Text: “Forms of Marriage and Family Organization”

By forms of marriage we mean the number of marriage partners that an individual is permitted to have.

The marriage of one man to one woman is called monogamy. Monogamy is the most common form of marriage and is found all over the world. It generally prevails in societies in which the number of men and women is nearly equal.

Some societies, however, permit polygamy, or marriage to more than one partner at the same time. Polygamy can take the form either of polygyny or polyandry.

Polygyny is the marriage form in which a man is permitted to have more than one wife. This form sometimes occurs in societies that have a predominance of women, or where women play an important role in the family economy, although it may occur for prestige reasons, also. For example, in some pastoral tribes in Africa the status of the man is related to the number of wives and children he has; therefore he is encouraged to have as many wives as he can afford. Polygyny is practiced today among the peoples of Africa, Asia and the Arab world. The Moslem religion, for instance, allows a man to have up to four wives if he can support them.

The other form of polygamy is polyandry, which occurs when one woman has more than one husband. Although this form of marriage has never been very common, it has always existed in a few societies. Today it is practiced by some of the Arctic Eskimos and some societies in central Asia, India and the Marquesas Islands. Polyandry is generally found in societies that have a heavy preponderance of males.

During the past twenty years a number of Americans have been experimenting with non-traditional forms of marriage. Sometimes a young couple live together but do not marry legally. Usually they do not have children, and often this non-traditional marriage is temporary.

In addition to monogamy, polygyny and polyandry, there is a fourth form of marriage usually called group marriage, in which there is more than one partner of each sex. This arrangement of plural wives and husbands is rare. Sometimes people in a group marriage do have children. This is also not a legal marriage and is often temporary.

The most unusual form of marriage today is homosexual marriage. In a homosexual marriage two men or two women marry each other. Organizations working for civil rights of homosexuals are trying to legalize this form of non-traditional marriage.

The size of the family unit may vary greatly from culture to culture. The nuclear family is the basic unit of family organization in practically every society. It is generally defined as a married couple and their children (including adopted and fostered children, as well as the couple’s natural children). Members of the nuclear family share the same dwelling place, usually a single house or apartment.

The one-parent family is a common variant of the nuclear family. This form consists of one parent and his or her children. One-parent families may be formed through widowhood, divorce, or separation. They may also be formed when an unmarried person, usually a woman, raises children on her own.

The compound family is the form of family which consists of a central figure, his or her spouses, and their children. It is common in many traditional African societies, as well as elsewhere in the world, and is found especially where polygamy is permitted.

The type of family organization, in which several generations of blood relatives live together, is called an extended family. Members of the extended family live together and share resources. The joint family is the form of family when a group of brothers and their wives and children all live together in the same household.

There is no exact distinction between the joint family and the extended family. But the extended family is larger and has less control over its members than the joint family.

Ex. 1. Read and translate the text.

Ex. 2. Answer the questions.

1. What forms of marriage do you know?

2. What form of marriage is permitted in Russia?

3. What are the forms of polygamy?

4. What are the main forms of family organization?

5. What is the difference between the joint family and the extended family?

6. What form of family organization prevails in our country?

7. What form of family organization is the most favourable for children’s upbringing?

8. Do you think grandparents should take an active part in bringing up their grandchildren?

9. Who do you think is usually more dominating: parents or grandparents?

10. How can you characterize your family according to this classification?

11. Are you content with your own form of family organization?

12. What form of family organization would you choose as a sample for your future family? What family would you prefer to live in: nuclear or extended?

13. All of these non-traditional forms of marriage are very controversial in the United States today. What do you think about them? Why?

14. Are there any non-traditional forms of marriage in your native country? What are they? Tell the group about them.

15. What do the Catholic and Orthodox Churches think of these forms of marriage? Do you agree with their position?