Marriage Relationships

Chapter 7

Lecture/Discussion outline

• The Engagement stage and motivations for marriage

• Societal Functions of Marriage

• How marriage changes relationships

• What contributes to marital success

• What is prenuptial agreement?– Who tends to get prenuptial agreements?

– Thoughts? Advantages and disadvantages?

– Would you consider a marriage contract, or prenuptial agreement?

• Do you think that some people get married for all the wrong reasons? What are they?

Reasons to Re-consider

• Age• Length of courtship• Abuse• Differences• On and Off• Parental disapproval• Low Sexual satisfaction

Individual Motivations for Marriage

• Why do people get married?

• What is the greatest expected benefit of marriage in the United States?

• Love• Personal Fulfillment• Companionship• Parenthood• Economic Security

– What are the social functions of marriage? Why does marriage even exist?

Individual Motivations for Marriage

• The primary function of marriage is to bind a male and female together who will reproduce, raise their young and socialize them to be productive members of society.

• Additional functions:– regulate sexual behavior – stabilize adult personalities by providing a

companion

Societal Functions of Marriage

Traditional vs. Egalitarian Marriages

• The wedding is a rite of passage

• Weddings reflect traditional cultural definitions of women as property?

• Weddings have become commercialized events that often reflect a couples values and beliefs– How?

Marriage as a Rite of Passage

• What do you think are the most difficult changes to cope with when getting married?– Both positive and negative

Changes After Marriage: Discussion

• Each spouse becomes part owner of what the other earns in income and accumulates in property.

Legal Changes after Marriage

• The married person begins adopting values and behaviors consistent with the married role including: – Changes in how money is spent.– Discovering that one’s mate is different from one’s

date.– A loss of freedom.

• Many positive changes as well as noted in chapter 1

Personal Changes after Marriage

• Parents, In-laws, and Friendship Changes– Parents are likely to be more accepting of the

partner following the wedding.– Less time will be spent with friends because of the

new role demands as a spouse.

Changes after Marriage

• Experience loss of freedom• Feeling more responsibility• Missing alone time• Change in how money is spent• Discovering that one’s mate is different from

one’s date• Sexual changes• Power changes

Marital changes

Studying Marital Relationships

• Marital Success is measured in terms of marital stability and marital happiness– Stability=time spent together (years)– Happiness=Emotionality• More difficult to measure-Subjective

***Research: All marital relationships are a process. Many end while others are sustained. Researchers attempt to study what characteristics are common among both happy, stable relationships and those that are unhappy and often end in divorce.