Cultural Anthropology BLOG #4: The Cultural Benefits of Marriage

Marriage is a culturally-designed practice which functions within each community depending on its economic, social and political constructs. Different cultures use different forms of marriage to aid the human need of survival while still maintaining the social environment of culture. What I find interesting that many cultures have decisions about marriage, that although appear vastly different from America's relationship norms, in many ways are similar. From comparing these types of marriages with American relationships, we can see that there is no right, wrong, natural, or unnatural sort of union, but only different types of marriage that serve different purposes.

For most cultures, the preferred marriage is the one that gives social or economic benefits. As culture is preserved through positive reinforcement, people who marry through the preferred custom of the culture are more easily rewarded with what society provides. In America, since heterosexual monogamy is ordained as the most ethical form of marriage by traditional Christianity, it is given the most rights and economic benefits. To have any control over crisis-like situations with a partner in America, you must be married. Unfortunately, many homosexual men and women who are not allowed to marry do not have rights such as visiting their loved ones in the hospital or deciding what to do if their lover dies. In most loans and retirement plans, heterosexual couples are usually given the most rights and financial aid.

Marriage is sometimes dictated by the social and political boundaries reinforced through culture. Arranged marriages in India are influenced through the social attitude towards women and the culturally-preserved caste system of social class. In India, women do not have as many rights or occupational opportunities in their future as men do and therefore rely upon an economically secure marriage for their survival. Because a young woman does not have choice in her new husband, her parents will decide the type of man she is to marry. Although India's caste system was long ago abandoned, the implied social stratification still resides within its culture. The chosen husbands of Indian marriage are not free of the bound financial implications within India's social hierarchy; Indian parents are very careful when going about to choose their daughter's husband, as the wealth or education of her husband will determine her survival.

I also interested in how the decision of whether to marry or not is influenced in American culture. As members of an individualistic society, Americans are more easily allowed to make lifestyle decisions which deviate from the cultural ideal. Although many people in America are not religious, the typical, American wedding vows are formed off of Christian beliefs, therefore partly influence Americans to get married for the sake of their morality. In my own life, I do not see myself getting married, as I do not like the social connotations aligned with marriage: patriarchal gender roles, acceptance from a religious institution and government involvement in my personal relationship with my spouse. I would much prefer to be committed to someone and stay with that person because I truly love them, without having to stay simply because I have legal documents binding myself to another person. In terms of the Christian definition of morality, I think it is less immoral not to marry than to marry and end up not loving that spouse , yet still staying with that person. Many Americans think that the idea of commitment is "natural", however the "walking marriage" of the Mosuo in China show that different types of marriage can also be seen as "natural". In this marriage, there is no formal engagement or commitment, but simply a relationship of two lovers who may or may not produce children. There is no obligation from the father to his possible children, even though most fathers do form close relationships with their children. From an American perspective, this type of relationship could be seen as irresponsible on the father's part, however, this marriage promotes that the father remain loyal and helpful to his own nuclear family. In light of commitment, the "walking marriage" promotes a different, yet valid kind of commitment to one's immediate family.