MARRIAGES, INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS & SOCIETY

MARRIAGES, INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS & SOCIETY Unit 3 – Chapter 6

The Purpose of Marriage Functionalists: • However, most people choose to marry for personal reasons, • Many individuals feel that getting married gives them adult status within their

The Purpose of Marriage • In the past, marriage provided legitimate access to sexual partners and ensured the bearing and raising of children • Now, of Canadians accept adults having premarital sex but expect to marry when they want to have children • Marriage also allows individuals to

A Legal Point of View 3 Models of Marriage in Western Society: (Justice Blair – Court of Appeal for Ontario) emphasizes the complementary biological and social roles of men and women and views marriage as the ideal situation for raising children views marriage as a private agreement between individuals, with an emphasis on self-expression of sexuality views marriage as a committed, intimate relationship based on emotional support. Although it is founded on individual choice, it focuses on connection within the community.

A Legal Point of View • Canada currently follows the which assumes: • obligations of mutual support • shared social activities

Love & Marriage Social Exchange Theorists: • The contemporary ideal in most cultures suggests that marriage is a happy state in which one can love and be loved • Canadians said what they liked most about marriage was companionship, including love and support and the stability of the relationship

Love & Marriage • Spouses are expected to express their love for each other in an • If a marriage must be consummated by sexual intercourse to be valid, this emphasizes the role sexual activity should play in a marriage • In Canada, an exclusive sexual relationship is central to the purpose of marriage, therefore refusing to have sex with a spouse is grounds for divorce,

Marriage & Identity • When people marry they acquire the status of husband, wife, spouse or life partner • Marriage changes how other people see them, • explains that by interacting with others who see them as a husband, wife, spouse, or life partner individuals take on the

Marriage & Identity • The commitment model is based on shared lifestyle • In the past, if men or women wanted to improve their social status, they would marry someone of higher status • Today, individuals who want to improve their quality of life will choose a partner who has similar goals and financial means, they will strive together to develop a higher status

The Timing of Marriage • The timing of significant developments in life is determined by a culture’s and by an individual’s readiness to make the change • Canadians believe the best age to marry is for men and for women (2004)

The Timing of Marriage • the average age of first-time brides was years and for grooms was • many Canadians cohabit before they marry, but it is not clear whether cohabitation is a • emerging adults are delaying marriage, but they are also

The Timing of Marriage • Marriage is no longer the significant rite of passage into adulthood that it once was • Several adjustments in the social clock accommodate these changes

The Economics of Marriage • Marriage has always been an • The economic benefit is achieved by • Marriages are no longer essential for economic survival for women who are employed and self-supporting • Women who are educated and earning comparable incomes to their spouse are less likely to accept traditional marriage roles

The Economics of Marriage • As the dual-income marriage becomes the norm, egalitarian relationships are more common • Canadian family law assumes that individuals make an equal economic contribution to their marriage

The Economics of Marriage • By law, when a couple separates, all assets are communally owned, regardless of individual income • Spouses have a responsibility to share their income for mutual support • Couples who choose to marry or to cohabit for assume this unwritten contract under Canadian law

Cohabitation • Most common choice of Canadians for their first conjugal relationship (a relationship based on a sexual union) • Also called a • Although cohabitation begins less formally than marriage, spouses are still subject to some legal obligations and they are more likely to separate than if they were married

Cohabitation • Fewer emerging adults are married, but the decline is almost offset by the greater number of • Between 2001 – 2006, the number of families with cohabiting adults increased by while families with married adults increased by only , and single-parent families by

Cohabitation • Most people assume that cohabitation means living together before marriage, • The high divorce rate makes some people feel a need to test their relationship before making a firm commitment • Although cohabitation is perceived to be insurance for a lasting marriage,

Cohabitation • cohabiting couples marry than in the past • Common-law couples are separate than married couples • Couples who marry after cohabiting are

Cohabitation People who cohabit might: • be less selective about their partner because they feel the • not make the commitment to the relationship by or developing • not be

Cohabitation • Perhaps living together without a commitment changes people’s idea of marriage and family and reduces the importance of commitment so they’re more likely to separate when problems arise • Perhaps the problems that prevented marriage in the first place might continue to cause difficulties after the marriage

Same-Sex Couples • Same-sex relationships have always existed, since the Civil Marriage Act was passed in same-sex marriage has been permitted in Canada • In Canada, individuals choose to marry or cohabit based on the romantic attraction of partners, not on the traditional responsibilities that are defined in the law or by religious beliefs

Same-Sex Couples • of Canadians feel that same-sex couples should continue to have the right to marry (2009) • marriage provides partners and their children in gay and lesbian families that it provides to

MARRIAGES, INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS & SOCIETY