In Ecuador a man once beat and threatened to kill, or divorce his wife if she gave birth to another female child. (Altschuler, 1965) Divorce is a topic with many connotations, when one observes different cultures. Some societies may see it as a fact of life, while others may find it to be an unforgivable occurrence. Plausible reasons for divorce also vary, when dissimilar societies are assessed. The concept of divorce is usually affected by the cultural ideology of marriage. In communities where fertility is vital during marriage, it will also be the greatest agent for divorce. As I review the cultures of Malawi and Ecuador, I will focus on how divorce is viewed in their communities along with their source, in contrast with the American culture.
Malawi is a southeast African country inhabited by the Azande people. Among the Azande, …show more content…
When a woman is seen as incompetent in the case of fertility it reflects on the woman as being insignificant. Divorce is not a looked at positively by both societies, but is more harmful to the woman. The process of divorce is not a troublesome action in either culture. When a man has decided he no longer wants to continue the marriage he can just send the woman away. The aspects of their way of divorce may be viewed as peculiar to the people of American culture. For Americans fertility is rarely the cause of divorce. This is possibly due to the availability of new reproduction technologies. NRTs provide an abundant amount of solutions for couples having difficulties with fertility. In addition, having offspring isn’t a priority as it is for the Azande and Cayapas. Divorce in America is not appealing, but is not unusual either. About 48 percent of marriages in American will end by divorce within the first twenty years. (Skolnick, p. 122) A large amount of those divorces are caused by a lack of
Malawi is a southeast African country inhabited by the Azande people. Among the Azande, …show more content…
When a woman is seen as incompetent in the case of fertility it reflects on the woman as being insignificant. Divorce is not a looked at positively by both societies, but is more harmful to the woman. The process of divorce is not a troublesome action in either culture. When a man has decided he no longer wants to continue the marriage he can just send the woman away. The aspects of their way of divorce may be viewed as peculiar to the people of American culture. For Americans fertility is rarely the cause of divorce. This is possibly due to the availability of new reproduction technologies. NRTs provide an abundant amount of solutions for couples having difficulties with fertility. In addition, having offspring isn’t a priority as it is for the Azande and Cayapas. Divorce in America is not appealing, but is not unusual either. About 48 percent of marriages in American will end by divorce within the first twenty years. (Skolnick, p. 122) A large amount of those divorces are caused by a lack of