Analyzing the Role of Societal Institutions on Family Structures

This essay examines the influence of societal institutions, specifically government and religion, on the family and marriage institutions. It highlights the government's role in shaping family policies, such as legalizing same-sex marriage, which contrasts with traditional definitions of family. The essay also discusses the impact of religion on marital relationships, citing the beliefs of Catholics in Canada regarding contraception and extramarital sex. Furthermore, it emphasizes the family's role in defining marriage through love, sacrifice, and unity. The annotated bibliography provides further context by reviewing articles on same-sex marriage legislation, consummation and conjugality, and the relationship between religion and marital quality. Desklib provides access to similar essays and study tools for students.

Running head: ROLE OF SOCIETAL INSTITUTIONS ON FAMILY 1
Name of Student
Institution Affiliation
Date

ROLES OF SOCIETAL INSTITUTIONS ON MARRIAGE 2
The family is the most common institution throughout the world. It is the fundamental
institution which forms a basis of all other institutions. A family is a unit of people that share
a common residence. It is made up of a husband, wife, and children with a form of a trinity
structure. Statistics from the 2011 Canadian census indicate that there were up to 9,389,700
families in Canada, 67% of which comprises of married couples. Government institution has
an impact on the family institution (Chandra-Mouli, Plesons, Barua, Sreenath & Mehra,
2018). From history, the family has is assumed to be the basic building block of society. The
government is structured in a way that gives it the mandate of governing society. In order for
democracy to be implemented in society, the most efficient way of approaching this is
through the family. This research will approach democracy from the perspective of
maintaining peace and unity within the society, ensuring a just and fair distribution of
resources, good morals such as obedience, sacrifice, and cooperation. In order for the
government to be able to reach the most people in society, it uses the family institution to
implement such policies.
In Canada, marriages are done either through civil or religious means. The Canadian
government considers the marriage institution as the best institution for bearing children. If
any two citizens agree on settling together, they are at liberty to have any number of children
together (Crossman, 2019). Despite this, the government has policies that affect directly the
family structure. For instance, same-sex marriages have been legalized. This contradicts the
very definition of the family which outlines that the family should be made up of two
members of different sex, a woman and a man. The government uses the family to introduce
the issue of responsibility among its citizens. A man will be responsible for the well being of
his wife and their children. Children will also have someone to ensure their safety and who
can at least provide them with their basic needs: education, food, clothing, and shelter.

ROLES OF SOCIETAL INSTITUTIONS ON MARRIAGE 3
From another perspective, religion has an impact on the family institution. Majority of
the humans have an inclination on a certain religious belief. They have a religion to identify
themselves with. The Catholics, for instance, have a firm belief that their religions inclination
has by affected their family relationship (Challborn, & Harder, 2019). Catholics in Canada
have a belief relating to their marital relationships, this includes factors such as the use of
contraceptives and extramarital sex. However, they still have a relatively higher rate of
cohabitation when compared to people with other religious affiliations; another study was
conducted among women of a non “Hispanic” origin. Sixty percent of the women that had
strong religious beliefs were in a serious marriage institution. Thirty-six percent of the
women that did not have a strong belief in religion were in a marriage institution. The family
has its own effects in marriage (Johnson, &Tremblay, 2018). The family has clearly outlined
the structure of the marriage institution. Family defines marriage by setting standards of
sharing love, sacrifice, and unity. From such, married partners will sustain their relationship
from the belief of love.
In conclusion, the marriage institution is affected directly by the government religion
and family.

ROLES OF SOCIETAL INSTITUTIONS ON MARRIAGE 4
Annotated bibliography
Cossman, B. (2019). Same-sex marriage beyond Charter dialogue: Charter cases and
contestation within government. University of Toronto Law Journal, 69(2), 183-210.
This article expounds on the complexities between the legislative arm of the
government and the judicial arm of the government concerning the issue of same sex
marriages. It is based on a the judicial court approach. The court is used by the
members of the society that wish to propagate the legalization of same sex marriages
while the legislators of the federal government insist on sticking on the original
definition of marriage as being the association between two individuals of a different
sex.
Challborn, M. R., & Harder, L. (2019). Sex and the genuine marriage: consummation and
conjugality in Canadian citizenship. Citizenship Studies, 1-17.
Literature review: Consummation: from a legal point of view, it is the act of engaging
in sexual intercourse. The people involved usually either be in a marriage relationship
or not. Conjugality is the temporary union between two different bacterium, in the
case of a marriage, between two members of the society, usually through legal or
religious association and from which there is the sharing of genetic materials
Johnson, C., & Tremblay, M. (2018). Comparing same-sex marriage in Australia and Canada:
Institutions and political will. Government and Opposition, 53(1), 131-158.
The article aims at explaining the major differences between Australian and Canadian
legislation on the issue of same sex marriages. It studies the political influence over
the legislation of the matter.
Henderson, A. K., Ellison, C. G., & Glenn, N. D. (2018). Religion and relationship quality
among cohabiting and dating couples. Journal of Family Issues, 39(7), 1904-1932.

ROLES OF SOCIETAL INSTITUTIONS ON MARRIAGE 5
The article tries to explain the link between religious activities and the relationship
involved between married couples. The aim is to clearly outline the role that religion
plays in the marriage institution. The article answers to the questions regarding the
relationship satisfaction and expectations made from marriage.