Concept of Marriage – Behavioral sciences explore the cognitive processes within organisms and the behavioral interactions between organisms in the natural world. It involves the systematic analysis and investigation of human and animal behavior through the study of the past, controlled and naturalistic observation of the present and disciplined scientific experimentation and modeling.
It attempts to accomplish legitimate, objective conclusions through rigorous formulations and observation. Generally, behavior science deals primarily with human action and often seeks to generalize about human behavior as it relates to society.
Concept of Marriage
Marriage is the intimate union and equal partnership of a man and a woman. It comes to us from the hand of God, who created male and female in his image, so that they might become one body and might be fertile and multiply though man and woman are equal
Marriage is both a natural institution and a sacred union because it is rooted in the divine plan of creation.
The free consent of the spouses makes a marriage. From this consent and from the sexual consummation of marriage a special bond arises between husband and wife. This bond is lifelong and exclusive. The marriage bond has been established by God.
Definition of Marriage
According to Horton and Hunt
“Marriage is the approved social pattern whereby two or more persons establish a family”
According to Edward westermarck:
Marriage as “the more or less durable connection between male and female lasting beyond the mere act of propaganda till after the birth of offspring”
According to Anderson and Parker
Marriage is the sanctioning by a society of a durable bond between one or more males and one or more females established to permit sexual intercourse for the implied purpose of parenthood”.
According to John Levy and Ruth Monroe
“People get married because of the feeling that being in a family is the only proper indeed the only possible way to live”.
According to Malinowski
“Marriage is a contact for the production and maintenance of children”
According to Mark and Young
“Marriage is the institution or set of norms which determines the particular relation of harmony to each other and to their children”
Social Benefits of Marriage/Importance of Marriage in Social Life
Marriage, the union of one man and one woman, is a personal, but not private, relationship with great public significance. Marriage is good for the couple; it is also provides the optimal conditions for bearing and raising children. Marriage makes an essential contribution to the common good. Some specific benefits are identified below.
Marriage and Health
- On average, husbands and wives are healthier, happier and enjoy longer lives than those who are not married.
- Men appear to reap the most physical health benefits from marriage and suffer the
greatest health consequences if they divorce. - Married mothers have lower rates of depression than single or cohabiting mothers, probably because they are more likely to receive practical and emotional support from their child’s father and his family.
Marriage and Wealth.
- Married couples build more wealth on average than singles or cohabiting couples.
- Married men earn more money than do single men with similar education and job histories.
- Married women are economically better off than divorced, cohabiting or never-married women.
Marriage and Children
Children raised by their own married mother and father are:
- Less likely to be poor or to experience persistent economic insecurity
- More likely to stay in school, have fewer behavioral and attendance problems, and earn four-year college degrees
- Less vulnerable to serious emotional illness, depression and suicide
- More likely to have positive attitudes towards marriage and greater success in forming lasting marriages
Marriage and Crime/Domestic Violence
- Married women are at lower risk for domestic violence than women in cohabiting or dating relationships.
- Boys raised in single-parent homes are more likely to engage in criminal and delinquent behavior than those raised by two married biological parents.
- Married women are significantly less likely to be the victims of violent crime than single or divorced women. Married men are less likely to perpetrate violent crimes than unmarried men.
Marriage and Society
- The institution of marriage reliably creates the social, economic and affective conditions for effective parenting.
- Being married changes people’s lifestyles and habits in ways that are personally and socially beneficial. Marriage is a “seedbed” of prosaically behavior.
- Marriage generates social capital. The social bonds created through marriage yield benefits not only for the family but for others as well, including the larger society.
Marriage may have the following characteristics.
1. Marriage is a universal social institution. It is found in almost all societies and at all stages of development.
2. Marriage is a permanent bond between husband and wife. It is designed to fulfill the social, psychological, biological and religious aims.
3. Marriage is a specific relationship between two individuals of opposite sex and based on mutual rights and obligations. Relationship is enduring.
4. Marriage requires social approval. The relationship between men and women must have social approval. Without which marriage is not valid.
5. Marriage establishes family. Family helps in providing facilities for the procreation and upbringing of children.
6. Marriage creates mutual obligations between husband and wife. The couple fulfill their mutual obligations on the basis of customs or rules.
7. Marriage is always associated with some civil and religious ceremony. This social and religious ceremony provides validity to marriage. Though modern marriage performed in courts still it requires certain religious or customary practices.
8. Marriage regulates sex relationship according to prescribed customs and laws.
9. Marriage has certain symbols like ring, vermillion, special cloths, and special sign before the house etc.
Functions of Marriage
- 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 through his life. It is an urgent and an irresistible need of man.
- Marriage leads to the establishment of the family: Sexual satisfaction offered by marriage result in self- perpetuation. It means marriage insists on the couple to establish a family procreation. it is here the children are born and bred up.
- Provides for economic co- operation : Marriage makes division of labor possible on the basis of sex. Partners of marriage distribute and divide work among themselves and perform them.
- Marriage contributes to emotional and intellectual inter stimulation of the partners : Marriage brings life partners together and helps them to develop intense love and affection towards each other.
- Marriage aims as social solidarity: Marriage not only brings to individuals of the opposites sex together but also their respective families, groups and kind red. Friendship between groups is reinforced through marriage
Or
- Procreation of children.
- Sex regulation.
- Children socialization.
- Provide legal parents to children.
- Give economic security to women.
- Provide social security to women.
- Increase manpower.
- Establishes joint fund.
- Fulfillment of basic needs.
- Population of the lineage.
Classification of Marriage
On the basis of number of mates:
On the basis of number of mates marriage may be classified into three types such as Monogamy, Polygamy and Endogamy or group marriage. This can be known from the following diagram.
Monogamy
Monogamy is an ideal, widespread and rational type of marriage. It is found in all civilized societies. Monogamy refers to a marriage of one man with one woman at a time. This type of marriage is normally unbreakable in nature. It continues till death. Today the principle of monogamy i.e. one husband and one wife is practiced and emphasized throughout the world.
Monogamy is of two types such as serial Monogamy and non-serial Monogamy.
(i) Serial Monogamy:
In serial Monogamous marriage the possibility of remarriage exists in case of divorce or death. in spite of his remarriage he remains to be monogamous.
(ii) Non-serial Monogamy:
In case of non-serial monogamy the question of remarriage does not arise by either of the couple. Here a spouse has the same single spouse throughout his life.
Advantages of monogamy marriage: However, Monogamy is an ideal or best form of marriage because of it’s different advantages which are as follows:
➤ It is suitable for all society and for all levels of people.
➤ It provides better sex satisfaction to both husband and wife.
➤ It promotes better understanding between the spouse.
➤ It minimizes jealousy, hatred and quarrels in the family.
➤ It upholds gender equality and provides equal status to men and women.
➤ It provides stable sex-life and stable family life. Children are taken proper care by parents.
➤ It facilitates easy rules of inheritance and succession.
Because of the above advantages Monogamy is considered as the best form of marriage and is practiced everywhere. The only disadvantages of Monogamy is divorce which is resulted due to the monogamous boredom.
Polygamy
Polygamy is a type of marriage in which there is plurality of partners. It allows a man to marry more than one woman or a woman to marry more than one man at a time. Polygamy is of three types such as polygamy, polyandry and endogamy or group marriage.
A. Polygamy:
Polygamy is a type of marriage in which a man marries more than one wife at a time. In this type of marriage each wife has her separate household and the husband visits them in turn. It was a preferred form of marriage in ancient Indian society. But now it was not in practice among majority of population.
But it is now found among few tribal’s such as Naga, Gond and Baiga. Economic and political cause was mainly responsible for polygamy. Besides man’s taste for variety, enforced celibacy, Barrenness of women more women population etc. are some of the cause of polygamy. Polygamy is further divided into two types such as Sororal polygyny and non- sororal polygyny.
a) Sorroral Polygamy:
Sorroral polygamy is often called as surrogate. The term surrogate comes from the Latin word ‘sorer’ which means sister. Accordingly it refers to a marriage practice in which a man marries the sisters of his wife at a time or after the death of his wife.
(b) Non-sororal Polygamy:
It is just opposite of the sororal polygamy, when a man marries several women at a time who are not necessarily sister to each other it is known as non-sororal polygamy.
B. Polyandry:
Polyandry is a very rare type of marriage in present day. In this type of marriage a woman marries several men at a time. In the words of K.M. Kapadia, “Polyandry is a form of union in which a woman has more than one husband at a time or in which brothers share a wife or wives in common. At present it is found among some of the tribes like toda, khasi and nayars. Polyandry is divided into two types such as fraternal polyandry and non-fraternal polyandry.
(a) Fraternal Polyandry:
When several brothers share a common wife it is called as fraternal polyandry. Draupadi’s marriage to Pandabs is fine example of fraternal polyandry. The determination of father is associated with some rituals. At present time this type of marriage is practiced by some tribals like toda and khasi.
b) Non-fraternal Polyandry:
It is just opposite of fraternal polyandry. In this type of marriage husbands of a woman is not necessarily brother to each other. This type of marriage is found among the Nayars of Kerala, Wife goes to spend some time with each of her husband. So long as a woman lives with one of her husbands, the others have no claim on her. This mainly happens due to scarcity of women.
C. Endogamy or Group Marriage:
On the basis of choice of mate or on the basis of rules of mate selection:
Marriage may be divided into two types i.e. endogamous and exogamous marriages on the basis of choice of mate or on the basis of the rules of choice of mate. Endogamy is divided into four sub types such as caste, sub-caste, varna and tribal endogamy. Similarly exogamous marriage may be divided into four sub-types such as Gotra, Pravar, Sapinda and village exogamy. All this can be presented in the following diagram.
Endogamy Or Endogamous Marriage
Endogamy or endogamous marriage refers to the marriage within one’s own group such as within one’s own caste, sub-caste, varna and tribe
In other words there are several types of endogamous marriage such as caste endogamy, sub- caste endogamy, varna endogamy and tribal endogamy.
(a) Caste endogamy:
Caste endogamy is a type of endogamous marriage in which marriage takes place within one’s own caste. Members of each caste marry within its own caste group.
(b) Sub-caste endogamy:
It is another type of endogamous marriage. In sub-caste endogamy marriage takes place within one’s sub-caste only.
(c) Varna endogamy:
Varna endogamy is another type of endogamous marriage. In the traditional Indian Society we found the existence of four varnas such as Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Sudra. In varna
endogamy the choice of mate is restricted to one’s own varna only.
(d) Tribal endogamy:
Tribe is a territorial group. Tribal endogamy is a type of endogamous married in which the choice of mate is restricted to one’s own tribal group. Like caste tribe is also an endogamous unit.
Exogamy Or Exogamous Marriage
It is just opposite to the endogamy or endogamous marriage system. It refers to a system of marriage in which an individual has to marry outside one’s own group such as gotra, pravara, sapinda or village. This is a sound marriage system which leads to the creation of healthy and intelligent children.
However there are several forms of exogamy such as:
A. Gotra exogamy:
Gotra refers to clan. Members of a particular gotra or clan supposed to have close blood relation among themselves. Hence according to gotra exogamy one has to marry outside one’s own gotra.
B. Pravara exogamy:
Pravara means siblings. People originating from a common saint are said to belong a particular Pravara. According to Pravara exogamy one has to marry outside one’s own pravara. Marriage within pravara is forbidden.
C. Sapinda exogamy:
Sapinda means-lineage. People belonging to five generations from father side and three or seven generation from mother side are known as sapindas. They believed to belong a particular pinda. Hence according to sapinda exogamy marriage within one’s own sapinda is forbidden. They are supposed to marry outside one’s own sapnida.
D. Village exogamy:
According to this principle marriage within one’s own village is forbidden each and every society prescribes certain rules relating to marriage. Some societies put several restrictions on marriage among kins whereas some other societies allows marriage between a limited number of kins.
a) Cross-cousin marriage:
When marriage takes place between one’s mother’s brother’s daughter/son with father’s sister’s son/daughter we called it as cross cousin marriage. The marriage of Abhimanyu with Sashikala is an example of this cross-cousin type of marriage. This type of marriage supposed to be practised in some part of Orissa, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra etc. This type of marriage occur to avoid payment of high bride price and to maintain one’s family property.
b) Parallel Cousin marriage:
When marriage takes place between the children of either two sisters or two brothers it is known as parallel cousin marriage. This type of marriage is mostly found among Muslims.
c) Levirate:
It is otherwise known as ‘DevarVivaha’. When a woman marries her husband’s brother after the death of her husband it is known as levirate. This type of marriage is found among some tribes like the Gond, the Munda or the Santal the oran and the Toda etc
d) Sororate:
It is otherwise known as ‘SaliVivah’. When a man marries his wife’s sister after the death of his wife or even when the wife is alive it is called as sororate. This type of marriage is found among some tribes like the Kharia and the Gond.
E. Anuloma or Pratiloma:
Sociologist have classified marriage into Anuloma or Pratiloma.
a) Anuloma marriage or Hypergamy:
When a man of higher caste or varna marries a woman of lower caste or varna it is called as Anuloma or Hypergamy marriage. In traditional Indian society hypergamy is known as Anuloma. This was in practice among the nobles in the past. In Bengal it was found in the form of Kulinism.
b) Pratiloma marriage or Hypogamy:
Pratiloma or hypogamy marriage is just opposite of Anuloma or hypergamy. When a man of lower caste or status marries a woman of higher caste or status it is known as pratiloma or hypogamy marriage
Read More….