Examine the relationship between the contemporary trends in marriage and the changing form of family. (UPSC CSE Mains 2017 - Sociology, Paper 1)
There is a diversity of family and marriage forms today in different societies across the world. In some areas, such as more remote regions in Asia, Africa and the Pacific Rim, traditional family systems are little altered. In most developing countries, however, widespread changes are occurring. The origins of these changes are complex, but several factors can be picked out as especially important.
- One is the spread of Western culture. Western ideals of romantic love, for example, have spread to societies in which they were previously unknown.
- Another factor is the development of centralized government in area previously composed of autonomous smaller societies. People’s lives become influenced by their involvement in a national political system; moreover, government makes active attempts to alter traditional ways of behavior.
- Because the problem of rapidly expanding population growth, for example in China state frequently introduce programmes that advocate smaller families, the use of contraception, and so forth.
- A further influence is the large-scale migration from rural to urban areas. Often men go to work in towns or cities, leaving family members in the home village. Alternatively, a nuclear family group will move as a unit to the In both case, traditional family forms and kinship systems may become weakened.
- Finally, and perhaps most important, employment opportunities away from the land and in such organization as government bureaucracies, mines, plantations and where they exist – industrial firms tend to have disruptive consequence for family systems previously centred on landed production in the local community.
In general, these changes are creating a worldwide movement towards the breaking down of the extended family systems and other types of kinship groups. This was first documented by William J. Goode in his book World Revolution in Family Patterns (1963) and has been borne out by subsequent research. The most important changes occurring worldwide are the following:
- Clans and other kin groups are declining in their influence.
- There is a general trend towards the free selection of a spouse.
- The rights of women are becoming more widely recognized, in respect to both the initiation of marriage and decision – making within the family.
- Arranged marriages are becoming less common.
- Higher levels of sexual freedom, for men and women, are developing in societies that were very restrictive.
- There is a general trend towards the extension of children’s rights.
- There is an increased acceptance of same- sex partnerships.
It would be a mistake to exaggerate these trends, or to presume that they have occurred uniformly around the world many of them are still being fought for and are bitterly contested. Similarly, it would be a mistake to suppose that the extended family is everywhere in decline. In most societies today, extended families are still the norm, and traditional family practices continue.
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