How Spousal Selection Impacts An Individual 's Life Long Journey

When looking for a partner to settle down with, one usually seeks someone who is similar to them. They might look for individuals with similar hobbies, beliefs or even age. The reason behind this is due to a theory known as Social Homogamy. Social Homogamy is when individuals are attracted to a person of a similar ethnicity, race, age, or maybe even beliefs. (Gonzalez, n.d). Due to this, there is ultimately a correlation between sameness and compatibility as when people are more alike they might relate and get along better. When people see others who are like them, they subconsciously become attracted to them along with having feelings of trust and comfort (Patel, 2017). This eventually leads to a closer bond and possibly a more successful relationship (Patel, 2017). The purpose of this research is to examine why marrying within a specific social group is more advantageous than marrying an individual of a different social group. Firstly, individuals of different social classes tend to have different norms, and this leads to key differences. Secondly, the distinctions in age groups between the couple can negatively affect a couple’s marriage due to dissimilarity, thus leading to dispute. Lastly, when a partner of an individual is from the same or similar social group, they will fit in and better adapt to their partner’s lifestyle. Therefore, marrying within the same social group is more advantageous than being with a partner opposite to them. This can be proven through the

Modern, contemporary society’s mindset on marriage has shifted considerably over the years. Some research has noted the increase in early sexual experiences, greater acceptance of cohabitation and the increase in narcissistic tendencies, are complicating and muddying the ideals of what marriage means to people today. Research done on this subject resulted in several studies that found that spouses who did not believe that marriage would last forever, were less likely to commit to the relationship financially and were more likely to have extramarital affairs.

As stated in our text, various factors can bind married couples together, such as economic interdependencies, legal, social and moral constraints, relationship, and amongst other things. In the recent years some of these factors have diminished their strengths. The modern generation sees marriage in a different perspective altogether. Individuals today feel they are stable independently, they do not need to rely on their spouse for emotional or financial support. Many are career driven and soar to conquer their dreams over settling down with a family. Such untraditional views have increased divorce rates.

About two centuries ago a new standard to the way marriage should be viewed came about. This set higher expectations for marriage. This change made more strict divorce laws, in turn made it harder to end a good marriage, it gave individuals more freedom to refuse a spouse. “The husband became the family’s economic motor, and the wife its sentimental core.” (p. 385) By the late eighteenth century marriage became a private contract between a husband and wife and was not regulated by church or state. However many working-class families did not adopt the new norms until the twentieth century. Different culture and countries still argued their views, many changed their description of an ideal mate.

In over half a century, marriage has transformed from being a social requirement to simply being an option in today’s society. What has caused this change? Many institutions in our society have changed drastically along with marriage. Although these institutions have not caused marriage to be optional, they do strongly correlate with the decreased value. The economy, education, religion, and government have all altered since the 1950s. When any institution encounters a change, all other institutions are affected. Family is a major institution in society, and I believe that marriage is an important aspect of this institution. Cohabitation, religion, women in the work world and divorce have all effected the way marriage is viewed today.

In my article that I have chosen, the CBS News hosted Dr. Strohschein Lisa, a sociology professor at the University of Alberta in Canada for a talk show. She talked about modern marriage saying that it never is what it used to be. According to Dr. Strohschein, the concept of love is a complex thing to study, since the term is that there are no real metrics to quantify it (Williamson, 2013). Strohschein says that based on her numerous research studies on why individuals get married, and how the dynamics of love in marriages work, one can conclude that marriage has evolved.

A survey of 14000 adults states in ‘A Guide to Family Issues: The Marriage Advantage’ that marriage was a pertinent factor contributing to happiness and satisfaction with forty percent of the married individuals being happy as opposed to 25 percent of either single or cohabiting individuals. The same study shows that ninety eight percent of never married respondents wished to marry and out of those 88% believed that it should be a lifelong commitment. Even though, divorce rates are rising numerous researches show that young people aspire to have a lasting marriage.

Imagine a world with no family, no true happiness, and your rights as an individual was completely revoked. If a higher authority came along and determined the future of our society, then we would end up no differently than the Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. The characters have lost their rights as an individual and now rely on one another to gain a sense of security. Ironically, Huxley’s prediction of the future is starting to become a reality as our society is becoming unstable by separating from any true relationship or family values and relying more on casual relationships, technology, and material things. Society is starting to look at marriage as an obstacle, rather than a union.

The following two articles were compared and contrasted to each other. “Why Marriage Makes People Happy” by Phillip Moeller talks about the causes of happiness in marriage. “Most Woman Would Rather Divorce Than Be A Housewife” by Lisa Wade discusses that women would prefer an egalitarian marriage. Both articles state that when social roles are divided into half, women are happy in their marriage. Living arrangements of gender roles in marriages years ago differed from marriages today but in some cases it still lingers in relationships. After completing a survey of the type of ideal relationship women and men

Marriage is a sacred union between two people who share love. For a long time, there has been a misconception about everything surrounding it. Whether it is the divorce rate, or the average happiness of married couples, many believe only the negative. Researchers often look only for the downside and forget to emphasize all the benefits marriage brings. In her book, The Good News About Marriage, Feldhanh discusses all of this and more in depth to bring to light the truth about marriage. Love is great and sharing a life with someone is something so special; therefore, it shouldn’t be looked down on based on misconceptions.

“Americans do not seem to be interested in a reality check on the topics of love and marriage. After all, it seems to be more fun to believe in fairy tales” (Hornblow). There is a large number of Americans who would get married at least once in their lives, without thinking of the importance of a marriage and the possibilities that could happen based on quick decisions. The true meaning to what marriage is, issues involving marriage, which causes the divorce rate to rise in the United States, and the importance of marriage, to what is being done to increase the chance of a happy long-lasting marriage. Marriages in the United States can be seen by the explanation of the effects of not being able to tackle problems, or being able to learn how to work through complex issues of everyday life as a married couple.

It is thought that marriages are made in heaven and celebrated on Earth, but how long can they be celebrated for? The question that continues to stump people today, is how a marriage can last for years and even decades at a time. To understand a long-lasting marriage and what makes one prosper, one must first look at the steps it takes to create the foundation of a healthy marriage. The ability to understand extremes is where researchers define the spectrum of normalcy. To begin with, one must figure out what it is that terminates a marriage.

A quote from a famous American author, Mark Twain says “Love seems the swiftest but it is the slowest of all growths. No man or woman really knows what perfect love is until they have been married a quarter of a century.” The definition of marriage varies with cultures and views. The most popular and idealistic notion is that it’s a result from the unconditional love of two people wanting to share it for the rest of their life, in a committed and long bonding way. For some, however, marriage is more of an economical arrangement, a pact for two people to help and catch each other when the other one fall. And for others, it is just a paper that one can throw away if not needed, or by simple

In Aviva Patz’s essay, “Will Your Marriage Last”, the author reflects on reasons marriages often fail through the studies of a University of Texas professor of human ecology and psychology, Ted Huston, and through her own research. Patz reveals that much of her interest in the subject of failed marriages and why they occur comes from her own experience in a failed marriage. She says that in her second marriage she wants to make it work and because of this desire, she found herself studying this subject.

It may seem strange, but I come from a family where there are no divorces between any of my family members, and I have a very big family. If someone in my family marries a person, it seems like there is a high chance for them to stay together. This may seem to contradict my parallel views to current marriage trends, but I believe it more so reflects these views instead. Many of the people in my family who get married are with the person they will be married to for many years beforehand. I think this is an important part to relationship commitment as a whole; without being with someone for a long time, you will not truly know all aspects of the person before marriage. I even found myself ending a 3 year relationship because I found the person was not beneficial for me to stay committed to in the