Unit (© Forms of Marriage; Monogamy/Polygamy; Endogamy/Exogamy ororate/Levirate Background Marriage is one of the oldest institutions of human society and it is universal. It is as old as human history. The institution of marriage has its roots in the ancient histories of almost all cultures and societies. The civilization provides cultural legitimacy to biological reproduction process. Marriage, family, kinship and the idea of remarriage are the outcome of such cultural legitimacy. Despite this legitimacy, in the era of globalization, there is a huge transformation taking place in contemporary Indian society and across the globe. Changes are taking place in marriages because of societal shifts in values, norms and ways of life due to internal and external forces. The forces of globalisation and modemization have introduced new cultural dimensions of autonomy and individual choice. Globalisation has resulted in increased of mobility of people and the huge expansion of information technology (ICT) through social medias has shaped the mindset and attitude towards these social institutions, thereby weakening the so-called traditional institution of marriage, family and kinship. For this, we will be dealing with the existing traditional forms of marriage, family & kinship vis-a-vis changing patterns or the present trends of marriage, family and kinship. Different scholars have defined marriage in different ways in different epochs. There is no universal definition of marriage Definitions of Marriage The term marriage has different meanings and connotations for different people. To some, marriage is a relationship between men and women for the propagation of the human species. ‘Some people take it as a license for sex. Yet another group considers marriage as a means for companionship. Marriage comprises all these views and much more. It is a very complex institution which cannot be defined in a sentence or two or accept a single definition unanimously. Many sociologists and anthropologists have given differing views about the meaning of marriage. Some of them are given below; As a social institution it has been defined various sociological thinkers. For Malinowski “marriage is a contract for the roduction and maintenance of children”. Gillin and Gillin have said, “marriage is a socially approved way of establishing a family of procreation”. ‘According to Koos, marriage is a dividing line between the family of orientation and family of procreation. These individual roles are different in these two forms of family. The roles in the family of orientarion ave different for the various stages as the child passes through infancy, childhood and adolescent stage. These roles are not associated with duties and responsibilities. After marriage an individual enters into the family of procreation and plays the role of a husband, a futher and an earning member. Mazumdar defines marriage as a socially sanctioned union of male and female, or as 2 secondary institution devised by society to sanction the union and mating of male and female.for purposes of (i) establishing a household (ii) entering into sexual relations (ii!) procreating and (iv) providing care for the off-spring. There are various views regarding the functional significance of marriage. In a general ae the concept of marriage in India differs from the concept in western countries. According 0 the Hindu society, marriage is regarded as a religious sacrament similarly the Christian considers as a sacrament & covenant and which is solemnized. On the other hand, some people in the western countries, regarded marriage as merely social contract, which a One to fulfill personal needs and happiness in life, Thus, marriage is bound by social as wel as legal obligations. It also builds as a foundation for families and kinship relation. Affiliation to one's descent group is based on societal norms whether the society is matriarchal or patriarchal. Matriarchal society the term matriarchal comes from the word matriarchy meaning mother right. In present day societies complete rule of the mother is not seen. What we generally have is a matrilineal society Based on lineage and inheritance pattern rather than on authority and power. For example, among the Khasi, Garo & Jaintia people of Meghalaya, Northeast India the lineage is traced through the mother and the inheritance pattern specially of the ancestral house follows the matrilineal line wherein the inheritance is by the youngest daughter among the Khasis is known as Ka Khadduh. Inheritance by the youngest child is known as the rule of ultimogeniture. In case of authority, in decision making it lies with the mother’s brother. As the power and authority lies with the male line, tule of the female or mother right is not complete in the true sense of the term. Patriarchal society, a society is based on father right or patriarchy. In such societies the lineage, descent, inheritance, power and authority is traced through the father. Daughters are part of the father’s lineage but in terms of inheritance, power and authority it moves from father to son. The rule of primogeniture is the norm that is the eldest male child becomes the heir. He inherits the property and becomes the head of the family after his father’s death, In few patriarchal societies the rule of ultimo-geniture prevails wherein the youngest son inherits the ancestral property. Among the Kachin’s of Myanmar, the rule of ultimo geniture prevails. Characteristics of Marriage 1. Universality - Marriage is a universal institution. In Korea, unmarried individuals are called ‘half persons. The Todas of Nilgiri refuse to perform funeral rites for a girl if she dies before her marriage. But they do perform it after completing some sort of marriage ceremony for the corpse. According to the Confucius, an individual who remains unmarried throughout his life commits a great crime. As Levi Strauss has observed that the unmarried primitives of Central Brazil are made to lead a miserable life. 2. Relationship between Man and a Woman ~ Marriage is a union of man and woman. It indicates relationship between one or more men to one or more women. Who should mary how many? are the question which represent social rules regarding marriage which differ significantly. 3. Marriage Requires Social Bond — A union of man or woman becomes a marital bond only when the society gives its approval. When marriage is given the hallmark of social approval, it becomes a legal contract. 4, Marriage Creates Mutual Obligations ~ Marriage imposes certain rights and duties on boththe husband and wife. . tnd wife. Both are required to support each other and their childven Marri ae : caanenis Associated _with Ceremony - Marriage gets recognised through some eyes 'S ceremony may have its own rites, rituals, customs, formalities, ete. It means nartiage has to be concluded in a public and solemn manner. Rules of marriage In all societies there are certain restrictive and preferential rules regarding marriage. ‘These Tules determine the choice of marriage pariners. Marriage in all societies is regulated by Certain rules. On the basis of these rules there are various forms of marriage, which differs from society to society. * Endogamy i + Exogamy ‘ Endogamy; This rule restricts the choice of mate within a certain group. It is a marriage within caste, tribe, race or other groups. Caste endogamy is prevalent in Indian society. According to this rule of marriage it is required that the marriage partner should be selected from same group that is within the same caste or tribe. The endogamous groups refer explicitly to the caste, and sub-caste. Caste endogamy specifies that the marriage should compulsorily take place within the caste and the sub-caste endogamy limits the marriage relations within the same sub-caste. According to Radcliffe Brown the elementary systems are characterized by preferential marriage which can be further classified into restricted and generalized marriage system. Exogamy; It is the rule which restricts the selection of spouse from certain groups. It forbids marriage within the same group. The blood relatives are prohibited from having marital connections among themselves. There are two forms of exogamy: Gotra and Sapinda, both of which are practiced in Hindu society. Members of a same gotra are supposed to have descended from a common ancestor of a rishi, therefore same-gotra exogamy matriages are prohibited. sapinda means the individuals who carry the particles of the same body. Sapinda relationship arises from being connected by having particles of the same ancestors. Hence the martiage between sapinda is prohibited. Since there is no known limit of persons related by blood, the prescribed limit for prohibiting marriage according to sapinda is within from the father’s of seven generations and five generations from mother’s side. There are two other rules of marriage in Hindu society that is hypergamy or anuloma and hypogamy or pratiloma. Hypergamy is where a woman marries into higher caste/status groups, and this is accepted traditionally whereas hypogamy is where a woman marries a man of lower caste. Anisogamy is the example of hypergamy and hypogamy. It is an asymmetric marriage alliance between two individuals belonging to different social statuses, Isogamy designate marriage between social equals or of same caste. Thus, every society prescribes different rules of marriage which specify the partners and also the groups among which marriage is not permitted. Prohibition of marriage between certain individuals is called incest taboo. The incest taboos and preferential rules regarding marriage differ from caste to caste, religion to religion and across cultures. Egyptian and Hawaiian royal families, the rule of incest taboo has not been followed. Marriage between siblings had been the norm so as to maintain the purity of the royal blood.Types /Forms of Marriage | | Types /Forms 0 2 een iffers from society There are different kinds of marriage which differs from according to: ¥ Number of mates (monogamy, polygamy, group marriage) De; y (egalitarian, patriarchal, matarhal) Residence afier marriage (patrilocal, matrilocal, neolocal) aki .d marriage) Choice of mates (free selection by young people, with courtship, arrange gi On the basis of choice (kinship, caste, class, region, religion) Exchange at marriage (bride price, dowry, price, equal exchange) Age of marriage (early/child marriage, late marriage) Strength of the relationship/bond (temporary, permanent) eh Possibility of re-marriage (no marriage after the death of husband (sati), widow or widower remarriage) SNR 60K 6 The most common form of marriage is number of mates that monogamy, polygamy and group marriage. (#) Monogamy; Monogamy is a form of marriage in which an individual is institutionally permitted to have only one spouse at a time, This form of marriage is the common form of marriage in most societies, Monogamy can be strict monogamy that allows a person to have only one spouse in a lifetime, without letting either spouse to remarry. Serial monogamy refers to a practice where individuals can marry more than once but not at the same time. In most cases People remarry after divorce or sometime after the death of a spouse. ‘There are two types of monogamy; % Homogamy — Homogamy show that martied couples tend more to resemble than to differ from each other in physical and psychological tern, For cxample, same gender. same gender, status, race, religion, some take to ihe extent of socioeconomic background) ¥ Heterogamy ~ Marriage or similar union between people of different sexes. (a man and a woman) (b) Polygamy; Polygamy is a form of marriage in which a man or a woman is permitted to have two or more spouse at the same time. A general term for polygyny and Polyandry. Either aman or a woman having more than one man or woman, ¥ Folvgyny; a man with more than one wife is known as polygyny. (Use diagram) * Sororal polygyny or fraternal polygyny; a man having more than one wife and if he is married to wife’s sister, (Use diagram) Sororal polygyny is also known as Surrogate. The term surrogate comes from Latin word ‘sorer’ which means sister. Hence it refers to a marriage practice in which a man marries the sisters of his wife, Non fraternal polygyny, refers that type of marriage in which wives of @ man are not sisters. * ¥ Polyandry: Where a woman have more than one husband. (Use diagram)* Levirate polyandry op than one husband and fraternal polyandry, Thi Non-fraternal polyan husbands of a woman Fraternal polyandry: one woman having more if all men are brothers. it is called levitate or isis done to conserve the family's prope! ‘dry: refers that type of marriage in which are not brothers. P marriage is a form of marriage where marriage is between i ‘al women. According to Murdock, the Caingang people of Brazil practiced group marriage. mem sans peek oe people nisture of polygyny and polyandry is taking place because they have Fi le Custom of female infanticide. Thus, the number of females is increasing among Laban ne US the meaning of group marriage which indicates that every man of a group is a husband of every woman of the female group and'the children so born are considered the children of the whole group, then example of such marriage is found nowhere in the world Functions of Marriage Marriage is not only a basic unit or the institution of the society, rather it is also an indispensable part of a social system. Some or other forms of marriage are found in all societies of the world. The universality of marriage points to its functional importance for maintaining social equilibrium. The functions of marriage are as follows: (d) Develops Family: Marriage is an institution which brings a family in to existence. Marriage establishes a family of procreation. It is here the children are born and bred up. It is responsible for perpetuation of lineage and establishment of kinship relations. The relations established after marriage help in maintaining social solidarity and thus contribute to the unity of society. (©) Provides Security: The system of marriage provides social and financial security to elderly members and children. It gives stability to relationships. (O Satisfaction of affiliation needs: The system of marriage also satisfies affiliation needs. Marriage is lifelong relationship between a man and a woman. Married couples are considered as lifelong companions who share ideas, attitudes, and emotions with each other. (g) Provides for economic cooperation: Marriage makes division of labour possible based on sex. Afler marriage partners distribute and divide work among themselves. (h) Regulation of sex relations: Marriage is the powerful instrument for regulating the sex life of man. It sets moral standards for the society and helps in regulation of moral life of the members of society. Thus, marriage serves protective, emotional, regulatory, and economic functions and plays an important role in stabilizing adult personalities. This institution also represents commitment of individuals and family at multi-dimensional levels which help in maintaining social organization. Apart from the above-mentioned functions of marriage, also it gives rise to a network of social relations known as kinship system. This is an important system which determines the status of a person in the family. Marriage is a universal social institution. It is associated with mutual rights and obligations. It serves protective, regulatory, emotional and economic functions. Marriage ties result in formation of kinship network which organize individuals into social groups.