Marriage as a Social Institution 

Stephen L. Nock

The essay, “Marriage as a Social Institution” has been written by Steven L. Nock who was a researcher, author, and the Commonwealth Professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia. He wrote extensively on the role of marriage in society and worked in the Federal Department of Health and Human Services as a consultant on American family policy. He investigated issues of privacy, unmarried fatherhood, cohabitation, commitment, divorce, and marriage. 

In this essay, the author examines the national marriage debate by reviewing the social and demographic trends that have changed the role of marriage and the family. He views that marriage and parenthood are private matters, relevant only to the individuals directly involved. He points out the programs that have strengthened marital relationships, lowered divorce rates, reduced out-of-wedlock births, and encouraged responsible fatherhood.

The essayist says marriage is the union of two spouses who are bound by legal, moral, and traditional obligations and have a variety of deep personal bonds and social links. It is a structured framework that integrates with other institutions such as family, education, economy, law, and politics. Marriage is distinguished from all other types of partnerships by its soft boundaries or permitted bounds of behaviour. The institution of marriage distinguishes married couples from other partners. They form part of a large system of well-understood concepts that assist in the organization and maintenance of lives after marriage.

Marriage is extremely important for males since it gives their lives structure and arranges their goals. Dr Stephen presents a quote from Emile Durkheim, a French sociologist who believes that marriage prevents suicide by legitimizing demands for happiness, comfort, luxury, and prestige. Suicide rates are lower among married persons than among unmarried ones. Men become better citizens as a result of marriage, and it aids them in discovering their life's purpose. Unbounded longings and desires are controlled by marriage. Marriage binds a man to the same woman for the rest of his life to satisfy his needs for love and moral equilibrium. He neglects other pleasures, performs his duties, limits his desires, and finds contentment in his own family as a result of marriage.

Unmarried Cohabitation widely known as Living Together is becoming more common by the day. Unmarried cohabitation is a situation in which two people live together but are not married. Their relationship, however, is not widely accepted or legal since they do not adhere to traditional norms, such as behavioural restrictions, no commitment to each other, no identity, and no institutional relationship. As husband and wife, a married couple follows patterns, customs, and rules and receives acceptance from everyone. They happily announce one other as husband and wife. Laws, religion, and conventions all safeguard their relationship.

Aside from that, marriage serves as a form of social capital. It depicts interpersonal relationships. It establishes a link between trustworthiness and confidence. The foundation of the new connection is trust and belief. New relations are introduced to the husband and wife. The relationship is necessary, and it necessitates assistance and support in times of need. Social capital benefits individuals. Individuals with high social capital are inserted into networks that facilitate the exchange of valued knowledge and information among all members. Social norms and social sanctions (honour, position, etc.) support such networks by promoting some activities while limiting others.

Marriage is a valuable individual asset, but it is more difficult to maintain because it is only a relationship with one another. Marriage distinguishes itself qualitatively from other types of relationships due to its soft boundaries. The numerous normative marriage rules define the relationship because adult individuals have options in their spouses, heterosexual relationships; husbands will be the primary earners, partners will be sexually faithful to each other, and they will become legitimate parents of their children. Law, religion, and customs all safeguard their relationship. Because of suitably channelled habits and aspirations, it is a sort of social control. There is a shared sentiment amongst others.


Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

a. According to the author, what is marriage?

Ans:- According to the author, marriage is the union of two spouses who are bound by legal, moral, and traditional obligations and have a variety of deep personal bonds and social links.

 Marriage is the union of spouses who are bound by legal, moral, and traditional assumptions and have a variety of close personal relationships and associations.

b. How is marriage an institution?

Ans:- Marriage is an institution because the relationship between the couples is recognised by law as a means of meeting social, economic, physical, and family requirements, and it is linked to other institutions such as education, the economy, and politics.

c. What are the rules that a marriage has?

Ans :- Marriage has a large set of well-understood rules that help in the planning and maintenance of the life of spouses. There are several different traditional rules that are being used for marriage.

d. Why does marriage matter to men?

Ans:- Marriage matters to men because it provides structure to their lives and organizes their goals and ambitions for their better life. Marriage helps prevent suicide among men.

e. What is one of the central problems in modern society?

Ans:- One of the central problems in modern society is putting various legitimate boundaries around modern individuals' seemingly limitless desires for well-being, comfort, luxury, and prestige.

f. What does social capital consist of?

Ans:- Social capital consists of extensive networks of individuals who are linked by a bond of trustworthiness and trust.

g. What is normative marriage? Explain.

Ans:- A normative marriage is one that is built on pre-established standards and values. For example, in the United States, the six elements that characterise normative marriage are: marriages are entered willingly by mature, heterosexual adults, husbands as primary earners, sexual faithfulness of partners, and parenthood.


 Reference to the Context 

a. Discuss six dimensions that define normative marriage in America.

Ans:- A normative marriage is built on pre-established standards and values. Such marriage exists everywhere, although the concept of marriage differs by location. Every civilization has its own set of marital traditions and values. Marriage allows two adults of opposite sexes the legal right to live as life partners, satisfying each other's desires. Every marriage follows norms and patterns, and the same is true in the United States. The normative marriage in America has six dimensions. They are :-  Marriage is entirely voluntary. Nobody is putting any pressure on you to marry. Marriages are  done by mature. The marriage must be heterosexual (opposite sexes). The husband will be the primary earner after marriage. They must support their families. Both spouses must be faithful to one another, especially when it comes to sexual behaviour and it is only after they marry that they become parents to their children.

b. Do marriages differ according to culture? How is your marriage practice different from marriage in America?

Ans:- Marriage practices differ from culture to culture as well as from one place to another. Not only are there disparities across the country, but there are also variations within a country. Even within our country, the marriage practises of one geographic place differ from those of others. However, the Hindu religion is practised by the vast majority of Nepalese people. Marriage, in our opinion, is a social, spiritual, cultural, and legal connection between a man and a woman as husband and wife. It is also the beginning of a relationship between two families.

Our marriage practises differ from those in America because we follow Hindu tradition whereas the people in America follow Christian tradition. The wedding ceremony is held in a religious place known as a church, and it is officiated by a religious leader. The bride and groom exchange church-provided vows declaring their love and commitment to one another. The officiant asks the attendees if they have any suggestions for why the couple should not be married. If no one objections, the couple swaps rings to represent their unending love and devotion to one another. With their first kiss, the pair declares themselves husband and wife in public for the first time.