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Scenes from a Marriage: Created by Hagai Levi. With Jessica Chastain, Oscar Isaac, Sophia Kopera, Nicole Beharie. Television drama miniseries which re-examines the original's iconic depiction of love, hatred, desire, monogamy, marriage and divorce through the lens of a contemporary American couple, played by Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain.
- (29K)
- 2021-09-12
- Drama
- 59
- Overview
- Marital customs and laws
marriage, a legally and socially sanctioned union, usually between a man and a woman, that is regulated by laws, rules, customs, beliefs, and attitudes that prescribe the rights and duties of the partners and accords status to their offspring (if any). The universality of marriage within different societies and cultures is attributed to the many basic social and personal functions for which it provides structure, such as sexual gratification and regulation, division of labour between the sexes, economic production and consumption, and satisfaction of personal needs for affection, status, and companionship. Perhaps its strongest function concerns procreation, the care of children and their education and socialization, and regulation of lines of descent. Through the ages, marriages have taken a great number of forms. (See exchange marriage; group marriage; polyandry; polygamy; tree marriage. See also common-law marriage.)
By the 21st century the nature of marriage in Western countries—particularly with regard to the significance of procreation and the ease of divorce—had begun to change. In 2000 the Netherlands became the first country to legalize same-sex marriages; the law went into force on April 1, 2001. In the ensuing years, numerous other countries—including Canada (2005), France (2013), the United States (2015), and Germany (2017)—followed suit. In addition, some countries extended benefits and obligations to same-sex couples by means of a registered partnership or civil union, both of which terms meant different things in different contexts.
Some form of marriage has been found to exist in all human societies, past and present. Its importance can be seen in the elaborate and complex laws and rituals surrounding it. Although these laws and rituals are as varied and numerous as human social and cultural organizations, some universals do apply.
The main legal function of marriage is to ensure the rights of the partners with respect to each other and to ensure the rights and define the relationships of children within a community. Marriage has historically conferred a legitimate status on the offspring, which entitled him or her to the various privileges set down by the traditions of that community, including the right of inheritance. In most societies marriage also established the permissible social relations allowed to the offspring, including the acceptable selection of future spouses.
Until the late 20th century, marriage was rarely a matter of free choice. In Western societies love between spouses came to be associated with marriage, but even in Western cultures (as the novels of writers such as Henry James and Edith Wharton attest) romantic love was not the primary motive for matrimony in most eras, and one’s marriage partner was carefully chosen.
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Endogamy, the practice of marrying someone from within one’s own tribe or group, is the oldest social regulation of marriage. When the forms of communication with outside groups are limited, endogamous marriage is a natural consequence. Cultural pressures to marry within one’s social, economic, and ethnic group are still very strongly enforced in some societies.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Marriage is an institution that is historically filled with restrictions. From age, to race, to social status, to consanguinity, to gender, restrictions are placed on marriage by society for reasons of benefiting the children, passing on healthy genes, maintaining cultural values, or because of prejudice and fear.
Oct 31, 2023 · Learn what marriage is, why it is important, and how it varies across cultures and history. Explore the characteristics, benefits, and legal aspects of different types of marriages.
- 2 min
- Be friends with your partner. You definitely don’t need to be “besties,” but you do need to consider your partner a good friend in addition to a lover.
- Develop a “couple” identity, but don’t let go of your own individual identity or eliminate engagement in hobbies or pastimes that your partner doesn’t choose to enjoy.
- Focus on shared values, not just shared interests when you commit to your partner. Shared values are a better bellwether for lasting relationships—not just liking the same music genres or sharing an interest in a particular hobby.
- Be willing to try out new things that your partner is passionate about. You can’t know something isn’t your taste until you’ve given it a try.
Nov 10, 2020 · A marriage does not always survive on love alone. Friendship, trust, loyalty, togetherness, willingness to compromise, and respect for each other are also important.There are some marriages where ...
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Jun 28, 2019 · But to have a happy marriage you have to accept your partner’s strengths and weaknesses and be able to set realistic expectations, says Ellen Chute, LMSW. For example, if you’re better with numbers, don’t get angry when they misbalance the checkbook. Instead, make it your job to set the budget. If their strength is cooking, they can ...
