Week Eleven

Family is a social institution found in all societies that unite people to cooperative groups to oversee the bearing and raising of children. (28% of children in the United States live in single   parent units. 88% of those homes are headed by women) Cohabitation is the term for couples living together before marriage. (40% will marry eventually) There are a million gay and lesbian couples in America that are raising children. Although gay marriage and the right to raise children is still a controversial topic in America many are proving their homes are just as adequate if not much better than straight homes. Gay marriage is someone’s choice and it is also their choice

if they want children. Just because gay marriage is a sin in a certain religion does not mean you can force others to follow the rules of your specific opinions. America is the land of freedom, so it should be the freedom of every citizen living here who they decide to love and how they decide to live their life.

 Endogamy is the marriage between people of the same social category. Exogamy is the marriage between two people of different social categories. Marriages like this can be arranged to affirm alliances between nations and encourage cultural diffusion. Polygamy is marrying 3 or more people. Types of polygamy are polygyny and polyandry. Polygyny is the marriage of one male to multiple women. This is common in Islamic nations and among the incredibly rich and powerful like King Solomon who was known to have around 700 wives. Polyandry is the practice of one female marrying multiple men. Although rare, it allows men to share work, so more time can be spent with children.