Premium Essay

Marriage in Todays Society

In:

Submitted By kaelanbush
Words 617
Pages 3
Kaelan Bush
English 50
Sarah Faulkner
30 January 2014
Marriage in Today’s Society In the essay “For Better, For Worse: Marriage Means Something Different Now” Coontz describes on how she played a character on a show that abandoned the values of a traditional family and encouraged young Americans to abandon marriage (Avins 171). She also begins to talk about the pros and cons of marriage. Also, by giving data “As late as the 1960’s, two-thirds of college women in the United States said they would marry a man they didn’t fall in live if he met all their other, often economic, criteria” (Avins 172). In most cases being married is a personal goal, but it can also affect families. Americans have their own opinions about marriage. It all comes down to the individual and how they look at the aspect of marriage. Some people like idea of being single and live their life by the way they think life should be lived. Then there is the other idea of the traditional marriage, which is being married to a partner that you would want to live the rest of your life with. There are pros and cons for each way and how they affect society. Living the single life has its ups and downs. Men and women tend to fine on their own and are able to find a stable job. Single women tend to marry a man they do not love even though they fit into their criteria economically. Men are also the same way and feel obligated to marry if the woman fits his criteria just because. Single mothers have played their part and have proven themselves they are able to do well in society. Women have shown society that they are able to support themselves and a child if that was the case. Single working women have risen the marriage age and it has a big influence on couples living together. Traditional family marriages are the ones society looks up to. Mutual feelings of love between two people are what

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Barack Obama

...with set beliefs about society. He took it upon himself to enhance society with his unique perspective on social change and through active attempts to influence others. His beliefs, methods and philosophy greatly influenced society of which made Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and iconic American social leader just like President Barack Obama. President Barack Obama is one of the nations strongest political leaders that we have in our society today. His beliefs on society are shaping the way we Americans look at situations differently now. Marriage Equality is one of the main issues that our President is trying to get established today in our society. According to thinkprogress.org Barack Obama had an interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts about Marriage Equality and stated: “ I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors and when I think about members on my own staff who are incredibly committed in monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are fighting on the behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.” President Obama defends the fact about Marriage Equality being able to...

Words: 697 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Multi Cultural

...today’s society. Today in society same sex marriages is one of the major issues of equal right discussion and debate. There are many obstacles to same sex marriage and usually has a negative impact on that certain individual, the couple, and their families. According to the 200 census, “same sex couples raise more than one million children.” These same sex families have a better chance of being denied legal protections, and financial benefits because of their status. Many benefits like social security, taxes, inheritance, and medical decisions same sex partners do not receive in society today because of their personal status. Today society has many different opinions and attitudes against same sex marriage. There is major stereotyping in society today when dealing with same sex partners. Social workers will be challenged on a daily basis in their work and practice around same sex issue. Social workers are embedded in social work values and follows the Code of Ethics that provides ethical and practical guidance through same sex partners. Today in society the issues continue on same sex marriages throughout the country. Those people that support same sex marriages views this issue as a violation of human rights. They believe by not letting same sex people get married, that they are excluding them from society. People that are withholding the ability for same sex couples to adopt, and share property is a violation of human rights. People that oppose think same sex marriages will...

Words: 342 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Puritans Compare And Contrast Essay

...M Scott Peck once said, “Share are similarities and celebrate our differences.” One of the first societies in America was the Puritans in the 1690s. There are many differences between the Puritans’ society and our culture today including the importance of religion and the relation of church and state; however, there are also similarities between 1692 and 2017 societies, as is evident in how marriage is viewed. One way today’s society differs from the Puritans is the view of religion and the importance of church going. The Puritans had a strict code that had no tolerance for breaking the laws of church (“Salem Witch Trials”). In fact, if they did not attend church they were frowned upon. Today’s society, on the other hand, doesn’t force people to attend church. Many view that going to church to understand God is important, but no one becomes an outcast for not attending. Another difference in the two societies’ religion is...

Words: 666 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

I Dont Know Why I Need This

...Examine the reasons for the divorce rate in Britain today. Divorce is the legal separation of married couples. A divorce rate is the number of divorces occurring among the population of a given area during a given year. Since the 1960s there has been a great increase in the number of divorces in the United Kingdom. In Britain today, the numbers have fallen somewhat, but still stood at around 157,000 in 2001. This rate shows that about 40% of marriages will end in divorce. Some couples are more likely to divorce than others – couples such as those who marry young, those who have a child or cohabit before marriage and those where one or both partners have been married before. Functionalists are interested in divorce because they argue that a high divorce rate does not necessarily prove that marriage as a social institution is under threat. One reason for the changing rates in divorce is due to changes in the law. In previous centuries divorce was very hard to obtain, especially for women. Gradually changes in the law have made it easier for divorce to be achieved. Law changes such as equalising rights for men and women in the area of divorce, widening the grounds for divorce and making divorce cheaper are all factors which are changing the rates of divorce. Although divorce legally ends a marriage, couples find other solutions to solve the problem of an unhappy marriage; one partner leaving the other although they remain legally married (desertion); legal separation of the financial...

Words: 1203 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Arranged Marriage in Vietnam

...lot of changes in (on) all aspects of politics (politic), society, and economy, there are some bad customs that still exist (exists), such as arranged marriage (arranged married). In Vietnam, arranged marriages (arranged married) used to be very common in the past. With the changes (change) in (of) the society, arranged marriage (arranged married) is now irrelevant and not appropriate to (with) modern life (live). That tradition should be ended in Vietnam for (by) many reasons (causes), such as social injustice and negative results (result) of arranged marriages (arranged married) in the past. Arranged marriages are a social injustice. With arranged marriages (arranged married), the Vietnamese cannot choose their partner because they don’t have their human rights to decide. In the past, most marriages (married) in Vietnam were (was) arranged and set up by parents instead of by young people. Parents searched for people whom they thought were comparative for their sons or daughters based on their background or wealth. For example, the rich families didn’t want their children to get married with the poor. The young people had to accept those weddings (wedding) even though they didn’t want them (it). Arranged marriages were basically an agreement between two families rather than two young people. About 50 years ago, most marriages were (was) hold between two people who hadn’t even known each other before. Nowadays, society is based on freedom and individuality. Vietnamese have rights...

Words: 624 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Literary Comparison

...criticize their own respective societies in their work. Both works were written around the same time period, leading to correlations between the novel and play. However, both works are distinctly different from each other. The commonalities and differences between them consists of: the author’s perspective of their respective society, themes, and relevance to the society of today. The perspective of society plays a significant role when evaluating how Austen and Wilde viewed their respective societies. In each evaluation, both authors share a fair bit of commonalities...

Words: 693 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Gay Marraige

...Government legalise gay marriage in all states of Australia.' Which couple do you think is happier? Which couple do you think has the right to the security of marriage? Today I want to explain the very prevalent issue of gay marriage and what it means to gay couples, couples like the one in the photo. So what is gay marriage? What is the issue that people have been so strongly for and against? In Australian it is the federal legislation of same sex marriage. Through the alteration of the marriage act to include the marriage of same sex couples. In doing so affording the same rights to gay couples as straight couples. The main grounds people provide to why we shouldn’t allow gay marriage is that marriage is a community and religious value that only a man and a woman have the right to. In our society we also believe in the power of racial, social and religious equality so why do we continue to discriminate against gays and they’re right to marriage. I agree with the people that say marriage is a community value, Marriage holds together society and is at the core of the Australian family, but were I disagree is on the point that it should only be between a man and a woman. Why should such a valued and cherished thing like marriage be deprived to people simply because of there sexuality? The answer to that is it shouldn’t be, it shouldn’t be because the love between a woman and a man and two men or women is the same, because love is unconditional and marriage is based upon that...

Words: 567 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Sociology

...burden’ to describe the woman’s role in the family today. Item 2B Government policies and laws include tax and benefit policies as well as legislation such as relating to divorce and marriage. Sociologists have different views on the impact of these policies and laws on families. For example, feminists argue that social policies assume that the ideal family is a patriarchal nuclear family, and that government policies and laws therefore favour this sort of family. On the other hand, the New Right argue that the benefit system undermines traditional nuclear families by actively encouraging lone parents. 0 6 Explain what is meant by the ‘dual burden’ (Item 2A). (2 marks) 0 7 Explain the difference between the expressive role and the instrumental role (Item 2A). (4 marks) 0 8 Suggest three ways in which the differences between children and adults are becoming less clear in society today. (6 marks) 0 9 Examine the reasons for, and the effects of, changes in family size over the past 100 years or so. (24 marks) 1 0 Using material from Item 2B and elsewhere, assess sociological views of the impact of government policies and laws on family life. Item 2A Over the past 40 years or so, there has been a decline in the number of first marriages in the United Kingdom. One of the reasons for this decline is the change in the role of women in society. In order to develop their careers, women may be rejecting the notion of marriage altogether and remaining single. Over the same period...

Words: 5042 - Pages: 21

Premium Essay

Abs 200: Final

...Same Sex Marriages Sociology 107 Professor Durso-Finley May 6, 2012 Inequality based on sexual orientation is a common social problem people encounter every day of our lives. A lot of our societies have seen discrimination based on sexual orientation and it has become a spread out issue in many states. Because of this, same-sex marriages have been a serious concern to society. Gay marriages is looked upon as a major social problem within our society today and can viewed through three different perspectives which are functionalist, conflict, and symbolic interactionist. The components of marriage is a union between two people who share their resources, maintain a healthy family if raising children, and loving each other. Marriage is considered to be a constitutional law and it gives the right for most Americans to legally get married. Yet, in most states, same-sex marriages have been a major issue to people who oppose these new changes to their society. People still continue to follow the traditional marriage and they feel like it should neutrally stay this way. Today, only Vermont and Massachusetts have legalized same sex marriages. Functionalists view society as an orderly system composed of what each part functions for stability as a whole. They look at marriages to be like the “traditional” marriage with one man and one woman married and forms a family together. Traditional marriage is known to be between a man and woman. Opponents of same sex marriage argue that...

Words: 1991 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Marriage

... By Abdulla As the human race has evolved through the ages, so has the institution of marriage. According to an article published on BBC news, titled the ten key “moments in history of marriage”, many Anglo-Saxons and early British tribes used marriage as a tool to build strategic alliance in the realms of diplomacy and trade. With the advent of the Roman Catholic Church, the notion of marriage evolved and theologian began to view it as a sacred ceremony that was done in the presence of the Almighty. This position was further strengthened by the council of Trent in 1593 when marriage was officially deemed as one the seven sacraments. Then as the role of the church in society began to evolve so did the definition of the marriage and the way it was viewed in society. Divorce started to become more common and with the gradual separation of the church and the state, the State assumed the role of becoming an institution that granted marriage right to couple. These civil or non-religious marriages were the founding blocks for a long debate about the sanctity of marriage and led to individuals and society debate on long established of the nature of marriage and whether it is meant to be a sacred institution that allows the bond between a man and woman only or its possible for people of the same gender to share the bliss of holy matrimony. Regardless, of how society defines marriage and who it deems worthy of getting married, a very pertinent question still lingers unanswered...

Words: 1118 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Gender Equality

...clean the house and answer to their husband. It was pretty safe to say that women were never the ones that over ruled this society, but “there have been huge changes…” (182) in gender equality. Gender equality has changed dramatically over the years and the shift toward gender equality will continue over the next years to come. It all started in the 19th century something important was born and it was the birth of the women's rights movement. Women were tired of being the “caregiver[s]” (Gender Roles Within American Marriage) while the men were the “breadwinners” (Gender Roles Within American Marriage). Women had to do change things around because they could not live the same life they were living. Many of the “women were suffering under the dominance of men in their lives” (Gender Roles Within American Marriage). It was time for women to fight for “gender equality in family and society economics, social, cultural, and educational fields” (Gender Roles Within American Marriage). It was not easy for women to fight for their equality. The ones who did were punished for speaking out what they believed in. One has to remember that women did not have any kind of power or a say decades ago, but that did not stop them from fighting for their rights. Thanks to World War II women roles began to change dramatically. According to Gender Roles Within American Marriage “Gains in equality for women were...

Words: 1474 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Marriage Practices

...Marriage Practices Michelle Moses ANT 101 Prof.  Larissa Begley November 28, 2013 Marriage Practices Decades ago, what was known as the traditional wedding would be between one man and one woman. Today, traditional and other marriage practices have changed tremendously. When it comes to marriage, all cultures respect and honors its own marriage practice. Many marriage practices may be confusing and misunderstood from an outsider but will always be sacred within his/her tribe. In today’s society, we tend to self-judge another’s culture marriage practices because it is not the traditional marriage that we were brought believing. Even though we have become narrow-minded towards other forms of marriage and have come to believe that any other way wrong, marriage practices will always be performed differently. While some cultures believe in arranged marriages and same sex marriages, other cultures believe in multiple marriage partners which is known as polygamy. In some types of culture, all three of these marriage practices are accepted. Because of this, we should research farther into various cultures and find out what the reason is behind performing the different martial practices that they do because marriage will still continue in several different ways. Even though traditions might be similar to a particular point, the meaning and the marriage practices behind them are very different. When we do not have the power to choose who we want our future mate to be...

Words: 2426 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Diversity and Women

...were obtaining approximately 49 percent of all undergraduate degrees, 49 percent of all master degrees and about 33 percent of all doctoral degrees. Bu 1985 it is estimated that approximately 53 percent of all college students were women. In 1890 women comprised about 5 percent of doctors in the United States of America. By the year 1980 about 17 percent of doctors in the United States were women. Throughout American history women have typically not held decision making jobs and were paid on average about 32 to 45 percent less than men for the same jobs. Women in the United States today have almost equal opportunities for jobs or professions than men do. Women now comprise a large percentage of the U.S. workforce and also continue their professions even after child birth. It is said that there is a glass ceiling for women in regards to professional advancement (“Women in the U.S. today,” 2013). There are far less women corporate executive officers than there are...

Words: 853 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Research

...202-D22 Short Essay #2 Anthropology: Marriage and Divorce “At the beginning, the Creator made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh.’” (Matthew 19:4-6) What the bible teaches us about marriage is difficult to live by for many unmarried, married, and once married adults today. Our society has fallen so far away from the biblical standards of marriage and also of how we are to conduct ourselves inside this unity. God’s original design of marriage was to be between one man and one woman who permanently unite together. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) After God created Adam, he took from his body, and created Eve because God did not want man to be alone. Also in Genesis we read, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” (Gen 2:24) Marriage is “the total unity of persons – physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually.” (Elwell 743) Paul uses this union to symbolize the unity of Christ with the church. Unfortunately, the fall of man brought a curse upon man, nature, and marriage. Painful childbirth, sin, and the impure desires of man brought turmoil inside the covenant of marriage. Some people argue that marriage becomes official when a couple takes...

Words: 908 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Shift Between Traditional and Modern Society

...Shift Between Traditional and Modern Society From the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century till the present day, the shift between tradition and modernity has developed incredibly. The relationship between traditional and modern society, also known as ‘Mass society,’ is distinguished between the past and present, along with continuity and change. The establishment of different inventions and customs from traditional society have been handed down from generations to generations, which help shape modern society. However, one may wonder, what are the main features from traditional society that have made a dramatic impact for life today? Also, is one more sympathetic to one society, than the other? Traditional and modern families have several differences in terms of family honour, gender roles in the labour force and marriage, along with the role of government on legitimate killings and the food markets. Furthermore, technology from the industrial revolution, such as, the automobile, coal mines, and steam engines also played a great role. Thus, through the many different concepts, the role of family, government and technology, one can see that modern society is better developed and more individualistic than traditional society. FAMILY In traditional society, the honour of one’s family is based on the behaviour of the family as a whole. An individual who does something wrong, can affect not only their own honour, but also the honour of the entire family. This results in a...

Words: 3029 - Pages: 13