Anglais : Synthèse

Marriage : A reflection of the mores and values of a society

Marriage is often discredited for its sexist conception of a woman tied eternally to a
man in contradiction with the freedom they earned in the sixties. Yet the movement is
gathering momentum again since 40 % of new marriages are remarriages according to a
Pew Research Center study, which exhibits an evolution of espousals over time, in better
agreement with the present mores. Thus, to what extent has marriage evolved and adapted
to modern societies ? While Jeffrey Eugenides considers it as an extinct institution in the
Marriage Plot, The Economist and Yvonne Roberts in The Guardian remind of the recent
surge of unions which embrace new values and are based on new grounds, some of which
are exhibited in several graphs published by Pew Research Center. But these
considerations mostly concern Western countries and this institution still highlights class
inequalities.
Marriage was a deep-rooted and sexist institution that suffered from the introduction
of divorce as well as feminist movements of the twentieth century. Unions were the column
of family and former society, being a necessary step to reach adulthood since non married-
adults of any age were considered as children, according to The Economist. But Roberts
reminds that while It was a duty for men and women, it mostly acted for the latter as a
transition from serving their fathers to serving their husbands. Then divorce have soared in
the 60s as a call for freedom and liberation from women. In a more radical way, Eugenides
argues that the independence and wealth earned by women with the possibility of divorce
untied completely the knot that held both fictional and real marriages possible such as Carrie
who ran away from her husband to become an actress.
But the institution has turned into a renewed and recently soaring system that
focuses on love, personal decisions with the hope of a better life. The numbers are
unequivocal, marriages are thriving. Indeed, the two journalists remind that 93% of Britons
aspire to marriage in their future life while the number of grooms over 65 who probably took
part in feminist and movement against marriage increased by 25 % in 2012. This shift
highlights the new values on which the institution stands. Rather than a duty or economic
interest, unions are now personal decisions with little parental influence in order to celebrate
love and commitment in a couple, which are the two main reasons to get married for more
than 80 % of the population in a Pew Research Center study. Tying the knot also pursues
greater happiness especially for older people who seek care and attention in their last
moments.
Nonetheless, this metamorphosis of this institution mostly concerns Western
countries. Marriage is a rather two-tier system on a global scale. The pre-industrial
conception of an union still persists in traditional societies not only through literature as
Eugenides describes but as well in societal structure, especially in some low-income
countries where unmarried people are still considered as second class citizens. But Western
marriages are as well enmeshed with inequalities. The Economist reveals that poor classes
are not only less likely to marry but their marriages are prone to failure compared to highly-
educated populations, an issue that might be toppled in the future.

Nombre de mots : 544

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