Summary of Marriage as a Social Institution by Stephen L. Nock | Essay | Class XII English Note (Exercise)

Marriage as a Social Institution

Stephen L. Nock

Summary

Marriage as a Social Institution by Stephen L. Nock examines the social and personal significance of marriage as a cultural institution. The essay highlights how marriage organizes people’s lives, especially men’s, by setting expectations around roles like financial responsibility and parenthood.

The essayist argues marriage is not just a personal relationship. It is a social institution as it follows legal, moral, and cultural rules. It is linked to education, the economy, and politics. Its rules come from society, not just the couple. These rules set soft boundaries that guide how people behave in marriage.

The essay talks about Emile Durkheim’s idea regarding marriage. He believed that marriage controls human desires, such as comfort, luxury, and prestige. These desires need limits. Social institutions like marriage provide those limits by guiding and controlling impulses.

The essayist believes that many Americans think unmarried cohabitation offers more freedom than marriage. Cohabitation has no clear rules. Couples must make their own decisions without social guidance.

For the essayist, marriage is a form of social capital. It is built on trust and mutual obligation. These relationships provide support, information, and shared responsibilities. Married people become part of family and friend networks connected by lasting duties.

Finally, the essay defines normative marriage in America using six key features:

1. Marriages are entered voluntarily.

2. They involve mature adults.

3. They are heterosexual.

4. The husband is the principal earner.

5. Both partners are sexually faithful.

6. Married couples are expected to become parents and raise children together.

Marriage, in this view, is more than a personal choice — it is a powerful social institution that shapes individual lives and reflects broader societal values.

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

a. According to the author, what is marriage?

Marriage is a relationship defined by legal, moral, and conventional assumptions.

b. How is marriage an institution?

Marriage is an institution as it is culturally patterned and integrated into other basic social institutions, such as education, economy, and politics.

c. What are the rules that a marriage has?

Marriage has rules that originate outside any particular union of two spouses and that establish soft boundaries around the relationship that influence the partners.

d. Why does marriage matter to men?

Marriage matters to men because it provides structure to their lives, organizes their ambitions, and checks unrestrained longings and desires.

e. What is one of the central problems in modern society?

One of the central problems in modern society is establishing legitimate boundaries around the desires like well-being, comfort, luxury, and prestige.

f. What does social capital consist of?

Social capital consists of extensive networks of individuals linked by bonds of trustworthiness and trust.

g. What is normative marriage? Explain.

Normative marriage is a form of social control, a way by which behaviors and aspirations are channeled appropriately. It is a force greater than the individuals involved because it represents the collective sentiments of others. Marriage in this view is qualitatively different from other intimate relationships.

Reference to the context

a. Discuss six dimensions that define normative marriage in America.

The essayist defines normative marriage as a form of social control, a way by which behaviors and aspirations are guided appropriately. The six dimensions that define normative marriage in America are:

1. Marriages are entered voluntarily.

2. They involve mature adults.

3. They are heterosexual.

4. The husband is the principal earner.

5. Both partners are sexually faithful.

6. Married couples are expected to become parents and raise children together.

b. Do marriages differ according to culture? How is your marriage practice different from marriage in America?

The formal and informal rules regarding marriage in Nepal vary between regions, ethnic groups and castes. For example, the Gurungs consider cross-cousin marriage to be acceptable while many Bhramins considers it to be prohibited in Hinduism. People generally look within their socio-economic group, caste or ethnicity to choose expected partners. Likewise, marriage rituals are also different among them due to their distinct cultures and traditions.