Motivation behind Marriage in Western Socieities: Finance or Love
Marriage as a cultural practice has existed since the beginning of human civilization and continues to be practiced by all communities. However, there exists a significant debate regarding the underlying motivation for marriage with one of the parties arguing that economic benefits serve as the principal motivation with the other side of the divide arguing that love remains the primary motivation. Focusing on western societies, it is arguable that the underlying motivation for marriage is less focused on monetary benefits in comparison to those of other parts of the world.
One of the main supports for the arguments above is that the state of industrialization and economic stability is well above that of other parts of the world. However, despite the disparity between the two societies, economic reasons still carry a great deal of weight when considering the person to marry among western nations. A significant percentage of couples in western societies, especially where the couples are from different economic backgrounds, normally enter into prenuptial agreements to ascertain the distribution of wealth in the event the marriage fails. Prenuptial agreements mainly serve to ensure that individuals do not necessarily enter into marriage for financial interests (Bailey, & Kaufman, 2010).
Nonetheless, it is important to note that the strongest bond is that of love. History dictates that wealth is not static with the possibility of people changing their economic statuses over time. For instance, the recent global financial crisis and other disasters coupled with marker dynamics have caused the financial downfall of many elites in these communities. However, love can endure such challenges and thereby enable marriages to last a lifetime.
Reference
Bailey, M., & Kaufman, A. (2010). Polygamy in the monogamous world: Multicultural challenges for Western law and policy. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger.