Académique Documents
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Culture Documents
Paola A. Ornelas
1301 RWS
Abstract
This paper explores eight different scholarly sources that analyze the evolution in the concept of
marriage equality in the society as a result of multiple factors such as, access to education,
legalization of same-sex marriage, and the participation of women in the workforce. The authors
cited in the present paper provide different points of view, allowing the reader to arrive to a
conclusion using critical thinking. The legalization of same-sex marriage by the Supreme Court
of the United States brought a different application of the concept of marriage equality within the
sexuality context. Blanton (2000) argued that with the participation of women in the labor
sphere, contemporary marriages establish their own hierarchy, different from the patriarchal
hierarchy featured in many traditional marriages. This paper also examines Arber and Ginn
(1995), who claimed that the participation of women in the workforce brought inequality
between men and women inside and outside marital relationships. The focus of this paper is the
Introduction
The concept of marriage equality has been a highly debated subject among various
authors and scholars. The opposition to the application of equality between husband and wife
inside a marriage, or the equality between homosexual and heterosexual couples, has created a
social problem that many have tried to solve. The application of equality inside and outside
marriage depends on many social, economic, and politic factors. The understating of the
connection between these factors will ultimately lead to the solution of the problem. As a result
of the legalization of same-sex marriage and the inclusion of women to the labor and education
sphere, men and womens sex-role attitudes have changed, causing an evolution in the concept of
Discussion
Gender equality has been a controversial issue throughout the history of society,
especially in regards to the allocation of roles between man and women inside the family. The
marital relationship between a husband and a wife is determined by the participation that each
member has inside and outside of the household. According to Inglehart and Norris (2003), with
the modernization of society came cultural changes that supported liberal gender equality (p. 3).
However, contrast between womens life around the globe continue to exist, affecting the
equality inside a marriage. The worlds modernization took place in two phases. The first phase
was the transition from an agriculture-based economy to an industrialized society. During this
phase, women started participating in the public realm taking subordinated positions. The second
phase was the postindustrial modernization era, in which gender equality started taking place in
terms of family, work, and politics (p. 6). The inclusion of women in the public realm brought
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changes to the household. In developed countries, men started to see women as their equals,
Social, political, and economic changes have influenced the way husbands and wives
relate to each other. Mikkola and Miles (2007) claimed that education is an important factor that
helps understand the connections that exist between the role of women in society, economic
growth, and cultural norms (p. 15). Marriage equality is included in the latter, showing the
relationship between the evolution in society and the household sphere. When women have
access to education, inclusion in the workforce, liberty over their sexual and reproductive rights,
as well as participation in the political system, equality tends to be present inside their marriages
(p. 17). The active participation of women in society made a transcendental change in marriages
all over the world, leaving behind the traditional vision in which women had no voice.
As time passes, expectations and stereotypes of marriage have changed, opening the door
to gender equality within marital relationships. With the reformation of social stereotypes and
preconceptions, gender equality has become a more popular and accessible term to everybody. In
2000, Blanton used a psychoeducational approach to study marital relationships between men
and women. This approach is called Adlerian perspective and through a series of studies, he
arrived to the conclusion that with the participation of women in the labor sphere, contemporary
marriages establish their own hierarchy, different from the patriarchal hierarchy that most
traditional marriages have (p. 414). With the provision of this information, society can strive to
become more egalitarian. However, Arber and Ginn (1995) argued that the inclusion of women
in the workforce brought marriage inequality, manifested in unequal earnings and job
opportunities, in which men are always favored (p. 21). In contrast to Arber and Ginn, the
scholars Mikkola and Miles (2007) found out that womens rights in marriage on the other hand
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do not seem to be associated with income (p. 20). The authors arrived to this conclusion through
a series of cross-country studies that analyzed the effect of equality on growth. While income
differences lead to more or less gender equality in society as a whole, it did not show an impact
in marriage equality. Each of the approaches provide a different focus to contemporary marriages
equality. Up until the 2000s, the concept of marriage equality enclosed the presence of gender
equality inside a marital relationship. After the Supreme Court ruled in favor of homosexual
marriage nationwide in 2015, the concept of marriage equality started being used to defend the
marriages brought the construction of many prejudices, discrimination norms, and disputes.
Society was not ready to accept homosexuality out in the open. However, same-sex marriage
started creating controversy before 2015. In November 2008, California voters passed
Proposition 8 legalizing same-sex marriage in that state. Faderman stated that this action would
make amends to the States Constitution (para. 1) alluding the fact that in California, marriage
between two individuals of the same sex became legal. This historical fact, aroused confusion
and the beginning of an ongoing debate between defenders of same-sex marriage and those
opposed to it. In 2011, Williams described marriage as a collective right for heterosexual and
homosexual couples (p. 589). The author claims that the prohibition of same-sex marriages is an
issue in regards to equal rights. In order to defend his argument, Williams said that marriage is
an intrinsically collective institution that couples enter; therefore, their right to marry abandons
the circle of individual rights to become a collective right (p. 593). The notion of collective rights
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employed by Williams, favors the use of the concept of marriage equality to state that same-sex
The rising inclusion of womens participation in society has caused an evolution in the
concept of marriage equality, affecting the access to education. Scanzoni (1978) claimed that
womens sex role attitudes have considerably changed from the mid-1960s to the present day (p.
8). These changed attitudes have a direct influence in the goals that women and men seek from
each other inside a marital relationship. If those goals change, group patterns are likely to
change, pushing the society to accommodate itself into accomplishing those new goals. The
awakening of womens desire to actively participate in the labor sphere of society, caused
women. The latter claim is exemplified in Figure 1, retrieved from the United Nations website,
which shows that the access to education for women has increased worldwide. When gender
Figure 1. Access to Education for Women around the Globe. Reprinted from The Worlds Women, by United
Nations, 2015, Retrieved November 12, 2017, from https://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/Infographics.html
equality exists in the society, marriage equality is more likely to exist. Through a series of
studies in 1977, Chapman and Gales arrived to the conclusion that preconceptions and
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stereotypes imposed by society have changed, consequently women are starting to demand an
egalitarian society (p. 414). Having said that, Chapman, Gales, and Scanzoni agree that the
active involvement of women in society has led to a profound change in the labor and education
sphere.
El Paso is one of the counties that experience most marriage inequality in Texas. Even
though women have experienced a breakthrough in the labor sphere worldwide, their job
opportunities and wages are affected by marriage inequality. According to Brenners 50-year
longitudinal perspective study of El Paso (2001), women tend to take part-time and low-skill job
opportunities due to childcare (p. 29). Women are more likely than men to take time off work to
take care of their children, mostly because men prioritize their breadwinner status over their
partners opportunities to participate in the labor sphere. Usually childbearing is associated with
taking care of children; this mindset gives rise to marriage inequality. It is only over the past 20
years that womens participation in the labor force in El Paso has increased (p. 28). However,
instead of reflecting marriage equality, it accentuates inequality between partners. Only a few
percentage of married women have a higher-paying professional, technical and managerial job.
The reason for this is that women usually have to split their time between taking care of
household chores and their job, whereas men only dedicate their time to their jobs. The
participation of women and men outside the household provides an insight to marital
relationships.
Conclusion
Social changes such as the inclusion of women in the labor sphere, the legalization of
same-sex marriage, and the active participation of men inside the household sphere, have created
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an evolution in the application of the concept of marriage equality. According to the above,
many authors agree that many factors influence the marital relationship and the allocation of
roles inside of it. The more women participate in society, the more marriages become equal.
Along with the inclusion of gender equality in marital relationships, the application of the
concept of marriage equality encloses the sameness, in terms of rights, of homosexual and
heterosexual marriages. The concept of marriage equality alludes to the defense of individual and
collective rights by allowing women to become more active in public life, and giving voice to a
segregated group, such as homosexuals. Despite womens breakthrough in the labor sphere,
inequality between men and women inside marriages continues to exist. El Paso Countys
community provides an insight to marriage inequality and states it as a social and economic
problem.
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References
Arber, S., & Ginn, J. (1995). The mirage of gender equality: Occupational success in the labour
market and within marriage. The British Journal of Sociology, 46(1), 21-43.
doi:10.2307/591621
Paso, Tex. : Institute for Policy and Economic Development, University of Texas at El
Paso, 2001.
Chapman, J. R., & Gates, M. J. (1977). Women into wives: The legal and economic impact of
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7996&site=eds-live&scope=site
Faderman, L. (2015). The mainstreaming of marriage equality. The Gay & Lesbian Review
Inglehart, R. & Norris, P. (2003). Rising tide: Gender equality and cultural change around the
Mikkola, A. & Miles, C. (2007). Development and Gender Equality: Consequences, Causes,
Challenges and Cures: discussion paper to the Helsinki Center of Economic Research,
https://ethesis.helsinki.fi/julkaisut/eri/hecer/disc/159/developm.pdf
Scanzoni, J. H. (1978). Sex roles, womens work, and marital conflict: A study of family change
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9722&site=eds-live&scope=site