College of Education School of Continuing and Distance Education 2014/2015 – 2016/2017 SOCI 223 Traditional Ghanaian Social Institutions Session 5 – The marriage and family institution Lecturer: Dr. Rosemond Hiadzi, Sociology Contact Information: [email protected]
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SOCI 223 Traditional Ghanaian Social Institutions · College of Education School of Continuing and Distance Education 2014/2015 – 2016/2017 SOCI 223 Traditional Ghanaian Social
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College of Education
School of Continuing and Distance Education 2014/2015 – 2016/2017
SOCI 223
Traditional Ghanaian Social
Institutions
Session 5 – The marriage and family
institution
Lecturer: Dr. Rosemond Hiadzi, Sociology Contact Information: [email protected]
Session Overview
• At the end of the session, the student will
• Understand the various meanings of marriage and family in traditional Ghanaian society
• Identify the various types of marriages and family
• Know and understand the various functions of the family
• Understand the importance of marriage in traditional societies
Slide 2
Session Outline
The key topics to be covered in the session are as follows:
• Topic One – Types of family
• Topic Two – Marriage
Slide 3
Reading List
• Abotchie, C. (2011) Structure of Traditional Ghanaian Societies. Hans Publications Ltd. Accra
• Assimeng, J. M. (1981) Social Structure of Ghana. Chapter one
• Nukunya, G. K. (2002) Tradition and Change. An Introduction to Sociology. Chapters one and two
Slide 4
TYPES OF FAMILY Topic One
Slide 5
Types of family
• Nuclear family
• Polygynous family – a husband, two or more wives and their unmarried children
• Polyandrous family – a wife, two or more husbands and their unmarried children
• Composite/ Joint family – two or more lineally related kinsfolk of the same sex, their spouses and unmarried children
• Extended family – two or more nuclear families united by the nuclear family of the parents (Murdock) – Residential extended family – Non residential extended family
Slide 6
Classifying families
– Family of procreation –
• Where a person forms his/her own family
• Family of orientation –
– Where a person grows up
Functions of the family
• The family can be said to be a concentrated nucleus of the larger society, maintaining and carrying on the procedures and processes of the larger group in a miniature and intensified form (Mc Elmer). Discuss.
MARRIAGE Topic two
Slide 9
Marriage
• Defining marriage – Lucy Mair – the union between a man and a woman such that children born to the woman are
recognized as legitimate offspring of both parents
– N.B. Read Nukunya to identify 5 reasons why this definition will not be applicable in all societies
Who marries whom (marriage prohibitions)
• Exogamy is the practice of selecting mates from outside one’s group. (prohibits one from marrying someone within their own group)
• Endogamy is the practice of selecting mates from within one’s group. (prohibits one from marrying someone outside one’s group)
• Rules of child betrothal marriage – although a girl may be betrothed at any age, marriage and sexual activity can take place only after the puberty rituals are performed
Who marries whom
• Rules for prescribed marriage – contracted with a person in a particular social category because it is a rule for one to marry from such a group e.g. royal marriages
• Rules for preferred marriages – contracted with a person in a particular social category not as an established rule but because it is thought to be desirable and admirable to marry from that group
Types of marriage
• Primary marriage – a marital union which constitutes the first experience of the partners involved
• Secondary marriage – either one or both partners have some earlier marital experience
– Forms of secondary marriage
1. Levirate marriage/ widow inheritance
2. Sororate marriage
3. Ghost marriage
4. Serial monogamy
Types of marriage (Number of marriage partners)
• Polygamy is the practice of a man or woman having multiple marriage partners.
• Polygamy usually involves polygyny, one man having more than one wife.
• Polyandry is the practice of a woman having more than one husband.
• Monogamy is a sexually exclusive marriage with one spouse.
• Cenogamy/ Group marriage is a marital union involving a number of men and women at the same time.
Types of marriage
• Types of polygynous marriage – Sororal polygyny
– Non-sororal polygyny
– General polygyny
• Types of polyandrous marriages – Fraternal polyandry
– Non-fraternal polyandry
– General polyandry
Mate Selection
• What are some of the things that were considered when selecting a potential spouse in traditional Ghanaian societies?
– Ethnic origin
– Economic activity of the potential spouse
– Religious affiliation
– Geographical mobility
Marriage payments
• What does the payment of bride price symbolize?
– Readiness of the man to start his own family
– Potential of the man to be responsible both as a husband and as a father
– Appreciation to the bride’s family
– Legitimizes the children that will be born out of the marriage
Marriage payments
• Rights in genetricem – rights a man has over the reproductive services of his wife, that is, rights in a woman as mother (genetrix)
• Rights in uxorem – rights a man has over the domestic, sexual and economic services of his wife, that is, rights in a woman as wife (uxor)
Place of residence
• In patrilocal/virilocal residence, after marriage, a woman is separated from her own kinship group and resides with the husband or his kinship group.
• In matrilocal/uxorilocal residence, the couple live with or near the wife’s parents.
• Neolocal residence is the practice of the new couple establishing their own residence.
• Duolocal residence pattern is when a husband and wife live in separate houses.
The importance of marriage
• Why is marriage so important in traditional Ghana?
– It is the institution through which the most cherished goals of the traditional Ghanaian, namely a family, are achieved