Page 89 - DSOC201_SOCIAL_STRUCTURE_AND_SOCIAL_CHANGE_ENGLISH

Social Structure and Social Change

Notes The marriage may be declared null and void on the grounds of close blood relationship between
husband and wife, husband’s impotency, insanity of the partner at the time of marriage, and bigamy.
The judicial separation may be obtained on grounds of adultery and cruelty.
There is no practice of dower or dowry among Christians. Remarriage of the widows is not only
accepted but encouraged.
It may, thus, be concluded that the Christian marriage is not a sacrament like that of Hindu marriage.
It is a contract between a man and a woman in which there is lower stress on the role of sex but
greater on mutual help and companionship.

Self-Assessment

1. Choose the correct option:
(i) The Polyandrous marriage is found in ............... .
(a) Ramayan (b) Mahabharata (c) Christianity (d) None of these
(ii) Polyandry is marriage of ............... .
(a) one woman with a man (b) two women with a man
(c) one women with many men (d) None of these
(iii) Exogamy is of ............... types

(a) one (b) three (c) two (d) None of these
(iv) Gotra and Spinda are the types of ............... .
(a) Endogamy (b) Exogamy (c) Polygyny (d) None of these

(v) Hypergamy is a social practice according to ............... .
(a) a girl from upper caste can marry a boy from lower caste.
(b) a boy from upper caste can marry a girl from lower girl.
(c) both (a) and (b) (d) None of these

3.5 Summary

• The popular concept of marriage is that it is a union between a man and a woman, anthropologists
like Lowie, Murdock and Westermarck emphasize on social sanction in the union and how it is
accomplished by different rituals and ceremonies.
• Every individual has to play a number of roles in his life, or we may say, life consists of a
combination of roles played in various institutional settings. Of the various roles one plays,
two roles have a very great significance: one is the economic role and the other is the marital or
the family role.
• Marriage is a miniature social system which must be kept in equilibrium if it is not to fall apart.
Equilibrium requires adjustment which in turn requires give and take or some sacrifice on the
part of both husband and wife. It is a dyad system.
• In the traditional Hindu society, the main objects of marriage were believed to be: dharma
(righteousness or the performance of duty), praja (progeny), and rati (pleasure). Of these, dharma
was given the greatest importance, followed by procreation and sex-gratification.
• The proper marriages recognized by the Smritis were Brahma, Daiva, Arsha, and Prajapatya,
while the four undesirable marriages were Asura, Gandharva, Raksasa, and Paishacha.

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