About GeePee...

Functions of Marriage - Are they still relevant today?

Large situations of failing marriages...WHY?

• Individualism - Where people begin caring more about themselves,situations of self-centeredness: caring less about yourself than your other half
• Lack of communication...

FUNCTIONS OF MARRIAGE:

Emotional Support:

• Bliss
• Joy
• Keeping each other company
• Jubilance
• Sticking together
• Happy family
• Warmth
• Acceptance of partner
• Fulfilling of life objective
• Road to everlasting happiness
• Unity
• Validate love
• "Till death do us part"
• Inseparable

Marriage as Commitment:

• Oppression
• Protection of child's bi-parental childhood
• Joining of two people
• Bethrothal; Divorce
• Obligation

Procreation:

• Procreating to sustain the population
• Kids, Family
• Babies
• Reproduce

Societal Benefits/Expectations:

• Reproduction (contributing to population)
• Verication of status for admistrative purposes (HDB Flats)
• Old age - need someone to take care of you
• Company of another person
• That it is a must.

Conferment of Rights (Legal):

• Beneficiaries - acquire money after the death of a partner
• To legally bond 2 people together
• Establish a joint fund of property; a partnership
• Need to be bonded together legally
• Joint parental rights
• Freedom

Practical Reasons:

• Wealth, Bridewealth
• Personal identity
• Honor; family name
• Union - agreements between families.

Are these truly relevant?

e.g Legal rights - Married couples enjoy as many as 1,400 rights automatically conferred upon them like

• Joint parenting
• Status as next of kin for medical decisions & hospital visitations
• Eligibility to buy an HDB flat
• Joint filliing of customs claims
• Bereavement/sick leave to care for partner or child

But does it mean that if you're not married you can't have e.g Joint parenting?

• Nope - you can have joint parenting by signing legal documents etc. Therefore marriage may not be totally necessary

e.g Emotional support - What about Co-habitation??

• Cohabitation replaces many of the emotional functions but still unable to replace many benefits of marriage - e.g commitment, legal bonding?
• Cohabiters value independence more than others - eg less likely to financtially support partner, face commitment issues
• Cohabiters who get married have higher rates of divorce. Why?
• Cohabiters may face a lack of mutual understanding; unsure of their motives.

e.g Marriage as commitment

• Is marriage a reliable vow for commitment?
• Reasons for failed marriage: Incompatibility, financial problems, etc.
• Divorce! Fears push men to guard assets (prenups)
• When is divorce a feasible decision? Is it better for a dysfunctional family to stay together or break up?
• Repercussions of failed marriage: Loneliness, battle over child custody, self-esteem, economic burden, ostracise by community, psychological effect on children, financial loss

e.g Procreation - Is it a must to get married to HAVE BABIES?

• There's always adoption
• Shopping for babies; spermbank.
• Just get PREGNANT; out of wedlock. BUT WHEN CAN doesn't mean should - single parent families, impoverished children, future jail-ed, broken families...

MARRIAGE THROUGH THE TIMES....

• Marriage then and now
• Marriage has been an amazingly flexible institution; changing through time, the needs and the requirements of marriage, and its intention.]

With all the hard work comes the birth of an essay....

Is it still relevant? take a second, think about it.

Hey lovely 09A07, do check the MOODLE page aite for the slides from THE GEEPEE tutor. Hope the notes help ((:

<3

jannah