Essay Week 5

p There are five main forms of marriage that are practiced in the industrial and pre-industrial world today . According to the text exogamy requires people to find marriage partners outside of their own group , and this occurs when a society needs to gain access to goods that aren 't readily available . Societies in the opposite situation practice endogamy , where they find partners within their own social group , as they have no need of other societies . Because marriage isn 't used to secure goods and services , individuals of marriageable age have the luxury

to seek for physical attraction and emotional attachments rather than a means of survival . Often , this occurs in a pre-industrial society and it means that members of a society trade marriage for goods Individuals of the pre-industrial world are more likely to practice polygamy , marriage to more than one partner . Monogamy , marriage to only one other person , is the norm in the industrial world , and these people tend to frown on polygamy . This is why the early Mormons were shunned from practicing polygamy - there was no life-or-death reason for it Serial monogamy is the practice of one relationship at a time , and tends to be the norm in industrial societies . The one marriage practice that is commonly forbidden in all cultures is that of incest , or marriage within the immediate family

The text makes the distinction between the freedom contained within an industrial society and the duty one owes as part of a pre-industrial society . An individual living in good circumstances can choose a mate based on what will make that person happy in the long run , or at least what is most attractive at the time of the marriage . Not only are the less fortunate individuals discouraged from choosing a mate based on superficial reasons , but they are forbidden from doing so for it might threaten the marriage and the underlying benefit of that union . While monogamy is viewed as the norm and the correct way of living in our industrial society , other societies consider polygamy crucial . These societies emphasize the roles and rights of men , which is why polygyny is common and polyandry rare in pre-industrial societies . This arrangement allows for the birth of many more children than would be possible in a monogamous relationship , children that are often vital to the survival of a society . When the arrangement is not important to help a society survive , polygamy is frowned upon . This is why the practice is not common in the United States

The main difference between marriage in the industrial world and marriage in the pre-industrial world is the use of marriage as a resource . In the industrial world , marriage is a luxury , an endeavor one may choose to pursue or not to pursue . In the pre-industrial world marriage is a necessity . Using marriage as a tool can provide a society with the necessary supplies for survival , including more land , access to food , and children to carry on a family 's legacy . It is difficult to...