Modern Marriage, only a status symbol Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Modern Marriage, only a status symbol - Essay Example The Modern American wedding has become much more of commercial saga generating a massive turnover every year. Wedding planners, florists, caterers, hairstylists, clothes, designers, have all got their fortunes connected to the wedding industry. According to statistics 2 "the average American wedding costs $22,360 and has 168 guests, who give 100 gifts that cost an average of $85 each, meaning the net loss to the couple is $13,860..the average guest spends $500 to attend a wedding-not including plane tickets." The statistics do not end here though. The figures get more and more perturbing as it is revealed that "43% of couples say they spent more on their wedding than they had planned."3There is an increase in thematic weddings like Disney World "Fairy Tale Wedding" where for the price of $2,500 a bride can arrive in a glass coach pulled by four dappled gray ponies.4 All these figures and statistics really provoke a disturbing query in our minds which is whether the modern commercial marriage is now deinstitutionalized to the extent of a mere commercial saga The United States has seen deterioration in the institution of marriage during the past many decades (Cherlin 2004:848-861). There has been a transition of the essence of marriage from So is it possible to say that while the practical importance of marriage has hit an all time low, it has gained a symbolic significance Is it merely a mark of prestige and personal achievement Consider only some of the expenses the modern bride and groom go through for the ceremony of marriage. According to a commercial website 5,the Groom pays for the Bride's rings, Boutonnire for the groom and ushers ,groom's present to bridegroom's presents to ushers and best man, ties and gloves for the ushers ,clergy member's cost ,corsages for the immediate members of both families; also the bride's going away corsage ,bachelor dinner (optional, and usually given by best man or ushers) ,rehearsal dinner (optional, but is usual) ,accommodations for out-of-town ushers and the honeymoon. This list is not exhaustive though and the bride has to pay for a similar list of expenditure. What happens then, after such a grand wedding Every year the government issues alarming figures of divorce rate statistics, many homes are broken and the children are displaced. Academic opinion and research has spoken of the weakening of the social norms that regulate people's behaviour in this regard. This is another symbol of the deteriorating society where there is a sort of a "taken-for-granted" norm that allows people to go on with their lives with nobody questioning their behaviour (Cherlin2004:848-849, Whitehead 2001:6-16). The wedding as a status symbol Recent weddings have become little less than individual achievements. "In the distant past, a wedding was an event at which two kinship groups formed an alliance. More recently, it has been an event organized and paid for by parents, at which they display their approval and support for their child's marriage" (Cherlin 2004:848-849) So despite its destabilisation as an "institution", the American Wedding has become "an

Martial relationship having problems before and after getting married Essay

Martial relationship having problems before and after getting married in the United Arab Emirates, what are these problems and h - Essay Example Their traditional cultural and religious practices often clash with their contemporary thinking, as it still influences their personalities. This creates confusion and chaos in their marital relationships. Finding solutions to end marital problems in UAE requires counselling, educating and creating awareness about the responsibilities of marriage among the youth of Emirates. In the traditional patriarchal society of UAE, women are expected to be obedient, domesticated, and willing to attend to the needs of everyone in the family. In a marital relationship, she is particularly responsible to take care of: physical, sexual, emotional and domestic needs of her husband; children; and in-laws. Carrying out domestic or household chores is the sole responsibility of the womenfolk. Men are the traditional bread earners of the family, and therefore their decisions cannot be challenged by their wives. While this traditional patriarchal system has survived through ages, the 21st century woman i s breaking this concept. â€Å"Emirati women in 2010 were ranked number one in terms of gender equality among the whole Arab world and our ranking internationally was 103. This is a big leap,† said Shamsa Saleh, Chief Executive Officer of the DWE. (Chowdhury, 2011 April 02, Khaleej Times Online ) The society of UAE is mostly governed by Islamic laws, also called sharia and family laws pertaining to marriage and divorce are handled accordingly. Muslim men are allowed to have four wives at the same time and they can even marry non-Muslim women. However, they have to bear the financial expenditures of all their wives and children. They are the ‘providers’ of their wives and children and in return their wives are supposed to be absolutely chaste, obedient, and available to satisfy their sexual and domestic needs. United Arab Emirates is one of the advanced countries in the entire gulf region. Exposure to foreign lifestyle due to tourism, foreign media, multinational organizations with its multinational work force and education has gradually changed the social system of Emirates. The youth has responded well to the social changes and they find it implausible to fit the traditional practices in their modern and contemporary lifestyles. The most adverse affect of the clash of civilizations has been on marital relationships. An increase in the divorce rate has been recorded in UAE during the past few decades. â€Å"According to latest available statistics, the UAE leads GCC states in divorce rates, which hit 36 per cent, reported 'Emarat Al Youm'†. (Emirates 24/7, March 04, 2011) Many reasons have been cited for this, among which infidelity, patriarchal system, dowry, inability to understand each other’s personal, emotional, physical and financial needs are prominent. A divorce not only shatters a family but creates social instability as well. 2. Premarital problems: Marriages in the traditional UAE society are arranged by elders or p arents of the bride and groom. Family or cousin marriages are usually preferred as social status is considered as an important aspect of marriage. Financial aspects might become a cause of pre-marital problems as the girl’s family has to arrange for dowry and the overall wedding expenses can go really high. This puts undue strain on the budgets of both the families and might create discord between the married couple. According to Maitha Al Shamsi, Minister of State and Head of the State Marriage Fund,