 “a socially legitimate sexual union, begun with a public announcement and with some idea of permanence, and assumed with more or less explicit contract.”  In Canada most individuals today from their first sexual union or conjugal relationship, by cohabiting, not marrying  Helen Fisher, an American Anthropologist, suggests that the durability or the pair-bond is essential to the survival of humans  Feels that the only way people can ensure their continued existence is by reproducing/protecting their children  Proposed that both men and women have a biological urge to produce children-basic biological drive

 Take a moment and with the person next to you come up with a list of reasons RIGHT and WRONG reasons…. What did you come up with?

 Adults status within society  Bearing and raising of children  Share resources-improve standard of living  For individual identity  Culture expectations  Social and psychological reasons  Friendships-companionship  Happy state-love-and to be loved-social exchange theory

 To appear grown up  To be freed of parents’ supervision  Expect marriage to change them into better people -Marriage does not change people  It cannot make an immature person into an adult or an unhappy person happy Do you agree? What are your thoughts?

 Sexual urges  Loneliness  Premarital pregnancy -When this is the only factor that holds two people together, the couple will soon feel trapped and may start to resent each other and the child

 There is no one reason for marriage that is better then any other  The right reasons for marriage are all based on the mutual gratification of needs  Couples often marry to form a partnership in which they fulfill each others needs and desires  Keep in mind- current divorce rates are acting as a deterrent

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

 At the beginning of the 21 st C, it is evident that many people are not marrying  The marriage rate has declined, yet men and women continue to form conjugal relationships  Common-law marriages or cohabitation, in which a male/male and female/female live together as husband and wife without legally marrying

 Historical roots of marriage traditions and legal practices in Canada can be traced back to the Ancient Romans, Greeks and Hebrews  Marriage as a binding relationship between a man and a woman was probably one of the earliest developments when human societies began to organize themselves  It regulated sexual activity so that the biological father could identify his offspring  Consequently, adults became mutually responsible for nurturing and socializing their children  Keep in mind that marriage unites individuals and their children thus allowing them to share resources and property, here it was viewed primarily as an economic unit  In fact, for most of history, love was seldom a consideration in the decision to marry and most women had little to say in their choice of partner

 Polygyny-Practice of a man having more then one wife. Preferred form of marriage in most societies historically  Monogamy-Practice of a man having only one wife. Most common custom  Polyandry-Occurs when a society is so poor that several men are required to support a wife and children

 Marriages of the ancient Hebrew were usually arranged between patriarchal extended families for the purpose of producing sons- Betrothal  A betrothal, or promise to marry usually was agreed upon when a boy and girl were young  Although marriages were arranged, the views of the young men and women were sometimes considered  Brides value as a potential mother was symbolized by the payment of a bride price -by the grooms family to the brides family  Brides family gave her a dowry -in the form of money, household items, or land, so that she was able to establish a home for her new family  Mutual obligations of husband and wife were recorded in a marriage contract  A wife was expected to obey her husband, and she could be divorced if she could not bear sons  Sororate Obligation  Sister or close female relative replaced a deceased wife in her married- ensure children in the same blood line  Levirate Obligation  Husband dies, brother of deceased man had to marry his wife and provide a child as heir for the deceased man

 Read the following article: Arranged marriages and dowry What do you think?  Have any of you read articles on this topic?

 Read pages and complete the following chart

 Marriage has always been an economic union  Divisions of labour provides for the well- being of spouses and children, and also benefits the society in which they live.  Clearly differentiated roles: › MEN- Instrumental Role  providing for their family, work and earn and income › WOMEN- Expressive Role  emotional role, providing a supportive home for their husbands/wives and nurturing their children.

 Economic benefit is achieved by sharing resources  Now that women are educated and earning comparable incomes to their husbands- less likely to accept traditional marriage roles  Moving towards EGALITARIAN RELATIONSHISP  men and women share the responsibilities rather than adhere to fixed gender roles.  LAW side- assume contributions are equal therefore- separate- assets distributed evenly › This is if you decide to marry or cohabit for 1 year in Ontario, you assume this unwritten contract under Canadian Law.

 There must be benefits to marriage that outweigh the advantages of the alternatives- cohabitation or remaining single

 Read updated reading and pay attention to changes- increases, decreases ect.

 Marriage continues to be typical for individuals in Canada and all parts of the world  Despite the common assumption that men and women will meet, fall in love, marry in their early 20’s, and stay married to the same partners  As we have seen there has been a constant change in the pattern of marriage  Current ideal of romantic marriage might be threatened by: -Increased divorce rate -Cohabitation- raise’s questions about the purpose of marriage

Please think about the following questions, pair up with someone close to you, then share your ideas “Should cohabitation have the same legal standing as marriage, or should cohabitation be an alternative relationship for those couples who want none of the legal rights or responsibilities of marriage”