Lec 1. Chapter 1.  The Meaning of Marriage and the Family

 

I.  Family—Cen Bur def: group 2 or > rel. by birth,marriage,or adopt,live 1 household

            A. dominant household form:  68 percent of households in U.S.

            B. Possible Contemporary revision: by birth, marriage, adoption, choice

II.  Marriage as a Legally Recognized Union between a Man and a Woman: united sexually, cooperate economically, may give birth to, adopt, or rear children

A.     Non-Western cultural variation:  child as young as 6 may marry

B.     spirit marriage:  arranged b/ dead in 1 region of China for patrilineal line

a.       if men too poor marry or die, parents adopt son, preserves descent line

C.     Arranged marriage: family members choose partners vs. romantic love

D.    church role: early middle ages, priest’s blessing not important, but 10th century only valid if performed by priest, 13th century must occur in church

E.     Today: validated by government issued marriage licenses

F.      Who may marry changed in 150 yrs: slaves once prohibited (were property)

G.    Interracial: ban in 1/2 states til 1966--Supreme Court rules unconstitutional

H.    First cousins:  may marry some states, not in others; states regulate marriage

I.       Same-sex marriage: Netherlands, Belgium; Ontario, Canada (2003).

J.      1993 Hawaii Supreme Court: rules unconstitut. deny gay/Lesbian marriages

a.       1998 69% vote amend state constit. ban: > ˝ states follow by Nov.

K.    1996 Defense of Marriage Act: deny federal recog. to same-sex couples

L.     1999 Vermont Supreme Court: rule state legislature must grant marriage or legal equivalent to same-sex couples, providing with range 300 state benefits

a.       civil unions:Vermont law in 2000—same rights,protection as marriage

M.  2003 Lawrence and Garner vs. Texas: Supreme Court strikes Sodomy ban

a.       Texas law: men jailed and fined for having sex in own home

N.    monogamy:  minority preference among known world cultures (24%)

a.       polygyny:>1 wife(84% of non-West societies,but minority world pop)

                                                                           i.      Mormons:abandon late 19th cent,as condit. of Utah’s statehood

1.      continued practice: 60,000 fundamentalists+some Nation of Islam

b.      polyandry: >1 husband; rare, always coexists with polygyny.

c.       1879 Surpreme Court:  bans polygamy

d.      serial monogamy:  1 person has >1 spouse (not simultaneous) in life

O.    Bedouin society in Egypt: marriage arranged by elder males in 2 families

P.      1997 Proportion in U.S: 60 % of adult population over 18 years is married