What is the definition of marriage in sociology?

Marriage and family are key structures in most societies. While the two institutions have historically been closely linked in U.S. culture, their connection is becoming more complex. The relationship between marriage and family is an interesting topic of study to sociologists.

What is marriage? Different people define it in different ways. Not even sociologists are able to agree on a single meaning. For our purposes, we’ll define marriage as a legally recognized social contract between two people, traditionally based on a sexual relationship and implying a permanence of the union. In practicing cultural relativism, we should also consider variations, such as whether a legal union is required (think of “common law” marriage and its equivalents), or whether more than two people can be involved (consider polygamy). Other variations on the definition of marriage might include whether spouses are of opposite sexes or the same sex and how one of the traditional expectations of marriage (to produce children) is understood today.

Sociologists are interested in the relationship between the institution of marriage and the institution of family because, historically, marriages are what create a family, and families are the most basic social unit upon which society is built. Both marriage and family create status roles that are sanctioned by society.

So what is a family? A husband, a wife, and two children—maybe even a pet—has served as the model for the traditional U.S. family for most of the twentieth century. But what about families that deviate from this model, such as a single-parent household or a homosexual couple without children? Should they be considered families as well?

The question of what constitutes a family is a prime area of debate in family sociology, as well as in politics and religion. Social conservatives tend to define the family in terms of structure with each family member filling a certain role (like father, mother, or child). Sociologists, on the other hand, tend to define family more in terms of the manner in which members relate to one another than on a strict configuration of status roles. Here, we’ll define family as a socially recognized group (usually joined by blood, marriage, cohabitation, or adoption) that forms an emotional connection and serves as an economic unit of society. Sociologists identify different types of families based on how one enters into them. A family of orientation refers to the family into which a person is born. A family of procreation describes one that is formed through marriage. These distinctions have cultural significance related to issues of lineage.

Drawing on two sociological paradigms, the sociological understanding of what constitutes a family can be explained by symbolic interactionism as well as functionalism. These two theories indicate that families are groups in which participants view themselves as family members and act accordingly. In other words, families are groups in which people come together to form a strong primary group connection and maintain emotional ties to one another over a long period of time. Such families may include groups of close friends or teammates. In addition, the functionalist perspective views families as groups that perform vital roles for society—both internally (for the family itself) and externally (for society as a whole). Families provide for one another’s physical, emotional, and social well-being. Parents care for and socialize children. Later in life, adult children often care for elderly parents. While interactionism helps us understand the subjective experience of belonging to a “family,” functionalism illuminates the many purposes of families and their roles in the maintenance of a balanced society (Parsons and Bales 1956). We will go into more detail about how these theories apply to family in.

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Meaning and Definition of Marriage

Marriage us an institution to satisfy physical, psychological, social, cultural and economic needs of men and women. The primary aim of marriage is the regulation of sexual activities through a stable relationship, which otherwise may cause to social disruptions. Marriage has been defined as an institution for admitting men and women into family life, legitimating offspring and establishing other rights and obligations of husband, wife and children.

Types of Marriage

Types of Marriage on the Basis of Number of Mates

• Monogamy: this is a form of marriage in which a man or woman remains in marriage with only one man or woman at a time. He/she can remarry another in the circumstances of divorce or death of partner. This is the most common type of marriage present in the world.
• Polygamy: Here, a man or woman is permitted to marry more than one woman or man and live with all partners at a same time. Here, a man is married to more than one woman. This is permitted among Muslims and some of the tribes.
• Polyandry: Here, a woman is married to more than to one man
  • Fraternal Polyandry: Here, woman marries men who are brothers. This practice is common among the Khas tribes of Uttaranchal.
  • Non- Fraternal Polyandry: If the husbands of a woman are not brothers. That form of marriage is called non- fraternal polyandry. This is prevalent among the Nair caste of Kerala.

Rules of Spouse Selection

Every society has certain rules to govern the marital alliances among its members. Mostly the members are not allowed to marry whoever they wish. Such rules are listed below,

Prohibitive Rules

This put a restriction on the selection of mates and is done according to religious norms and customs.

Perspective and Preferential Rules

There are some rules which give preference to certain types alliances over others. There are some customs which prescribe or direct implicitly as to whom one should marry or prefer to marry. They are called perspective rules. Some of such rules are as follows.

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