Family, marriage, education, and religion are areas that influence our lives daily. Write an essay answering the following questions. You must apply one of the following in some capacity—conflict, functionalist, or symbolic interactionist perspective:
- How has the institution of marriage changed over time? How could cohabitation and divorce influence this?
- When looking at the family unit, what changes have occurred in the structure of family? How is diversity a factor in current family makeup, as opposed to past family structure?
- How do education and religion affect both family and marriage?
Feel free to relate this to your own family structure.
Your assignment must be a minimum of two pages. Use APA style when providing in-text citations and references.
Answer Preview:
Changing Family and Marriage institutions
Marriage Institution has Changed over Time
Several things concerning the institution of marriage have changed over time. In ancient days, love was considered a fragile emotion that could not be a definitive factor for two people to marry (The Week, 2012). A Roman politician underwent full expelling from Senate because he kissed his wife publicly in the 2nd century. In the 17th and 18th centuries, some enlightenment philosophers pioneered the idea of searching for happiness through love in marriage. However, the greatest change of marriage institution occurred during the 20th century, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s when wives began to insist that legally, they were their husband’s equals.
Word Count: 708