SOC244H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Monogamy, Civil Marriage, Mormonism And Polygamy
Document Summary
Chapter 4: the wedding ceremony has two social functions. First, it is the public acknowledgment that a new family has been created. Whatever we throw, we are wishing the couple fertility: in this chapter, we will be looking at marriage as a social practice that both influences and is influenced by the wider society. Marriage: a legally and socially recognized union. The marriage act identifies people, such as brothers and sisters, who cannot marry because they are too closely related by blood or adoption. One plural wife suggests that being one of several not only lightens the burden of housework and childcare, but also provides co-wives with an exceptionally skilled husband. Marriage rate: a measure of marriages that occur in a given year: it does not include common-law unions or already existing marriages. Three factors may be involved: woman"s greater education levels, poor opportunities for young workers, and an increase in the proportion of couples living together before marriage.
