Discuss The Social And Cultural Role Of Marriage Essay

Submitted By Chloelou30
Words: 810
Pages: 4
Open Document
Discuss the social and cultural role of marriage. Compare and contrast at least two different examples of how marriages are used by different peoples, and consider its social and cultural meanings and roles in each context.

Marriage is one of the customs established by people, which reflects attitudes, beliefs and behaviors. Marriage is a personal relationship between two people with communal or religious acknowledgment which is often created as an agreement. Marriage is a part of almost every society or culture and is seen as either a social basis which gives structure, support and stability or is seen as a part of religion. The western society might pay more importance to love whereas other cultures might see it as a religious foundation that is compulsory to have a family.
In the 1960’s Napoleon Chagnon studied the Yanomamo tribe who are the indigenous people of the Amazon Rainforest bordering Brazil. Marriage in the Yanomamo tribe is considered to be very important even though they do not practice any actual wedding ceremony. Marriage is a social dynamic within the villages, these dynamics include the giving and receiving of girls they believe are suitable for marriage. Marriages are arranged by older male kins, usually the father of the girl. These arrangements involve a process in which girls are promised in marriage at an early age, mostly before puberty, by men who want to create alliances with other families through marriage exchange. These alliances are kept by continuing to exchange girls with the same family, however if there isn’t a female suitable for marriage, there can be a temptation to trade with another family. Trading with other families may cause tension and can lead to conflict.

According to the beliefs of Hinduism, marriage is a sacred tradition created by their gods for the welfare of human beings. Its main purpose is procreation and the continuation of human life on earth. A man and women are believed to come together as husband and wife for spiritual reasons rather than because they love each other. Marriage is not just a mutual agreement between two individuals but is a social contract as they are expected to carry out particular duties to maintain family traditions and keep their god happy. Marriage is also used to support and sustain social order as it is closely related to the Hindu caste system which tells you whom can and cannot marry. There are four main castes which are recognised by traditional Hindu society and they are primarily based on hereditary occupation. The highest caste are the Braamin, followed by the Kshatriya, then the Vaishya, then the sudra and at the bottom the untouchables. Marriages outside your own caste is prohibited to avoid inter-mixture of castes. In some cases, if a man of a braamin caste were to marry a female from a lower caste, such as the Vaishya catse, this may be allowed. However a man from the sudra caste marrying a women from a higher caste or a man from a higher caster marrying a sudra women is highly unacceptable and is never
Show More

Related Documents: Discuss The Social And Cultural Role Of Marriage Essay

Essay Morton R100 Handouts 1

to the following questions: How do funeral rituals describe by the Lynch family show our cultural values about death and dying? How would a sociologist create a research question to systematically evaluate the claims that the Lynch family makes about death and dying? The funeral industry arguably exists to serve micro-level relationships, consoling individuals who have just lost others central to their social existence. How is the funeral industry connected to institutions at the community and…

Words 4206 - Pages 17

Research Paper Pride And Prejudice

December 2014 In reading Jane Austen’s, Pride and Prejudice we are faced with various types of marriages and how they came to be. In my research of marriage I have learned that life lessons are far from prefect and yet one needs or wants to be married at some point in his or her life. Whether one chooses to marry for financial stability, convenience or love is one of the age old questions of time. Marriage is a bond between a man and a woman who have chosen each other to share and live their lives…

Words 1987 - Pages 8

same sex marrige Essay

Same sex marriage On June 28, 2013, two days after the United States Supreme Court ruled that California’s proposition 8, aimed at banning on same sex marriage, is unconstitutional, the federal court of appeals for the Ninth US Circuit in San Francisco lifted the ban on same sex marriage in California today, ruling with immediate effect. California becomes the thirteenth legal same sex marriage states in United States. Historically, the view of majority rule impacts Americans, for there are…

Words 3435 - Pages 14

Essay on Mbuti Cultural Society

The Mbuti Cultural Society Karen Johnson ANT 101 Harry Sanabria March 18, 2013 The Mbuti Cultural Society Culture can be defined as principles, viewpoints, and various ways thoughts shape and influence people’s behavior. Each society has its own reasoning’s of what works best for their culture. The Mbuti Pygmies Society is one of the several ancient groups of hunters and gatherers living deep in the heart of Africa’s Ituri Forest. Today, the Ituri Forest is as the Congo. This paper…

Words 1284 - Pages 6

Gregorio Dati's Summary

manufacture and sale of silk cloth,” utilized his diary to track and discuss both his life and his dealings within late Medieval Florence. He gave extensive background information on his family, particularly in terms of dates of key events, as well as the monetary dealings within his partnership and personal business. This document disclosed “the private life of a successful Florentine merchant,” which was necessary in order to discuss the intricacies behind business and commerce within fifteenth century…

Words 1208 - Pages 5

Women and the Law Essay

issues relevant to women. In the last fifteen weeks of class we covered a lot about women and the law. The course was divided into eight sections and covered subjects from the meaning of gender to social changes. The first week of class talked about the meaning of gender and how women were viewed. The role of gender makes a big difference in an individual’s life. A few decades ago, women were considered properties of men; whether the husband or the father, and women were forbidden to do a lot of things…

Words 1367 - Pages 6

Essay about A report investigating family diversity

family just by marriage or adoption. A household can still be a family but this can also be an individual, or a group of unrelated people that share income to cover all household bills. The family can be very diverse and there are many formats to what people believe constitutes a family. The family unit has changed throughout the years and different types of family are emerging and are starting to be seen as 'normal' but would have never have been considered many years ago, and social attitudes will…

Words 1625 - Pages 7

Essay about Adoption and Long Cultural Tradition

PH417: International and Multicultural Women’s Health and Social Issues Health Policy Panel Presentation Points: 80 Purpose To expose you and the class to several reproductive health topics and policy options that may affect women’s health outcomes. This exercise also allows the opportunity to see the underlying beliefs of differing viewpoints. This, in turn, will aid in building a bridge with those who hold varying beliefs. Finally, it allows for practicing the presentation of complex topics…

Words 1442 - Pages 6

Article Review of “the Ideal Works of Edmonia Lewis: Invoking and Inverting Autobiography” by Kirsten P. Buick Essay

and Inverting Autobiography” focuses on several different works by the African-Indian sculptor. The article is beneficial in analyzing the cultural significance of Lewis’s works. Buick concentrates specifically on six of Lewis’s sculptures: Forever Free, Hagar in the Wilderness, Minnehaha, The Old Indian Arrowmaker and His Daughter, Hiawatha, and The Marriage of Hiawatha. Buick states, “while the subjects of her sculptures are African American and Native American women, invoking her autobiography…

Words 1039 - Pages 5

Gender Roles In Islamic Culture

The issue of gender roles and the subsequent treatment of women is a topic that is reflected as a taboo in Islam. This very controversial issue is defined in both the Quran and the history of the Muslim culture. Much like the relationship shared by Christians towards the Bible, the Quran is the religious text in Islam, and it ambiguously highlights the relationship of women in the Islamic culture. Although the Quran states that “ men and women are religiously equal” and have to adhere to the same…

Words 1912 - Pages 8