by Constance Ruth Clark

Created on: December 29, 2009

 Marriage is one of the foundations in the structure of human society. Most societies need a secure environment for the perpetuation of the species, a system of rules to handle the granting of property rights and the protection of bloodlines. The institution of marriage handles those needs. While marriage is traditionally thought to be between one man and one woman it can take many forms. Some variations include polygamy, polyandry, or even as a group, many men married to many women who are all married to each other. This article will focus on marriage in the traditional sense, between one man and one woman, and will focus on attitudes and practices in the United States of America.

From a sociological view there are several ways to define the purpose of marriage in society. The first is for member maintenance. A working society needs a steady influx of people to populate it, and historically the best way to do this is through families which are created using marriage as the foundation. Malinowski defined marriage as a contract for the production and maintenance of children. Studies show that children grow up to be more productive members of society if they are raised in a home that includes both parents. Ninety-Seven percent of respondents to a National Survey on Marriage agreed that “Fathers are as important as mothers for the proper development of children.” (1) Therefore it benefits society to find a way to make sure both parents stay together to raise their young and the best way is through marriage. 

Since the primary societal reason for marriage is to procreate it is no wonder same sex marriage has not readily been encouraged in this country. While civil unions between same sex couples is allowed, marriage is something denied them for the simple reason they could never fulfill the basic function it requires. To encourage marital attachment for reasons other than procreation are to the detriment of society’s continuance. It is one of the reasons for centuries marriage was not born out of love but out of need. Love is a recent development in choosing a marriage partner, although the idea of romantic love has been around since the twelfth century troubadours.

To begin understanding marriage in America several questions must be answered. First, what makes a couple want to marry? Why is it so important? What indicates a successful marriage?  If the average person on the street was asked the above questions they’d probably

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