B.A. PART-I SOCIOLOGY Semester-II LESSON NO. : 2.1 AUTHOR : Dr. RAJIV KUMAR JINDAL MARRIAGE AND ITS TYPES Structure : 5.0 Objectives 5.1 The concept of Marriage 5.2 Definitions 5.3 Rules of Marriage (Exogamy and Endogamy) 5.4 Types of Marriage 5.4.1 Monogamy 5.4.2 Polygamy 5.4.2.1 Polyandry 5.4.2.2 Polygyny 5.4.3 Sororate and Levirate Marriage 5.4.4 Anuloma and Pratiloma Marriage 5.4.5 Pragmatic Marriage 5.4.6 Legally Sanctioned Marriage 5.5. Traditional Forms of Marriage 5.5.1 Brahma Marriage 5.5.2 Daiva Marriage 5.5.3 Arsha Marriage 5.5.4 Prajapatya Marriage 5.5.5 Gandharva Marriage 5.5.6 Asura Marriage 5.5.7 Rakshasa Marriage 5.5.8 Paishacha Marriage 5.6 Summary 5.7 Key Words 5.8 Important questions 5.9 References 5.0 Objectives : This Lesson will enable you to know the meaning of Marriage define the Concept of endogamy and exogamy explain various types of Marriage 5.1 The Concept of Marriage Marriage is an institution, which legally allows a male and a female to live together to establish a family. Marriage is usually conceived as a male-female relationship design to produce children and successfully socialize them. Precise 48 B. A. PART-I 49 SOCIOLOGY definitions vary historically and between and within cultures, but it has been an important concept as a socially sanctioned bond in a sexual relationship. There is no universal definition of marriage as its form varies from culture to culture. In general, Western cultures consider marriage as an exclusive and permanent bond between a man and a woman that is centrally concerned with assigning sexual rights in each of the partners and establishing parental responsibility for the children of the union. In its traditional form, it also organizes parents and children into domestic groups in which basic roles are allocated according to age and gender. In modern times, the term marriage is generally reserved for a state sanctioned union. The phrase legally married can be used to emphasize this point. In the United States are two methods of receiving state sanction of a marriage : common law marriage and obtaining a marriage license. In Indian society, by and large, marriage is considered as a sacrament in which a man and a woman after going through certain religious rites may live together for whole life, and may legally produce the children. 5.2 Definitions of Marriage Different thinkers have defined marriage in their own way, some of the important definitions of marriage are as follow : According to Lundberg, marriage consists 'the rules and regulations which define the rights, duties and privileges of husband and wife, with respect to each other." Westermarck has defined, "Marriage, as a relation of one or more men to one or more women which is recognized by custom or law; and involves certain rights and duties both in the case of parties entering the union and in the children born to it." According to Hoebel, "Marriage is the complex of social norms that define and control the relations of mated pairs to each other, their kinsmen, their offspring and society." Horton and Hunt have defined the marriage as a approved social pattern whereby two or more person establish a family. From above definitions we may conclude that marriage is such a universal institution, which allows two partners, generally male and female members of society, to establish a family and to live together for the whole life. They may legally establish sex relations between themselves and may produce the children. 5.3 Rules of Marriage (Exogamy and Endogamy) The basic constants and variations in marital institutions and the affinal relationship that are based on it must first be understood in terms of the patterns of exogamy (out marriage) and endogamy (in marriage). These institutions establish categories of kin and other social identities among whom marriage is prohibited, allowed, preferred, or prescribed. B. A. PART-I 50 SOCIOLOGY All societies have rules of exogamy, which specify the ranges and categories of relatives who are considered forbidden marriage and sexual partners. These are always the most closely related biological kin, and prohibitions on sexual relations and marriage between parents and children and brothers and sisters are universally applied. Most societies also extend these restrictions to other close relatives, but the ranges and categories, included vary. While societies have rules of exogamy, which specify which relatives are forbidden to marry, they also have those of endogamy, which require that marriages be solely or preferentially contracted within particular social groups, ranges, or relationships. Such practices help to highlight community identity, uniqueness, and status in opposition to neighboring groups with whom marriages are discouraged. Endogamy is often applied on a society-wide level and assists in defining group boundaries. It is sometimes applied to sub-components within a larger society, often to reinforce their ability to maintain restrictive access to property, power, and position. Four types of endogamous division have been widely observed i.e. caste, class, religious and racial endogamy. Check your Knowledge What do you mean by Marriage ? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Define Exogamy. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What is Endogamy? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.4 Types of Marriage The types and functions of marriage vary from culture to culture. In the United States, Europe, and China in the early 21st century, legally sanctioned marriages are monogamous (although some pockets of society still sanction polygamy socially, if not legally) and divorce is relatively simple and socially sanctioned. In the West, the prevailing view toward marriage today is that it is based on emotional attachment between the partners and entered into voluntarily. In the Islamic world, marriage is sanctioned between a man and a woman; however, there are verses in chapter 4 of the Qur'an which state that in certain conditions a man is allowed up to four wives. Some societies permitted polygamy, in which a man could have multiple wives; even in such societies however, most B. A. PART-I 51 SOCIOLOGY men have only one. In such societies, having multiple wives is generally considered a sign of wealth and power. There are also many monogamous societies, where a marriage consists of only two people, and very few polyandrous, where a woman could have multiple husbands. Various forms and rules of marriage which are existing worldwide varies from culture to culture and community to community, some of the important types of marriage are discussed below. 5.4.1 Monogamy Monogamy is worldwide acceptable and most popular form of marriage. Monogamy means single marriage, which refer to a marriage between one husband and one wife. In this form of marriage a male or female can marry only with one partner once in a life. Second marriage is only possible when the first partner has either died or has been divorced. Monogamy is considered as an ideal form of marriage as it promotes oneness, stability and unity. Mutual love, affections, care and sympathy are the main basis of a successful married life, which is possible when there is one husband and one wife in the family. There are many advantages of monogamy, Firstly monogamy is more stable than polygamy because it is easier to adjust with one spouse rather than with many persons, secondly children in the monogamous family can be properly looked after and socialized, Thirdly due to the limited size of monogamous family it help us to maintain the high standard of living. Lastly we may say that this form of marriage is natural and more compatible with man's nature as there is complete sharing of life between the two partners. 5.4.2 Polygamy Polygamy is a form of marriage in which society allows to have more than one partner of any sex. In this a woman or a man may marry with two or more husbands or wives. Polygamy is of two types i.e. polyandry and polygyny. Polyandry refers to a kind of marriage in which one woman may have more than one husband, while in polygyny one man can have more than one wife. We may discuss the both kinds of marriages as follow. 5.4.2.1 Polyandry Polyandry is a kind of polygamy in which one woman is married to several men. According to K.M. Kapadia, "Polyandry is a form of union in which a women has more than one husband at a time or in which brothers share a wife or wives in common." The occurrence of polyandry is rare and assumes a specific concentration in the Himalayan areas of South Asia. However, it is sporadically distributed in Africa, Oceania, and Native America. Two forms have been recorded : fraternal polyandry in which a group of brothers share a wife, and non-fraternal polyandry in which a woman's husbands are not related. In Hindu mythology we learn that the five brothers called Pandawas shared the same wife, Draupadi.