Download Marriage (Definition and History)

Marriage
(Definition and History)
Marriage
Definition: a socially legitimate sexual
union, begun with a public announcement
and with some idea of permanence, and
assumed with a more or less explicit
contract.
Questions
1. What does a socially legitimate
relationship mean?
2. Identify a variety of couple relationships that
exist in Canada today.
3. Are any of these not socially legitimate?
Why?
Contract
Definition: implies a socio-cultural
understanding about the rights and
responsibilities of the individuals in the
relationship.
Conjugal Unions
Definition: Sociologists refer to
marriages as conjugal unions to denote
relationships in which individuals live
together in a sexual relationship.
The Origins of Marriage
• Helen Fisher suggested that the
durability of the pair-bond, a mating
relationship between a male and
female, is essential to the survival of
humans.
• Fisher concludes that the desire to form
an enduring pair-bond is a basic
biological drive.
Functionalism
• Functionalists describe marriage as a
social institution that developed as an
important part of the organization of
society to meet human’s basic needs.
• The diversity of marriage reflects the
various ways that societies organize to
meet the functional requisites of sexual
reproduction, socialization of children,
and division of labour.
Exchange Theory
• From the perspective of exchange
theory, people get married because
they think being married will be better
than being single.
Lesson Learning Goals
1. C2.2 explain mate-selection, courtship, and
marriage customs in various cultures,
religions, and historical periods
2. C2.4 analyse differences among roles in
intimate relationships in various social,
historical, and ethnocultural contexts
Activities
1. Read pp. 172-176: Marriage in Western Traditions.
2. Define all bold terms.
3. Complete a chart that compares the different ways
marriages are formed, the obligations and roles of
spouses, the expectations concerning the marriage
relationship, and how marriages can be ended, in each
historical period.
4. Complete handout: Understanding Marriage
Requirements in Ontario