Deinstitutionalization Of American Marriage Summary

Marriage which is widely defined as the legally or formally recognized union of two people as partners in a personal relationship has been an integral part of the world. It has also been channel where individuals come together and legitimately demonstrate and show care and affection towards each other. This has made marriage a form of institution that provides the platform for people to come together for the purpose of love, goals, relationships etc. In his writing on “The Deinstitutionalization of American Marriage” Cherlin explains that marriage is an institution that defines partner’s behavior. In other words, interpersonal relations between couples are acknowledge making it a form of institution. However, the author believes that marriage has lost the privilege of being an institution and hence is deinstitutionalized. That is the weakening of social norms that defines people’s behavior in a social institution such as marriage.
The heart of the author’s argument on deinstitutionalization of marriage is as a result of some factors. First, he believes that marriage is becoming deinstitutionalized by changing from institutional marriage to companion marriage, which is defined as a proposed form of marriage in which legalized birth control would be practiced, the divorce of childless …show more content…
However, I will agree with the author’s general idea about same sex marriage causing deinstitutionalization because I believe it does diverts from the traditional path of marriage practiced with the goal of procreation and purpose. Regardless, in point of view I think this new norm of same sex marriage is a sort of appreciation of the human race to love who we like and that marriage is not only about procreation but purpose and interpersonal