 4 children is cared for by the father

Single mothers compensate for child care gap with help from
grandparents 1 in 6 kids are in day care

Birth order is significant First born tend to be more disciplined and

often competes to maintain attention
Empty Nest Can be a difficult adjustment

Lillian Rubin argues that most women feel relieved at being able to spend more time on
themselves

Couples report a renewed sense of companionship

Freedom from responsibilities Increased leisure Higher income Fewer financial obligations
But we know that nowadays kids are leaving home later….
Widowhood

Women are more likely than men to face the problem of adjusting to
widowhood

Women tend to live longer than men, but also tend to marry men who are
older