Marriage As A Status Symbol

Introduction

Marriages are highly embraced by most societies due to a myriad of factors including enhancing relationships between different communities, extending family ties, procreation, and companionship among others.

Due to these reasons, community members expect the young generation to marry when they reach an age which they can manage to hold family responsibilities without depending too much on their parents or the community members for the provision of basic needs such as food, shelter, and clothing. Apparently, contemporary marriages have changed in numerous ways from the conventional ones. The way contemporary generation considers marriage is different from what it used to be during the old days. This paper pays high attention to the description of whether current marriages are perceived as a status symbol or not, the benefits and drawbacks of considering marriage as status symbol, and the influence of gender and culture to the aspect of marriage as a status symbol.

Whether marriage is currently considered as a status symbol

I concur with Andrew Cherlin`s argument that marriage is currently perceived as a status symbol. This is due to the fact that most individuals in the contemporary world value the aspect of holding big weddings, even when their economic status does not allow them to do so (Cherlin, 2008). Precisely, most partners can procrastinate a wedding ceremony especially if they currently don’t have much money, and instead strive to accumulate the amount in order to hold a big wedding. In addition, the aspect of marriage is currently considered last by most individuals (after education, getting a job, building an apartment, and others), contrary to what it initially used to be (marriage being the first mark of adulthood). Moreover, marriages were initially being funded by friends and parents, but currently they are funded by the couples themselves in order for them to show they have succeeded in life (Cherlin, 2008).

Benefits and drawbacks of considering marriage as a status symbol

The aspect of considering marriage as a social symbol sensitizes individuals to be industrious in life in order to be perceived as successful in life by the other community members. In addition, individuals do not currently inconvenience friends and family members by requesting them to fund for their weddings. Consecutively, putting marriage as the last option after education, jetting a job, and investing also prevents couples from being a burden to their parents as well as friends (Cherlin, 2008). Apparently, considering marriage as a status symbol has been the contributing factor to the increasing rates of divorce and separation.

Influence of gender and culture to the aspect of marriage as a status symbol

In the contemporary society, there is high likelihood for one gender to consider marriage as a status symbol. For example, most men highly value marriage as a status symbol more than their female counterparts. This aspect commences at the onset of a relationship, where men uses they economic status to win their desired female partners, offer them job opportunities, and then proceed to holding marriage in order to reveal their financial capabilities (Stanton, 2015). In addition, culture has impacted the view of marriage in that; it has changed marriage from a communal aspect to an individual aspect. Initially, most communities used to select marriage partners to individuals right from childhood, and ensured this is achieved by organizing and funding for their weddings (DePaulo , 2013). Nowadays, everyone has the freedom of selecting his or her suitor, and contribute much for the wedding. Individuals are currently determined to invest and marry order to prove they have succeeded in life.