Married Life Both Before And After History Essay

Married Life Both Before And After History Essay Class certainly played a part in marriage in the 16th century, as romantic love was not seen as a good reason for marriage. The higher up the class scale a person was the more likely they were to have an arranged marriage. Marriage was considered rather important as it enhanced your standing in society, especially for the male as he would become a person of consequence and would gain the role of master of the house. Conscious of the responsibilities a husband assumed on marriage, parents of daughters favoured a man of means and maturity.  [1]   Arranged marriages were frowned upon by the church but nevertheless many arranged marriages took place with the newlyweds often being in their early teens and marrying through pressure with some women felt forced into marriage by their circumstances, unwilling to remain a burden on their family.  [2]   However the lower class tended to marry somebody they had spent a great deal of time with as they tended to socialise in groups, the lower class often married at an older age due to the need to save up and acquire some land to set up home. Marriage in 16th Century Britain was very different to the marriages of todays world, as Stone pointed out marriage among the property-owning classes in sixteenth-century England was a collective decision of family and kin, not an individual one.  [3]   This shows that class was an important part of marriage with rich families often arranging marriages for their children from a very young age as It was more common for the wealthier families to arrange marriages as it was a serious and complicated matter but, as Stephanie Coontz put it, If love could grow out of it, that was wonderful .  [4]   Poorer people could marry later and had more choice. Civil and ecclesiastical law enabled marriage at an early age 12 for a girl and 14 for a boy. Bottom of Form Top of Form The legal requirements for a marriage before the Marriage act of 1753 was a simple process of promising to do so in the presence of a witness furthered by the physical consummating of the relationship. Such informal marriages were not approved by the church who wanted all couples to marry in church before a minister, after the public announcement of the intention to marry had been carried out for three weeks, this is also known as the reading of the banns but resorting to irregular marriage was evident in the sixteenth century.  [5]   This form of engagement was much stricter than those of today as such a promise was seen, as equivalent to a marriage and it would not be a rare occurrence for the brides to be carrying child. Most 17th century marriages were arranged weddings with consent being an important issue as love was not seen as a strong platform for marriage but was viewed as a foundation as this would mean the couple were both compatible and comfortable with one another. The brides family would often pay a sum of money known as a dowry to the groom to pay for the maintenance of the women who in return was promised her dower which was a percentage of the brides estate that the wife would be entitled to on his death. However, love did begin to be used for marriage with the enlightenment train of thought and the belief that the pursuit of happiness was the meaning of life. Marriage through love was now beginning to be considered more important than material goods. The Industrial Revolution would further consolidate this view as the middle class increased tenfold and young bachelors could afford to pay for their own wedding, parental approval and arrangement for marriage were no longer as important or needed. The Marriage Act 1753 or An Act for the Better Preventing of Clandestine Marriage to give it its full title gained Royal Assent in 1754 and came into force on March 25th of that year. It was the first statutory legislation to require a ceremony of marriage in England and Wales and revolutionized the way marriages performed. Consent to marry for anybody under the age of 21 was made law but a limit on age was not introduced. The wedding would also have to take place and be celebrated in church with an entry, signed by all parties, being placed in the parish records. It can be argued that the law was a response to the upper classes agitation at manner in which young heir were trapped in an indissoluble marriage and would lose their money. Furthermore, the Act made it a legal requirement for the reading of the banns to be carried out for three successive weeks prior to the wedding taking place if the parties wishing to marry did not have a license to do so. Marriages by under 21s were acceptable on licence if they had gained the parental consent they needed. However, marriages done so by the reading of the banns were valid unless the parent of the youngest had forbidden the banns. The Act was highly successful in its stated aim of putting a stop to clandestine marriages By the 18th Century, couples were increasingly given the freedom to choose their own partner and many relationships began being based on personal preference and attraction rather than by the parents orders. Top of Form By the 19th Century British women carried the expectation o becoming pregnant, however due to life expectancy being greater for girls than that of the boys, coupled with the number of males serving in the armed force resulted in a shortage of suitable spouses. English law became based on the principle that the male would earn the money whilst the females stayed at home and kept the house. The few women that did work saw her wages passed directly to their husbands under the 1882 Married Property Act. Womens rights had not really been affected by the Marriage Act with females from upper class families being the only ones who had access to education, albeit in subjects viewed as necessary skills for women, such as embroidery This lack of education was seen as unbeneficial by women as it did not develop the women in any way other than menial tasks. In her book, A vindication of the rights of women, Mary Wollstonecraft, claimed that through education would come emancipation and that women had a right to be educated due to it being she who is primarily responsible for the education of the young. Furthermore, Mary Wollstonecraft stated that educating the women the same, as men would strengthen marriage, as the couple would have some topic to share and talk about and that a stable marriage is a partnership between a husband and a wife a marriage is a social contract between two individuals Wollstonecraft goes on to argue that educating women will strengthen the marriage relationship. Her concept of marriage underlies this argument. A woman thus needs to have equal knowledge and sense, to maintain the partnership. A stable marriage also provides for the proper education of children.  [6]   It was impossible for a woman to be granted a divorce even if the male had committed adultery, as the ideal was that upper and middle class women were dependant on a male figure, father, and husband. Men were given the right to divorce if their woman had been adulterous under the Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857, women, however could not divorce their husband if he committed adultery. If a divorce was granted the ownership of the children was passed to the father who had the power to banish the mother from the children if he so desired. Divorce became a less and less taboo subject due to the religious reformation and the way in which society began to question the validity of the church and God. Notwithstanding the ardour of religious reformers in Europe, the established church was brought into question during the reign of Henry VIII and in turn, Protestantism prevailed with the new church taking precedent. The role of the family became an important issue for theorists, none more so than Lawrence Stone, who, in 1977, put forward his theory the three stages of movement within the family. Stone claims that a power shift in the attitudes towards marriage could be seen through the early modern period, with affective individualism replacing the cold patriarchal traits. Stones three movements can be summarised as: The open lineage family 1450 1630. The attitude towards relatives would have been formal to a point of almost been cynical and callous. Upper class couples were distant to each other and as a result, their (often-arranged) marriage was akin to a business relationship. The immediate family were held in the same regard as the lineage members. Restricted patriarchal nuclear family 1550 1700. The importance of kinship was replaced with a growing importance been placed on the immediate relatives. This coincided with The Reformation criticising arranged marriages and the coldness within them, along with stressing the importance of a close nit family. Closed domesticated nuclear family 1640 1800. Love becomes priority with patriarchy in fast decline. Children were shown great affection and seen as a gift rather than a burden. Marriage for love became the norm and replaced the economic reasons to marry. The rise of the romantic novel allowed sex and passion to be legitimate in marriage and not just a tool for reproduction. Romantic love was the reason for marriage, not business. Stone did face criticism though, perhaps, none more so than at the hands of Alan Macfarlane who claimed that Stones thesis was flawed as it had overlapping periods, which gave no consideration to the fact it created conflicting evidence. Stone was also criticised for using evidence associated with the Roman Catholics and using them to strengthen his argument about the Reformation, for example claiming sex was a mere tool for procreation. Stones argument that people were discouraged from marriage and emotional attachment due to the high mortality rate is flawed, given that the mortality rates had sustained a high rate in the early eighteenth century, a time that Stone claims affection and love was growing and taking over as the main reason for marriage Finally, manuscripts and other medieval sources (Chaucer) did not back up, nor consolidate his argument that marriage was a loveless union with a lack of affection for the spouses. With romantic novels booming it was clear that people had an understanding and appreciation of love.

Families Growing Weak in America Essay

Higher divorce rates directly contributes to the breaking down of the family structure identifying that families are growing weaker in the United States. It is tremendously essential for family members to remain together in order to maintain a strong family unit where each individual in the home is able to prosper and develop into a more solid and successful person contributing to a stronger America. Patrick Fagan and Robert Rector, explain the negative effects of divorce on our families in America when they tell us that, (2000, Fagan, Rector) â€Å"As social scientists track successive generations of American children whose parents have ended their marriages, the data are leading even some once-staunch supporters to conclude that divorce is hurting American society and devastating children’s lives. † Not only does divorce affect each individual in the family when the separation of the family occurs but it continues to devastate those same lives later in their personal lives and in their careers later in life, contributing to the breaking down of families and causing an even weaker America. We also learn from Fagan and Rector that According to data reported in 1994 by Mary Corcoran, professor of political science at the University of Michigan, â€Å"During the years children lived with two parents, their family incomes averaged $43,600, and when these same children lived with one parent, their family incomes averaged $25,300. † It is fair to assume that families are growing weaker in our country and in to establish a more concrete and stronger family unit, it is extremely crucial that families work harder at staying together in order for the family to be more successful and grow from a weaker family in our country to a stronger one. For children to grow up to be more successful, parents must strive to build a stronger household by taking all necessary means to keep their family together as one. Dr. Scott Haltzman tells us that (2007, Haltzman, DiGeronimo)â€Å"Overall, children living with their own married parents have fewer behavioral problems compared to children whose parents are living together but not married. Differences in the area of physical health also exist. Young children in single-parent families are less healthy overall than are children in all other family types. † Children from broken homes need extra medical care because of this weakening of the family structure. It is never too late to start building stronger families and working toward improvement in America. There is outside help being offered to families who feel they may need therapy or other means of help to keep their family together. (1985, Stinnent, DeFrain) Nick Stennett and John DeFrain explain that we can get help and tells us about community services that may be beneficial. He tells us that â€Å"Many children and families are resilient, but in these complex times, sometimes they need a little assistance in overcoming the obstacles in their lives. † Reference Page Fagan, Patrick; Rector, Robert. 2000. The Effects of Divorce on America. The World and I. Haltzman, Scott; DiGeronimo. 2007. The Secrets of Happily Married Men. Jossey and Bass. Stinnett, Nick; Defrain, John. 1985. Secrets of Strong Families. Berkley Books

Concepts of Sociology Essay

Values, beliefs, behaviours, practices, and objects that constitute a peoples way of life. This is referred to as Culture. It takes two forms; material culture and non-material culture. Material culture being a physical trait and non-material culture being a non-physical trait. A prime example of a physical trait for a material culture in Ireland for example would be our national flag or a shamrock. This represents our culture and is recognised world-wide as being associated with us. Physical traits such as these are known as symbols of our culture. Having said that, a good example of a non-physical trait of culture would be the language of that culture, or the belief system. It’s something we don’t physically wear on our person but we know it is there. Our religion, our native tongue; Gaeilge. Each culture has their own non-physical trait. Culture consists of the beliefs, behaviours, objects, and other characteristics common to the members of a particular group or society. Through culture, people and groups define themselves, conform to society’s shared values, and contribute to society. Thus, culture includes many societal aspects: language, customs, values, norms, mores, rules, tools, technologies, products, organizations, and institutions. This latter term institution refers to clusters of rules and cultural meanings associated with specific social activities. Common institutions are the family, education, religion, work, and health care. Popularly speaking, being cultured means being well-educated, knowledgeable of the arts, stylish, and well-mannered. High culture—generally pursued by the upper class—refers to classical music, theater, fine arts, and other sophisticated pursuits. Members of the upper class can pursue high art because they have cultural capital, which means the professional credentials, education, knowledge, and verbal and social skills necessary to attain the â€Å"property, power, and prestige† to â€Å"get ahead† socially. Low culture, or popular culture—generally pursued by the working and middle classes—refers to sports, movies, television sitcoms and soaps, and rock music. Remember that sociologists define culture differently than they do cultured, high culture, low culture, and popular culture. Sociologists define society as the people who interact in such a way as to share a common culture. The cultural bond may be ethnic or racial, based on gender, or due to shared beliefs, values, and activities. The term society can also have a geographic meaning and refer to people who share a common culture in a particular location. For example, people living in arctic climates developed different cultures from those living in desert cultures. In time, a large variety of human cultures arose around the world. Culture and society are intricately related. A culture consists of the â€Å"objects† of a society, whereas a society consists of the people who share a common culture. When the terms culture and society first acquired their current meanings, most people in the world worked and lived in small groups in the same locale. In today’s world of 6 billion people, these terms have lost some of their usefulness because increasing numbers of people interact and share resources globally. Still, people tend to use culture and society in a more traditional sense: for example, being a part of a â€Å"racial culture† within the larger â€Å"U. S. society. †

Confucianism And Its Impact On Religion - 1208 Words

In these days, is very helpful that each person has a religion because it is more peace for the world. In the negative way religion is very controversial because there are many unbeliever cases that have been happen. Since the beginning of human’s life there are many belief and different religious in the world. Knowing about religion is very interesting because with this knowledge, people would respect other people beliefs. Obviously, if there are many religions, there are people from different religions. There are two religions that I am going to emphasis: Confucianism and Christianity. There are many factor to cover; the aspects about each religion, the similarities, and the differences between both. Each religion has a different way to†¦show more content†¦For example, Father acted a father, successively each person depend on their roles. This way to identify themselves each person was called rectification of names, was a technic to motivated people to have Ren su ch respect, harmony education, and love each other. For Confucianism, people naturally are good, human’s conduct would be good or bad depend on the society their social conditions. Another Confucian term is li, it was more refer that religion is relate with cosmos meaning. It was because for Confucius ritual was very important. Confucius believed that the society was continued in five relationships, for example, ruler and subject, father and son, husband and wife, elder and younger, friend and friend. In general it is most about how people are benefits each other according to the relationship. There are other two philosophers that have different point of view between them, Mencius who believed that human are naturally good so there is not an evil. In contrast, Xunzi believed that human are evil because they are selfish so they need education and social control to be a good persons. In Confucianism are three form of religious expression, one is teaching people in the same way , rituals and how the people develop in the society. Confucianism is more emphases in family and community. Other important traditions in Confucianism are The Han Synthesis and Ying- Yang. The Han