MARRIAGE

MEANING, DEFINITION, FUNCTIONS AND TYPES

MARRIAGE
Marriage is one of the universal social institutions.
 It is established by the human society to control and regulate the sex life of man. It is closely
connected with the institution of family. In fact, family and marriage are complementary to each
other.
As Gillin and Gillin have said, "Marriage is a socially approved way of establishing a family of
procreation".
As Westermarck has remarked,"Marriage is rooted in the family rather than the family in the
marriage".
Marriage is an institution of society which can have very different implications in different
cultures. Its purposes, functions and forms may differ from society to society, but it is present
everywhere as an institution
DEFINITIONS OF MARRIAGE
There is no definition which adequately covers all types of human marriage. It has given a
number of definitions and explanations among which the following may be noted.
Edward Westermarck in his "History of Human Marriage" defines marriage as "the more or less
durable connection between male and female lasting beyond the mere act of propagation till
after the birth of offspring“
 Malinowski says that marriage is a "contract for the production and maintenance of children.
 According to Robert H. Lowie, "Marriage is a relatively permanent bond between
permissible mates“.
CHARACTERISTICS OF MARRIAGE
(I)Universality: Marriage is more or less a universal institution. It is found among the pre-literate
as well as literate peoples. It is enforced as a social rule in some of the societies. For
example:Japan, celibacy is publicly condemned. In Korea, unmarried individuals are called 'half
persons. Among the Hindus, marriage is a sacrament which is regarded as more or less
obligatory. The Todas of Nilagiri refuse to perform funeral rites for a girl if she dies before her
marriage. But they do perform it after completing some sort of marriage ceremony for the
corpse. According to the Chinese philosopher Confucius, an individual who remains unmarried
throughout his life commits a great crime.
(ii)Relationship Between Man and Woman: Marriage is a union of man and woman. It indicates
relationship between one or more men to one or more women. Who should marry whom? One
should marry how many?-are the questions which represent social rules regarding marriage
which differ significantly.
CHARATERISTICS
(iii) Marriage Bond is Enduring: Marriage indicates a long lasting bond between the husband
and wife. Hence it is not coextensive with sex life. Marital relationship between man and woman
lasts even after the sexual satisfaction is obtained. The Hindus, for example, believe that
marriage is a sacred bond between the husband and wife which even the death cannot break.
(iv)Marriage Requires Social Approval: A union of man and woman becomes a marital bond
only when the society gives its approval. When marriage is given the hallmark of social approval,
it becomes a legal contract.
(v)Marriage is Associated with Some Civil or Religious Ceremony: Marriage gets its social
recognition through some ceremony. This ceremony may have its own rites, rituals, customs,
formalities, etc.
(vi)Marriage Creates Mutual Obligations: Marriage imposes certain rights and duties on both
the husband and wife. Both are required to support each other and their children.
FUNCTIONS
 1. Regulation of Sex Life: Marriage is the powerful instrument of regulating the sex life of man.
Sexual impulse is powerful in man. He is exposed to its influence throughout his life. It is an urgent
and an irresistible need of man. It has to be controlled and regulated in a proper manner to avoid
chaos and confusion in society. Marriage has come to be such a regulative means.
2.Marriage leads to the Establishment of the Family: Marriage insists on the couple to establish a
family of procreation. It is here the children are born and bred up. It is the marriage which determines
the descent of the new born individual. Inheritance and succession follow the rule of descent.
3.Provides for Economic Cooperation: Marriage makes division of labour possible on the basis of sex.
Partners of marriage distribute and divide work among themselves and perform them.
4.Marriage Contributes to Emotional and Intellectual Interstimulation of the Partners.
5. Marriage aims at Social Solidarity: Marriage not only brings two individuals of the opposite sex
together but also their respective families and groups. Friendship between groups is reinforced
through marriage. It is often suggested that by encouraging marriage between different groups,
castes, races, classes, religious, linguistic and other communities, it is possible to minimize the social
distance between groups and strengthen their solidarity.
 Forms /Types of Marriage
Marriage can be classified on the basis of : 1. Rules/Restrictions of Marriage

2.No. of partners
3.Social Status

i.MARRIAGE ON THE BASIS OF RULES/RESTRICTION

1.ENDOGAMY: Endogamy is a rule of marriage in which life partners are to be selected within the
group. It is a marriage within the group, and group may be caste, class, tribe, race, village, religious
group, etc.
2.EXOGAMY: Exogamy is a rule of marriage in which an individual has to marry outside his own group.
It prohibits marrying within a group. Eg. Marriage outside of blood relations, near relatives, Village
exogamy (Munda & other tribes of Chotanagpur, MP), Gotra Exogamy.
 ii. On the basis of number of partners:

MONOGAMY POLYGAMY

1. Monogamy: Monogamy denotes marriage to one spouse at a time.

 In this form, a man can have only one wife and a woman can have only one husband at a given
time.
 Monogamy is the familiar pattern of marriage for most of us.
 Monogamy seems to be the popular and more accepted form of marriage.
 In monogamy after choosing a partner, the individual lives with a single spouse throughout
his/her lifetime.
POLYGAMY: Polygamy denotes marriage to more than one partner at a given time .

POLYGAMY

POLYGYNY POLYANDRY

1.Polygyny: Wherein one man has two or more wives at a time. Polygyny can be seen as a strategy that
allows powerful males to control reproductive resources and to tactically manipulate kin ties.

2. Polyandry: Wherein one woman marries more than one man at a given time. Polyandry can be a social
response to harsh economic conditions and extreme poverty when a single man cannot adequately support
a wife and children. Extreme poverty may also pressurize a group to limit its population.
 iii. SOCIAL STATUS
ON THE BASIS OF SOCIAL STATUS

HYPERGAMY HYPOGAMY

1. Hypergamy: In hypergamy, a man marries a woman of a lower social group or a woman marries up
which elevates her position in society.
2. Hypogamy: in the opposite, is a form when a man marries up or marries a woman of a higher
social status group. This type of marriage offers a man from a lower rank an entry into a higher ran
CONCLUSION
Since the 1980's there has been increasing interest in gay, lesbian, transgender marriages and
partnerships.
These are 'families of choice' as opposed to the conventional 'families of blood.
 In 1989, Denmark became the first country to formally recognize homosexual marriages.
 Formal recognition meant extending some social legitimacy to gay, lesbian, and transgender
couples, as well as conferring legal advantages for health.
Marriage is a socially acknowledged sexual union between two adults, not only connects those
two individuals but connects a wider range of people.