Marriage as a
social institution
Marriage is a
social institution is an essay that examines how people ideas towards marriage function
as a social institution in modern society though they have been deviated. The objectives
of the essay are to strengthen the marital relation, lowered the divorce rate,
and minimize the unwed lock birth. It examines the definition of marriage, its strength
and weakness and valorises the institutional function of marriage in modern
society though people perception regarding marriage has been changed.
The essayist defines marriage is not only a sum total
of two spouses. It is a relation defined by legal, moral and conventional
assumptions. It is a close personal affiliation uniting two adults. It is an
institution culturally patterned and integrated. It establishes the self-boundaries
around the relationship that allows the limits of behaviours and differentiates
with other relations.
A married couple has some peculiar things that other
lacks. A married couple can have an heir
to vast system of understood principles. They can organize and sustain their
lives. Marriage provides structure to life and organizes the desires and
ambitions.
Emily Durkheim, a French sociologist, has discussed
marriage as protective role that prevents suicide. He argues that basic human
necessities are more or less available in advance society. Modern people think
on well-being, comfort, luxury and prestige. It establishes legitimate
boundaries. Marriage benefits as an organ of society that restrains people,
uncontrollable impulses. He further views marriage assigns a strictly definite
object to the needs for love and closes the horizon. It forms the state of
moral equilibrium from which human befits.
Despite having such peculiarity of marriage, American people
are deviated as they believe unmarried relation offers something more than
marriage. They view cohabitation as a freedom from rules of marriage. It frees
them from arrangement of relationship and maintenance of parental relationship.
However, the essayist critiques them and views the thing they lack are is that they
exempt from vast range of marriage norms and laws in our society.
Criticizing cohabitation,
the essayist emphasizes marriage and opines that a marriage couple is certain
about maintaining relationship. They tie up to maintain their commitment and
responsibility to their children whereas unmarried couple are not sure about
it.
He further analyses the marriage and points out the
reason behind of its being as social institution. He views marriage as a form
of capital. It helps to create intangible social capital that maintains relationship.
It creates a type of trust and trustworthiness that form social capital for productivity.
Marriage creates a type of kinship that has a lot of effort to make something successful.
It helps to bind the relatives strongly. Social capital firmly joins
individuals in a network channel of knowledge. These networks function by
social norms and sanctions. It cannot be separated from configuration of institution
and communities. The boundaries of marriage distinguish from other form of
relation. He further examines the American society which has advocated for six dimensions
of normative marriage system that has paved the way for establishing marriage as
a social institution. They are:
It indicates the
entry of voluntary maturity
Heterosexuality where
males are supposed to be principle earners
Sexual faithfulness
Married couple
will be parents
It is a form of
social control where behaviours and aspirations are channeled properly
It is a force
greater than individuals as it represents the collective sentiments of others.
The essayist has
critical examination of marriage systems that prevails in different society and
comes up with it as a social institution.
