Gender in Everyday Life

UNIT 5 FAMILY AND MARRIAGE

Structure
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Objectives
5.3 Nature and Functions of the family
5.4 Feminist Perspectives
5.5 Feminist Studies on Family
5.6 Domestic Violence: Undermining the Notion of Family as a Safe Heaven
5.7 Definition and Meaning of Marriage
5.8 Forms of Marriage
5.9 Feminist Theories on Marriage
5.10 Divorce
5.11 Summing Up
5.12 Key Words
5.13 References
5.14 Unit End Questions

5.1 INTRODUCTION
Family and Marriage are the basic units of the society. Family is also an institution
that is considered as the seat of nurturing, care and socialization of an individual.
It is also supposed to be an institution that protects a person from the threats of
outside world. But, on a closer look with patriarchal background and gender
lens, the institution of family is found not to be an egalitarian but hierarchal
structure. In this Unit, you will read about how family can be a seat of power and
subordination and oppression of some members namely, women, girl child and
also of the members of non-normative sexuality. Along with understanding family,
marriage as an institution, we will discuss the different kinds of discrimination
inherent to marriage. It should be stressed that marriage by itself and as is
understood today wasn’t/isn’t a universal system in terms of time, space and
communities and how the patriarchal and sacramental nature of marriage keeps
women subordinated and perpetrates violence against them.

Let us now a look at the objectives of reading this Unit.

5.2 OBJECTIVES
After reading this Unit, you will be able to:
Explain the nature and function of family;
Describe various forms of marriage in India; and
Critique subordination and hierarchy within the structure of the family and
marriage in India

55
Gender and Family
5.3 NATURE AND FUNCTIONS OF THE FAMILY
Various studies from across the world have elaborated upon the nature and
functions of the family. Majority of these studies emphasize on the universality
of family as a social institution, that in provides socialization, support, love and
protection to its members. These studies portray family as an egalitarian space
whereby all members enjoy equal patronage and love, and consider it as a heaven
otherwise insecure and violent world. However, there are studies which challenge
such unilateral understanding of family. These studies come mainly from feminists
and queer scholar. They bring forth the ways in which family operates within
family determining differential access to resources both material and non-material.
Violence and discrimination are used as tools to maintain family “integrity”,
status, power, and honour. Let us read about functionalism which is important to
study family as a form social institution.

Functionalism
Functionalism states that family forms the basic institution of every society and
is universal in nature. Through its various functions, family meets the functional
pre-requisites of the society and helps maintain its equilibrium.

This theory is based on the understanding that the biological imperatives of

motherhood predispose women for indoor work, whereas the greater physical
strength of men leads them naturally into the provider role.

The most basic relationship within the family is that of mother and child based
on the physiological facts of pregnancy and lactation. Therefore the mother is
primarily responsible for rearing and nurturance of the child whereas the father
plays an indirect role.

Functionalists propose that the wife is required to give direct help to the husband’s
work. She is expected to adjust and assist the husband in meeting the various
demands the occupational sphere places on him.

Talcott Parsons is the most prominent proponent of functionalist theorist.

According to Parsons family is the basic agent of socialization and every member
of the society derives their role and status from their position in the family.
(Parsons and Bales, 1955). Parsons also describes that a nuclear family is the
best form of family for an industrialized world. In nuclear families, the wives are
mainly responsible for raising children and not expected to hunt for ascribed
status and the children are not yet grown up for competition. Therefore, the
authority and ascribed status of the husband is not threatened, thereby maintaining
the stability of the family and society.

Feminist studies critique functionalism bringing forth the various ways in which
power operates within family leading to hierarchy, discrimination, and violence
against various members. They show family as not just a space for love, peace
and cooperation but also of conflict, violence and negotiation.

5.4 FEMINISTS PERSPECTIVES

Mainstream studies described the family as an indispensable social institution
based on cooperation, harmony, common interests and equality. To a large extent
56
they have also taken ‘man’ within the family as the basic unit of their study and Family and Marriage
have neglected women’s experiences. Feminism challenged this vision of the
family and drew attention to examine experiences of women in the domestic
sphere.
Let us read how different strength of feminism critiques the institution of family.
Liberal Feminism
Liberal feminism argues that women and men are different not due to their biology
but due to the process of sex-role socialization. They recognize that through sex-
role socialization women taught to be primarily housewife and thus are prevented
from realizing their full potential. This relegated women to the so called private
sphere of family, make them dependent upon their husband which lead to their
subordination. They demand equal opportunity for women in all spheres as they
believe that women are capable of achieving anything as much as men. They
argued that this equality can be achieved by bringing women out of the domestic
sphere through equal opportunity for jobs which can be brought by legislation
and social reforms. Betty Friedan, Ann Oakly, Susan Okin Moller are among the
many liberal feminists who have studied the family and women’s position within
it.

Socialist Feminism
According to Marxists feminists, women’s subordination is related to the
ownership of property. They argue that family along with exploitation of women
will be wiped out with the usurping of capitalism. Socialist feminists contest
such ideas and point out ways in which even the working class male benefits
from the family. They point at the ways in which the structure of the family in
capitalism affects and appropriates women’s labour and renders them unequal
both within the family and in the labour market.

Radical Feminism
Radical feminists emphasize on sexual rather than economic exploitation. They
link women’s oppression to their sexual and reproductive role performed basically
within the family. They call upon women to reject their biological reproductive
role and take the help of technology to subvert male domination. Some of the
important radical feminist analysis of family comes from Kate Millet, Shulamith
Firestone,and others.

Kate Millet (1971) unites that the patriarchal family insists upon legitimacy of
offspring. It pronounces that the status of both child and mother is chiefly
dependent upon the social and economic status of the male.

Shulamith Firestone in her book The Dialectic of Sex (1972) opines that the
material basis for the inequality between men and women is produced within the
biological family.

5.5 FEMINIST STUDIES OF FAMILY

Feminist scholarship began by pointing to the wide gap between the everyday
experience of women within family and anthropological-sociological knowledge
available. Therefore, the immediate task that they undertook was to underline
the invisibility of women in the existing studies (Rege, 2001, p.14).
57
Gender and Family Much feminist work has targeted the family in terms of the structure of marriage,
unequal distribution of resources between men and women and gender division
of labour. They argue that women face discrimination in access to health,
education, food and clothing, son preferences within family domestic violence
and many other such issues occurring within the family structure.

Critique of Mainstream Research: Feminists pointed out that early Indian

sociologist for all purposes assumed the Hindu joint family of classical, sanskritic
usage as the Indian family. It excluded the family structures and kinship ideals
and practices of non-Hindus, that of south and north-east India, lower castes, of
non patrilineal communities and others. They thus ignored the various ways in
which different kinship patterns in different regions and communities affected
the lives of its members, especially that of women differently (Uberoi, 1993,
p.39). It was only the work of Irawati Karve in which she undertook a comparative
study on kinship and marriage in north and south Indian families that some light
has been thrown on differential pattern of kinship and its effects on its members
especially that of women. Thus, mainstream studies, feminists argued failed to
inform or confront practical challenge related to the institution of family in India
and wrongly portrayed it as an egalitarian and harmonious institution benefitting
all (Uberao, 2001).
Familial ideology and women’s subordinate status

Scholars focused on the violence perpetrated on women in the name of family

honour and showed how the rationality of the family honour subordinates women
and grants men the power to exercise control on women’s self and sexuality
(Das, 1996).

Family honour and purity of caste is believed to be dependent upon control over
and purity of female sexuality. Family, according to feminists, plays an important
role in maintaining this purity through socializing its members especially women
to control their sexuality. Girls are expected to be feminine and not attract male
gaze to remain pure. Family itself controls and punishes arbitrary behaviour in
this regard. Restrictions on mobility, maintaining purdah, stress on virginity,
chastity and fidelity, stigma of illegitimacy, importance on early marriage of
girls are all mechanisms through which family actively contributes in maintaining
caste boundaries and protects its purity and honour.

The responsibility for protection of family and caste honour that family confers
its male members gives men the right to exercise power over the females.

Another such aspect of oppressive family structure that was neglected by

mainstream studies was the process of gender socialization which forms one of
the basic functions of family. Feminists argue that mainstream studies did not
critique the gendered nature of the process of socialization because mainstream
scholars agreed with patriarchal ideology and saw nothing wrong in its
reproduction.

Feminists argue that the process of gender socialization in India primarily takes
place through rituals and ceremonies, the use of language, and practices within
the family. Gender division of labour is ingrained in children very early in
childhood. Little girls are expected to help in domestic work such as cooking
and looking after infants. Boys on the other hand are reprimanded if they show
58 any interest in the above works. They are expected to accompany their male
 Family and Marriage
elders to the work site outside the home. Girls, feminist studies show are expected
to learn to bear the pain and deprivation, eat anything that is given to them, and
acquire the quality of self-sacrifice. (Dube, 2001)

Feminists also point out that given the fact that son preference is ingrained in
Indian families which are largely patriarchal, patrilineal and patrilocal in nature,
girls grow up with the notion of temporary and secondary membership within
the natal home.

Rajni Palriwala (1990) addresses household within the context of womne’s work.
She argues that such division of labour kept women away from the market oriented
income generating productive work thus making women economically dependent
on men.

Other critique of the family comes from the dalit feminist thought and queer
theory.
Check Your Progress Exercise 1
Note: i) Use the space given below to answer the questions.
ii) Compare your answer with the Course material of this unit.
1) Explain ‘Liberal Feminist’ understanding of family
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2) Explain how familial ideology subordinate women.

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In the coming section, you will read about dalit feminist’s critique of family
queer critique of family studies and domestic violence within family.

Dalit Feminists Critique of family studies

Feminism in India assumed the experiences of Hindu upper caste, middle class,
urban women to be the experiences of all women. Dalit –Bahujan critique took
Indian feminist to task for the seeming invisibility of caste inequality and
emphasized on the ‘Politics of difference’ (Guru.1995). Dalit Bahujan feminists
argued that this ‘difference’ is essential for understanding the dalit women’s
subjugation,
59
Gender and Family Queer critique questioned Indian feminist negligence of, the role sexuality played
in determining family form, and the unequal distribution of power within. They
argued against feminist non-questioning of heteronormativity. According to queer
critiques, feminist questioned gender roles, subordination of women, violence
against women, unequal rights to property and decision making and others within
family. Rinchin (2005) writes ‘within the family, violence is seen as a serious
concern but never as a threat to the validity, relevance and existence of the
institution itself.

According to her, ‘members of the family are burdened with the duty of replicating
the structure. Families are also not open for any and every one as the gates for
entry are birth and marriage. The use of force and violence for submission and
compliance is not unknown.

5.6 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: UNDERMINING

THE NOTION OF FAMILY AS A SAFE
HEAVEN
Some of the major forms of domestic violence in India are discussed below. You
will read about a few more forms of domestic violence in the next unit on
‘Marriage’.
Sex Selection of female infanticide: Aborting girl children even before birth is a
pattern of violence largely perpetrated in Indian society. Even before the female
baby is born she is killed inside her mother’s womb by abortion. The decline
female-male sex ratio over last few decades confirms this fact. With the spread
of amniocentesis, a medical technique to discover birth defects which involves
sex determination of the foetus, female infanticide has become a common form
of violence against women.

Female foeticide and infanticide are often the manifestation of a dominant

ideology which valorizes the male child. The desire for a male child is linked to
the Hindu belief that the son facilitates the passage of his parents to the next
world. This belief along with the construction of son being the provider and
daughter being an economic burden is the cause for increasing female foeticide
and infanticide.

Unequal Access to Facilities and Resources

The dominant ideology assumes that girls are inferior, physically and mentally
weak, and above all sexually vulnerable. Based on this discriminations and
restrictions are imposed upon the girl child. Distribution of basic resources within
the family is regulated along the factors of gender and age. These basic resources
include nutrition, health care, education, other material assets as well as parental
attention and care. Evidence indicates that girls and women are usually far less
privileged than boys in access to material resources. The male child gets the
larger share in food and girl child gets only left over. Forms of discrimination in
access to food exist even in upper castes middle class homes indicating that
factors other than scarcity are crucial.

Child Abuse
‘Children are victims of substantial abuse of a physical, psychological and
60 emotional nature. This includes sexual aggression, beatings, as well as extracting
hours of labour from children who should be in school or at play (Karlekar: Family and Marriage
1998: 1744). Given her burden of the household duties, it is the girl who is
abused more, she experiences only daughterhood and is deprived of a carefree
childhood which is generally reserved for boys (Kosambi: 1998). Child sexual
abuse is one of the most rampant forms of child abuse which is rarely talked
about.

Families rarely talk about such sexual abuse. When the rapist is a father, brother,
uncle or cousin the chances of reporting are even lower. Though the girl child is
more vulnerable to sexual abuse especially in Indian context one cannot deny
the prevalence of male child sexual abuse. If there is a silence around the sexual
violation of the girl child in the family, this is equally true of cases of sodomy
and abuse of the male child (Karlekar: 1998: 1745).

Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment also occurs in the domestic sphere. Unwelcome sexual
advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a
sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment. Sexual harassment forms one of the
basic tools of men to keep women in their patriarchal defined space. It can be in
the form of comments on the physical appearance of the female and abuse with
sexual overtones, fingering, jostling against women, manhandling, ogling etc. It
creates an atmosphere of fear and hurts the dignity of the woman concerned.

Sexual Assault or Rape

Rape is broadly defined as non-consensual sexual act through the use of physical
force, threats or intimidation, including the rape of a woman by her husband—
which is marital rape. Rape may also occur between people who know each
other and between people who have previously had consensual sexual relations.
Unlike common belief that rape is committed in dark streets by ugly and fearful
looking strangers, most of the rapes happen within the four walls of the home by
family members , acquaintances, neighbours, cousins and other close relatives.

Violence against Aged Persons and Widows

A situation of dependency on the younger generation results in neglect and in
some cases, ill-treatment and different forms of violence against older people, in
particular women. Widows and aged persons are usually economically dependent
upon their relatives. Therefore, they are more vulnerable to violence by their
family members who include in-laws, sons, daughters-in-law, and other relatives.
Widowhood exposes a woman to new forms and networks of exploitation and
violence. In patriarchal society, widows are considered a curse and an evil omen
and their movement is restricted in various ways. Sexual vulnerability of the
widow is widely prevalent. They are prone to sexual abuse within the marital
family and are sometimes forced into prostitution by their in- laws.(Karlekar:
1998)

Violence and discrimination against LGBTQ members

As discussed earlier the idea of family is based on heteronormativity and therefore
any deviation from such norms leads to discrimination and violence. Traditionally,
children born as transsexuals called as hijras are abandoned by the family or
killed in the form of infanticide. Homosexuality is unaccepted and violence
including life threatening consequences is used as a tool to bring confirmation.
61
Gender and Family Rape is used to cure daughters of homosexuality and make lesbians confirm to
heterosexuality. Homosexual men and women are forced into heterosexual
marriages and threatened of dire consequences if they do not confirm.

The above forms of violence reflects a part of the various ways in which different
members of the family live a life of hierarchy and unequal power and status
within family. These violence show that family is not always a space of safe
haven and eternal love but actively hierarchies, discriminates and violates its
own members in different capacities.

5.7 DEFINITION AND MEANING OF MARRIAGE

Marriage is traditionally considered to be a socially/legally recognized
relationship, between an adult male and female. Marriage brings with it certain
rights and obligations. According to Anthony Giddens (2009) marriage can be
defined as a socially acknowledged and approved sexual union between two
adult individuals. When two people marry, they become kin to one another. The
marriage bond also, however, connects together a wider range of kin people.
Parents, brothers, sisters and other blood relatives become relatives of the partner
through marriage’.

Heteronormativity is about only opposite gender i.e a man and women being
allowed to marry.

Source: [Link]
11100014-Cartoon-the-bride-and-groom-during-the-wedding-ceremony-contours-Vector-Stock-
[Link]

Same sex marriage is tabooed and not allowed socially and legally
except a few countries which grant legal sanction to such
marriages.
Couples from the same sex i.e. as shown in this picture a woman
and a woman in love are not allowed to marry.
Source: [Link]
atthameeni140700020/29650244-hand-drawing-cartoon-concept-happy- same-
62 [Link]
 Family and Marriage

Same sex couples like in this picture a man and a man marrying is tabooed,
stigmatized and made illegal by both society and law. [Link]
politicalhumor/1/S/2/Y/4/[Link]

In India too same sex love and marriage is tabooed and banned both by society
and the law.

Source: [Link]
+marriage&biw=1280&bih=589&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_
AUoAmoVChMIytrl1t_6xwIVxSSOCh1 OdgyH#tbm=isch&q=posters+on+
section+377+ &imgrc=rZxti0ZjZ9bgoM%3A

It is believed that at the basis of almost every kinship systems is marriage.

Marriage is a social or a binding legal defining the union of a man and a woman,
living together in a sexual relationship with the expectation of producing offspring.
This relationship is defined and sanctioned by tradition and law.

Traditionally marriage involves a man, a woman and their children. One of the
important purposes of marriage is believed to be for biological reproduction.

63
Gender and Family

Source: [Link] heterosexual

+marriage&biw=1280&bih=589&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_
AUoAmoVChMIytrl1t_6xwIVxSSOCh1OdgyH#tbm=isch&q=indian+cartoons+of+family+
in+india+&imgrc=XxFfOhBybON9uM%3A

Today this understanding needs to be amended, as men and women do not

necessarily include having children as one of the purposes of marriage. In certain
societies couples reproduce even without entering into marriage and then may or
may not choose to marry. There are couples who enter into marriage but chose to
be childless or opt for adoption rather than have their own biological children.
Further as same-sex partners are entering into marriage, such couples may go for
adoption, medical inception and other scientific and legal methods to include
children in their family.
A homosexual couple with their child.
Source: [Link]
? q = cartoons + of + law % 27s + sanctions
+ of + heterosexual + marriage & biw =
1280 & bih = 589 & source = lnms & tbm
= isch & sa = X & ved = 0CAcQ _
AUoAmoVChMIytrl1t _
6xwIVxSSOCh1OdgyH # tbm = isch & q
=
cartoons+of+family+and+offsrping&imgrc=_-
xm7AOG5ZF-FM%3A

Thus, the importance of marriage no longer remains exclusively attached to the

notion of biologicvla reproduction but is also undertaken for the purpose of
companionship (Scott and Marshall 2005).

5.8 FORMS OF MARRIAGE

Marriage has taken various forms in different societies. The two broad commonly
accepted subdivisions in forms of marriage based on number of partners are
monogamy and polygamy. Monogamy refers to the marriage found across
modern contemporary societies.
One man marrying one woman is monogamy.
64
 Family and Marriage

Source: [Link]

Polygamy is the term for plural marriage. It can in turn be subdivided into
polyandry or the union of one woman with several men; polygyny, or the union
of one man with several women. Group marriage, involves several emn living
with several women. Within polygamy polygyny is more common than polyandry.

Source: [Link] http://

[Link]/static/mt/assets/food/[Link]

Based on rules of marriage, marriage takes palce in two broad forms- endogamy
and exogamy. Endogamy ensures that partnes in the marriage belong to the same
social group. i.e the same caste, tribe, religion, class and others.
Marriage between Brahmin Woman and Brahmin Man- Endogamy i.e Caste
[Link] between Dalit man and Dalit Woman – Endogamy i.e
Caste
EndogamyMarriage between Christian Woman and Christian Man –
Endogamy i.e Religious Endogamy
Marriage between Bodo Man and Bodo Woman- Endogamy i.e Ethnic
Endogamy.
In India Hindu social order through its caste system strictly followed and continues
to follow caste endogamy. Any violation of it entailed punish,ment including
what is known as honour killing. Endogamy and Violent enforcement of it
continues rather rigidly even in contemporary times.
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Gender and Family

News paper’s report on honour killings in India.

Such honour killings are largely perpetrated when caste endogamous rules of
marriage are challenged by young couples i.e. when couples belonging to different
castes especially the girl belonging to higher caste marries a boy belonging to
lower caste.
Further, marriage between individuals belonging to different castes is called
hypergamous marriage, if the woman belonged to a lower caste and the man to
a higher caste. The marriage of a higher caste woman to a lower caste man is
called hypogamy. In Indian society hypergamous marriage is relatively easily
accepted as compared to hypogamous marriages. Hypogamous marriages often
lead to violence against the caste group to which the man belongs by the upper
caste group to which the woman belongs.

Exogamy on the other hand entails that individuals marry outside their own
group. Gotra exogamy whereby individuals are expected to marry outside their
gotra (lineage group), and village exogamy (which was the norm of marriage in
some north Indian villages) entailes that members married outside one’s village,
are some among the various forms of exogamy. Exogamy of gotra is also strictly
followed in India. Breaking of gotra exogamy rules can also lead to honour
killings.

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 Family and Marriage

Source: [Link]
[Link]?cb=1348985994

Based on sex of partners, marriage can be of two kinds’ i.e heterosexual marriage
and home sexual marriage. In heterosexual marriage, partners belong to opposite
sex, where as in homosexual marriage the partners belong to same sex.
Before reading further attempt the following.
Check Your Progress Exercise 2:
Note: i) Use the space given below to answer the questions.
ii) Compare your answer with the Course material of this unit.
1) Explain different forms of marriage
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2) Write short notes on:
a) Endogamy
b) Exogamy
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In the following sections you will read about feminist theories on marriage,
violence in marriage and queer perspectives on marriage.

5.9 FEMINIST THEORIES ON MARRIAGE

Various feminist researchers across the world brought forth that women take on
the lion’s share of domestic and caring giving work which is not recognized as
67
Gender and Family productive labour with any market value. You will read about women’s work in
detail in block 3.

Women are socialized into acceptance of feminine domestic roles in marriage

which makes them “good” and “respectable” wives. (friedan, 1963).

Gender Socialization whereby girls are told that their task is to cook, clean,
and perform repetitive uncreative work and be subordinate. Whereas boys
are told to occupy position of power, do masculine creative task and enjoy
the fruits of women’s work.

At the same time when they go for work outside home they are paid much less
than men. There is continuity between women’s subordination within the “private”
sphere of marriage and family and the “public” sphere of wage work. Further,
research also show that even when women go out to work in similar positions as
men, they are still burdened with house work performing “second shift” – one
shift at office and another taking care of home and family by doing housework.

68
Based on the Studies feminists argue that they advocating of gender division of Family and Marriage
labour in marriage harms the position of women as a whole, merely by
constraining their options and ambitions. Confining them to domestic sphere
and placing on them the exclusive burden of housework, gender division of labour
limits women’s choices and life chances.

Source: [Link]

They become economically, socially and politically dependent on men hampering

their self confidence, forcing them to tolerate discrimination and violence. Thus,
gender division of labour directly and indirectly coerce women to accept
subordination in marriage.

Amongst the different strands of feminism, Marxists feminists argue that

monogamous marriage is a social institution that has nothing to do with love and
everything to do with private property. Thus, marriage benefits the capitalist
class and women’s subordination within marriage can be overcome only by
overthrowing. It is the exploitative system of private property.

For radical feminists, marriage is a tool of patriarchy which through its

heterosexual norms keeps women subordinated. Patriarchy is the first form of
social exploitation. In this system of patriarchy, men as a group hold power over
women. Power lies with men (Abbott et al. 2005).

69
Gender and Family To summarize, feminists see marriage not as an egalitarian harmonious institution
but that which is fraught with contradictions. According to feminists, marriage is
a hierarchical institution whereby women are given secondary status. Gender
division of labour, capitalist economy, unpaid housework, unequal wage system
in paid work, heterosexual norms, control over women’s sexuality, eulogizing of
masculinity and femininity, violence, unequal property and other rights, along
with discriminatory laws make marriage an unequal exploitative institution.
Let us now read how violence is perpetuated in marriage.
Ill effects of marriage

Marital violence can be perpetrated both in active and passive manner, it can be
in an overt and covert manner, and can be physical, sexual and psychological in
nature or all at a time. Violence in marriage involves kicking, beating with hand
or stick, dragging the woman by hair, cutting her body, abusing her with foul
language, keeping her hungry, having forced sex, shouting, scolding, threatening,
desertion, restriction in her movements, restricting her from employment, and
many other means of torture. Some of the forms that it takes in India are discussed
below:

Early Marriage: Early marriage is encouraged to control the sexuality of the girl.
She should be passed safely from her natal home to the marital home without
bringing in danger to the family name. A girl’s sexuality has to be controlled as
if she misuses her freedom it may bring disgrace upon the family honour. Early
marriage results in early pregnancy, which is harmful, and life taking for the
mother.
Dowry: is an age-old practice related to marriage in India. It is the exchange of
wealth especially from the bride’s home to the grooms. It can be in the form of
cash, ornaments, lands, modern gadgets or other movable and immovable
property. Dowry forms one of major causes of wife battering. Wives are beaten,
70 deserted, tortured, murdered, burnt for extracting more dowries.
Wife battering: the most widely practiced and widely denied form of domestic Family and Marriage
violence is upon the wife that sometimes leads to the death of the woman. It is a
wife battering. Wife battering involves physical, psychological and sexual abuse
inflicted complex social phenomenon of power relationships within the family.

Marital rape: is commonly defined as any unwanted intercourse or penetration

obtained by force, threat of force, or when the wife is unable to consent. Rape in
marriage is a sexual violence, an abuse of power by which a husband attempts to
establish dominance and control over his wife who he feels is his “property.”

For a long time most of these violence were not even legislated against by the
law. It is mostly through the efforts of the women’s movement that today most of
these forms of violence are declared illegal through legislations. However,
violence such as marital rape is now recognized as a crime by the law.

5.10 DIVORCE
In many societies divorce has become an accepted part of marriage. All legal
systems today grant the right to divorce to both women and men in marriage.
Divorce laws have become simpler with granting of mutual consent divorces.
Though divorced status is considered as normal in many societies, in India it is
still difficult to opt for divorce especially, for women.

India has different marriage and divorce laws for different religions. Almost all
religions have their own marriage and divorce laws.

Grounds for divorce in India mainly include adultery, desertion, cruelty,

impotency, chronic diseases, and conversion into another religion. Though several
laws have been passed the divorce procedure in India is still complex and time
taking. The judiciary in India largely believes that marriages should be saved
and often grant extended time spand and provide marital counseling before
actually hearing their case for divorce..

Divorce still is seen as an act of breaking of marriage and family even when
sought under conditions of cruelty.

5.11 SUMMING UP
The unit discusses the nature and functions of family especially taking the help
of functionalist studies of family. It describes how largely family is accepted as
the basic unit of all societies and is functional to the maintenance and progress
of society.

Feminist rejected such understanding on family and their efforts in bringing out
the discrimination present within family. Indian feminist and queer studies on
family and their attempt to unfold the important role family and familial ideology
have played role and the subordination of women in family and marriage were
discussed. In India, discourse on women’s rights within marriage and family is
a complex and contentious matter as it is closely intertwined with religious and
social identity politics/issues.

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Gender and Family
5.12 KEY WORDS
Hemorrhage : A flow/oozing of blood from a ruptured blood vessel.
Access &Control of Resources: Resources are important to ensure livelihoods
of individuals.. Women have been denied access to education, health services,
credit, land and technologies historically due to gendered divisions of labour,
patriarchy, economic inequalities and socialization.

5.13 REFERENCES
Bell, Norman W. and Ezra F. Vogel (1968) (eds.). A Modern Introduction to The
Family. New York: The Free Press.

Dube, Leela (2001). Anthropological explorations in gender: Intersecting fields.

Delhi, Sage Publications.

John, Mary (2005) ‘Feminist Perspectives on Family and Marriage’, Economic

and Political Weekly, 40 (08): 712-715.

Rao, Anupama (2005). ‘Sexuality and the Family Form’, Economic and Political
Weekly, 40(8): 715-718.

Rinchin (2005). ‘Querying Marriage and Family’. Economic and Political Weekly,
40(8):718-721.

Abbott [Link]. 2005. An Introduction to Sociology: Feminist Perspectives. London:

Routledge.

Banks, Olive. 1986. Faces of Feminism. New York: Basil Blackwell Bhroin,
Feargha Ní. 2009. ‘Feminism and the Same-sex Marriage Debate’,

[Link]
accessed on September 3rd 2015, 10.30am.

5.14 UNIT END QUESTIONS

1) What is functionalist explanation of family?
2) Explain gender socialization in India and how it affects women’s lives within
family.
3) Explain dalit feminist critique of family ideology and its relation to caste in
India.
4) What is heteronormativity and how does it violate rights of different members
of the family?
5) Explain feminist theories of marriage
6) Examine how violence takes place in the institution of marriage

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