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The Effect of Money on Frequency of Divorce Essay

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INTRODUCTION

Despite the fact that divorce is discussed in almost any sociology or anthropology book, no unified explanations for family instability are available. Levinson and Malone (1980: 69) state that "anthropologists have offered little in the way of trustworthy, universal explanations for divorce." The differences in cultures, traditions, and practices among societies make it almost impossible to offer general explanations for family instability. The widely held belief is that when a significant amount of money or property is exchanged, the marriage is more stable. This belief is supported by Minturn et al. (1969: 308) findings that absence of bride price, dowry, and gift exchange at marriage make divorce …show more content…

Among them, bride price or bride wealth is one of the most frequently used methods. In other words, the most common type of marriage payment is that the husband or his family pays the bride�s family. The least common method of payments is probably dowry, which is paid to the bride from her family. Other types of practices in these societies include gift exchange, bride service, token bride price, sister or female relative exchange. Levinson and Malone (1980: 73) also point out that one other way of obtaining a spouse is known as bride theft, which is defined as ". . . the forcible abduction of a woman for the purpose of marriage, without the knowledge or consent of her parents or guardians." There are, of course, societies that do not practice any type of marriage payment.

LITERATURE

After looking at the definition of marriage and the different types of marriage transactions, I began my research with some cross-cultural literature. According to Minturn et al. (1969: 308), a bride price often serves as a mechanism to discourage divorce. Family pressure on the woman to keep the marriage relationship intact is tremendous. For her family is reluctant to give up what they have received for her. Furthermore, her father often relies on the installments paid on her to meet payments due on her mother. In short, the literature suggests that divorce should be infrequent in

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