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Marriage Defined
The very definition of marriage has been twisted
to accommodate the situational ethics of our times. Marriage is
commonly defined as the social institution under which a man and
a woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by
legal commitments, religious ceremonies and customs according to
the laws under which one lives. Marriage is not simple “living
together” as some like to say.
Marriage is more than a convenience for people to
use in pursuit of selfish goals. I had one young woman ask if hers
was a binding marriage since she married only to help a friend get
legal citizenship papers. I have heard of other cases as well, even
from some in church. Surely we can see the fallacy of such reasoning.
When eligible couples go through due process required by the legal
statutes of the state in which they will be married and are pronounced
husband and wife.
The Marriage in the 19th Century
Marriage in the 19th century was different to the
20th century. There were different practices and customs. When a
man and a woman got married, the function of the man was to go to
work and support his wife and children. The husband gave his family
what they needed, provided his wife with her clothes, food and rent.
In other words, the husband was the main provider of the family.
The function of the woman as a wife was to take
care of her husband and her children. The woman was mainly a housekeeper.
She had to clean the house, mop the floor, wash the clothes, and
cook the meals. Most of the women stitched clothes for the family
and iron clothes. They had many duties at home. The wife was dedicated
to her husband and children.
The role of men and women during the 19th century
was very specific. Women had to take care of her husband, her children
and her house. Women didn’t have any right to be involved
in other social activities. Meanwhile men were the providers of
the family and had the right to be involved in other social activities.
In this century, women did not finish their studies.
Most of them finished only the sixth grade and got married very
young. Men had the right to finish their studies, and they selected
the profession that they wanted such as mechanic, doctor, lawyer,
dentist or accountant. But women did not have the right to continue
their studies as men. When a woman wanted to go to work in something,
she could only work as a teacher or a secretary. Men thought that
women could be developed in those two jobs because they believed
that women were not as intelligent as men.
In conclusion, marriage in the 19th century centered
around the domestic role of women in marriage and family life. Actually,
in the 20th century had been remarkable changes in married life.
Feminist Revolution
The Women’s Liberation Movement has been very
controversial since 1961. President Kennedy gave the first sign
of new life to the women with the establishment of a commission
that Esther Peterson created. The movement helped them to know more
about their human rights such as rights in marriage, access to attend
college and job equality. They also had the opportunity to vote.
Nowadays, women have the same rights as men because
they feel the necessity to work to help their husband to support
the family. Not only that, if they have children they would like
to give them a better education. There are many reasons that they
prefer to work instead of stay at home.
In some cultures the marriage is totally different
than others. For example, a traditional Hindu marriage is when the
parents feel that their son is mature to get responsibility. The
boy’s father used to go in search of a girl. When they found
her, they immediately asked her parents’ approval. But in
Latin America, when a boy falls in love with a girt, he used to
talk to the girl’s parents about their engagement. So the
boy immediately gave her a gorgeous engagement ring, which she would
use when they got married.
To summarize, marriage is an important decision
that everybody has to take in a certain age. Therefore, people must
be very concerned about it and take it very responsibly. Marriage
is commonly defined as the social institution in which a man and
a woman establish their decision to life as husband and wife by
legal commitments.
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