One thing that I found over the course of the semester that made something familiar seem strange is marital, social and sexual monogamy in American culture. We are attracted to a person, build a relationship with them, sexually and/or emotionally, and expect to be their only partner. We value loyalty and the concept of love in our culture. If one partner breaks these rules, in most cases, this turns the other off. But as I have learned, in a lot of cultures this isn’t the case. There are several cultures that having multiple marriages, not getting married or only being with someone for reproduction purposes is totally normal. Love is taboo. Like Ongka’s culture, he is able to have many wives and many children among those wives and that is
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
Marriage is described as two people as partners in a personal relationship. There are two typical ideas of marriage that we know today. The first one that comes to mind is the one we all know, based on love, but there is another one that some may not even know of and its arranged marriages. Arranged marriage is not typically in our culture we know but in different cultures arranged marriages are their normal marriage. Throughout this essay, I will discuss the importance of realizing cultural diversity and how we apply the perspectives we gain from cross-cultural comparison to our own experience using central concepts about marriage to compare and contrast marriage in several cultures.
This is done through creating cultural rituals around family, kin, and marriage. In Baka culture, the more pigs (acts like money), the wealthier and more influential the person is, so in Onka’s Big Maka, Onka tries to give as a large amount pigs away. If he is able to do this, he can become an influential political leader, gain prestige in the village, and means he can afford more wives. The more wives a man has, in Baka cultures, the higher social status he has. All cultures center around survival of the species as all humans compete to find the best mates in their society, and usually, love plays no part in this process. In Ju/Wasi culture marriage is used to gain free labor. The women themselves hate the idea of marriage, as they usually have no say in who they marry. The main goals of the marriage are free labor and to conceive offspring, but this leads to about half the marriages falling apart (Robbins, Dowty 197-8). The way people behave also changes as family and marriage become a part of their lives. In the Ju/Wasi culture after the first year of marriage the husband and wife cannot eat together, talk about their sex life in public, or show affection towards each other in public (Robbins, Dowty 200). However, as people’s connections with each other deepen, obstacles and conflict can develop and affect the family’s
In Millennium: Strange Relations, presented by David Maybury Lewis examines the concept of marriage by focusing on three different groups the Nyimba of Nepal, Wodaabe of Niger, finally a Canada (Western European viewpoint). Lewis also examines the concepts of monogamy, fraternal polyandry, and polygyny with the respective case studies.
In some cultures, people didn’t marry for love and those who did were looked down upon; whereas in modern times, it’s the opposite in many parts of the world. Coontz tells of a culture where,“A Taita man normally marries a love wife only after he has accumulated a few more practical wives” (255). This shows the different perceptions of marriage between the Taita peoples, who let men remarry several times in loveless marriages, and those of certain religions that forbade divorce, as well as today’s society where people often marry for love the first time around. The perceptions differed in that some societies believed in remarrying and marrying without love, while others didn’t. Coontz explains some very different marriage traditions than what Bennett says is normal and right-A man and a woman who fit traditional gender roles- as shown in his essay, “Complementary nature of men and women-and how they refine, support, encourage, and complete one another” (272).
Relationships can either be monogamous or non-monogamous in nature and its definitions and functions can vary. A monogamous relationship is traditionally characterised by two individuals who have dependent children or also as a ‘nuclear family.’ Monogamy is a hetero-normative practice that involves two individuals in a relationship; the couple is not engaged in extramarital intimacy. Nuclear families also fall under this practice. Polyamory is a non-monogamous practice that refers to multiple intimate partners and experiences. However, some scholars argue that if, or when one individual engages in infidelity, Polyamory is a viable option to sustain the relationship. Academic research positions Polyamory as an option that may successfully
People who enter into polyamorous relationships also report an “At first… but then” experience. At first they believe that there is something wrong with them or that they are interested in cheating on their partners. After doing some research they find that there are others like them, and that they are not as abnormal as they originally thought. They discover that there are more people out there like them, and that it is possible to enter into multiple, honest relationships (Barker, 2005). More people might be interested in polyamorous relationships if they were not afraid of the repercussions placed on them by society. People are afraid of ideas that go against cultural norms, and nonmonogamous relationships definitely push the boundaries. They might view polyamorous relationships as more realistic for their lifestyles and how they feel about relationships, but are too afraid to enter into a polyamorous relationship because they are pressured by their culture to participate in exclusive relationships. Also, many people who do engage in polyamorous relationships are not actually “out” about their relationships or sexual interests. Very small numbers of people are actually open about their nonmonogamous relationships either sexually or emotionally (Barker, 2005). Many people are
Despite the argument that polygamist lifestyles are easier, polygamy has proven time and time again, to be a terrible lifestyle that has been dolled up to look like something that it is not. Polygamist families are often unable to meet their basic needs, “In spite of our poverty, my husband continued to marry other wives. I almost died from typhoid fever and my first baby died” (Spencer 1). The health and well-being is the last thing on the mind of a husband living in polygamy because he is constantly wanting more for himself. All of the sister wives are so in love with their husband, what they do not know is that he does not really love them, if he did he would
What is the true definition of polygamy? Dictionary.com says that it is the practice or condition of having more than one spouse, especially wife, at one time. This definition is most certainly true, but there is so much more to know about polygamy. Polygamy is practiced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormons. The most common form of polygamy that is practiced is when one man is married to multiple wives. However, the opposite can also be practiced, although it is not as common. Polygamy is not a very common ritual in the United States; however, in other parts of the world, this is a very common lifestyle.
In this article, Infidelity and attachment: The Moderating Role of Race/Ethnicity by Parker, M.L., & Kelly Campbell, K., indicates a wide variety of cultures and ethnic groups, with people possessing diverse cultural values, have a profound impact on their romantic preferences, their comfort when facing serious romantic commitments, the dynamics of marital relationships, and how people react when marital relationships fall apart (2017). Extramarital affairs are hurtful, upsetting and immoral. However, in this society it is accepted are a part of the norm. Infidelity is socially constructed and is influenced by cultural values and beliefs. The study in this article was hypothesized whether, certain attachment styles like secure, preoccupied,
In order to complete my research the socio historical context of my subculture I used three sources. The first source was a section of a book call The Polyamorists next Door: Inside Multiple-partner Relationships and Families and a database call This Is the Family I Chose: Broadening Domestic Partnership Law to Include Polyamory. After reading both of this writing, and other side sources they all stated the same information of how polyamory started and what influenced it. During the time that polyamory was starting, the social norm was a monogamous relationship between a man and a woman, but during the nineteenth and twentieth century there was various movements and sexual revolutions that happen, which went against this social norm and helped
As a result of divorce or death, many individuals in monogamous societies will be in a series of monogamous marriages over the course
As Anthropologist Kimber McKay challenged the world’s outlook on what we believe to be a traditional, normal marriage, I was intrigued by the results of her fieldwork that displayed the different types of marriages occurring around the world. In her research in the Nepalese Himalaya, she lived within the community of polyandrous people participating in their daily life. In Humla, it was common for a polyandrous woman to marry a man and his brothers. McKay shared a video from a polyandrous woman that described the relationship she had with her two husbands. Here are her words: “If the husbands agree with it (polyandry) then it’s good. One can take care of the local work and the other can do outside work.” I hypothesize the reason polyandry
In fact, monogomy is so normal in our society that polygomy is against the law, and adultery is a felony. Western society fully accepts that marriage and serious relationships are exclusive. To act against this by having multiple partners (whether all involved parties are informed or not) is objectionable legally and socially. However, it is believed that it is against human nature to have romantic and sexual feelings for only one person, explaining why divorce is so common in western society. Polygamous communities and relationships are ostracized and often mocked in the form of television programs and news stories. Monogomy is a practice so conventional in today’s society that submitting to any desires against it is socially and legally
A woman pushes as hard as she can for the last time. “It’s a baby girl!” the man announces, as the new mother hangs her head in sight of the hardships her baby, Elizabeth, will face. Miles away in a hospital, another woman gives birth to a healthy baby girl, Marley. As she sees her baby for the first time, she smiles knowing all the great adventures this baby will experience in her life. The polygamous mom takes the little girl home to her family, a family where she has more than one mother and many brothers and sisters. As she grows up she lives her life trying to be “proper” and “sweet” in the eyes of the prophet. Somewhere far away, Marley is outside playing with her mother and learning how to be a kid. At the age of fourteen, young girls like Marley are innocent and should be going on dates, having fun with friends, and living their life, but for a fourteen year old Elizabeth, she is married to a man twice her age to be his second wife. As she begins her life with her husband, she sees the jealousy of the first wife and the neglect she feels by her presence. Shortly after, the young girl is replaced by another new wife after having a child. Ever since the day she was born, she had no control over these stages happening. Her fate was determined from time of birth and is determined by men until the day she dies. Her fate will be ruled by the religion of Polygamy.