Same-sex marriages are controversial as well as crucial issue in the 21st century (Umberson, Thomeer, Kroeger, Lodge, and Xu, 2015). Although people have been allowed to express their sexuality, it becomes a huge issue when it comes to the question of marriage. The supporters of same-sex marriages argue that same-sex couples have the civil right to form a union with whom they choose. The opposers of the same-sex marriages say that marriage is an institution that brings together a man and a woman and having it otherwise is just wrong.
Nevertheless, in most of the industrialized societies, same-sex relationships have become widely accepted, and to some extent their marriages also legalized (Macedo, 2015). However, the legalization of same-sex unions has led to debates regarding its purpose as well as its implications for the kinship system. Same-sex marriages are being blamed for demeaning the institution of marriage due to the development of new conventional conceptions of marriage and family (Takács, Szalma, and Bartus, 2016). The paper will first discuss the different viewpoints held by individuals regarding the purpose and meaning of marriage, therefore, building the foundation as to why the same-sex marriage implications on Kinship ties exist. The paper will also discuss the impact of same-sex marriage legalization on families, marriages, parenting, biologism, and filiation. Lastly, the paper offers the future direction of same-sex marriages and kinship
The legalization of same-sex marriages has resulted in the development of debate regarding the meaning of marriage. The political concerns surrounding the issue is whether the constitutional definition of marriage excludes same-sex couples. One of the areas that both religious and civic authority interact is on the purpose of marriage. Hopkins, Sorensen, and Taylor, (2013) asserts that people hold divergent views when it comes to the issue of the purpose of marriage, for example, one aspect holds that the purpose of marriage is to ensure that there is successful procreation as well as child rearing. Another group maintains that marriage provides the fundamental building block for the development of stable communities and reproduction is an incidental by-product. The third group holds that marriage is an instrument of societal domination thus is not desirable. The last group asserts that the government should not regulate the relationship between two consenting adults (Hopkins, Sorensen, and Taylor, 2013).
The proponents of the view that the purpose of marriage is to ensure that there is successful procreation, as well as child-rearing, argue that the goal of a marriage is the provision of a uniform institution that allows the production as well as raising of children. The proponents of this view assert that males and females are necessary for procreation thus marriage privileges should only be available to opposite-sex couples (Hopkins, Sorensen, and Taylor, 2013). Therefore, partnerships that constitute sexual intimacy should have a notional potential for reproduction. Hence, the legalization of same-sex marriages is a misguided attempt that denies the society of the social, biological and moral distinctions that foster its continued existence. The argument presented is that kinship ties should only be established through genetical identification.
The opposers of the procreative model of marriage or the advocators of same-sex marriage legalization hold the perception that there is value in committed partnerships having sexual intimacy (Hopkins, Sorensen, and Taylor, 2013). However, the activities of sexual intimacy are meant to draw people together to a single degree as well as ways and not only to producing or raising of children. Therefore, according to this belief, a sexual partnership is a factor that bonds adults into a stable household unit, and with this, they help establish a building block for a productive society. Hence, in this society, the children, elders as well as others who are regarded as powerless are protected. According to this perspective, the prohibition of a certain group from the full marriage rights thus is immoral as it constitutes discrimination thereby damaging the community.
Kinship relations is very crucial in anthropology especially in work performed by biological and cultural anthropologists. Kinship is fundamental in every society as the relationships established either through blood or marriage are vital building blocks of the community (Umberson, et. al., 2015). Consequently, they also help identify the culture of a particular society. Therefore, kinship relationships provide information regarding a culture through its behavioral, social structure as well as interactions. Lastly, a specific kinship structure plays a crucial role in the political and economic outcomes of the given society. Same-sex marriages implication for the Kinship system include;
Implications of same-sex marriages on Kinship Relations in Marriages and Families
Human beings are regarded as social animals. Hence, although they might exist as individuals, they cannot live in isolation. Marriage as a social institution enables the establishment of social ties or kinships (Macedo, 2015). Kinship also results in the development of bonds as well as an obligation to people that may not otherwise be available to them. Article 16 of the United Declaration of Human Rights asserted that both men and women of full age have the right to marry as well as establish a family regardless of their race, nationality or religion. Therefore, it guarantees that people in a marriage have equal rights as to the union, during the wedding as well as during its dissolution. Consequently, it also acknowledges the right to parentage and this right should be seen as a personal right, not transferable or unavailable and the state should also offer protection to it (Farr, Simon, and Bruun, 2017). Same-sex marriage emergence has led in the establishment of new normative families. These relationships are centered around parental responsibilities that emphasize education, self-sufficiency, work as well as good behavior. However, there is the challenge of the roles that are undertaken in same-sex marriages. In same-sex marriages, for example, there is the challenge of equality in the functions due to the lack of gender indifferences (i.e., the head of the family, the provider, the disciplinarian, and many others).
Families have divergent views when it comes to showing support to same-sex marriages. Studies have shown that although families might be in favor of same-sex relationships in the society, they might reject the same when it is their children that are involved (Hopkins, Sorensen, and Taylor, 2013). In such a scenario, the result is usually rejection which is often characterized by forcing out of the individual from their home due to their sexual orientation. Parents and siblings may exclude the person, and when this happens, and the secluded ends up being married, then new family relationships are established thus new kinship ties. Breaking off ties between the immediate family members results in the development of constraints when it comes to kinship relationships (Boggis, et al. 2018). A good example that shows this is, the new forms of relationships remove the essential duties that are established by biological ties. In a situation, where a person was in a severe accident, and there is a need for medical decisions to be made for them, it is the next of kin that decides on behalf of the incapacitated individual. If there was marriage the person who is the future of kin is always the spouse but in there was no marriage the decision lies on the children, siblings or the parents.
Implication of Same-Sex marriage on Parenting, Biologism, and Filiation
One of the factors influencing same-sex couples access to parenthood and its implication for the kinship system is biologism. Biologism refers to the perceptions regarding the biological dimension of the filiation bond. Being a parent is a step that affirms an individual's sexual orientation and families have to yield to the facts (Farr, Simon, and Bruun, 2017). In heterosexual relationships, the birth of a child results in delightedness of the partners' parents in becoming grandparents. However, plans to have children in same-sex marriages is disturbing for the parents of the partners. The reason for this is due to either adoption or surrogacy is the option to produce children in such families. Same-sex couples also create the kinship challenges due to place in the emphasis on the belief of transmitting biogenetic characteristics for the development of a sense of paternity (Farr, Simon, and Bruun, 2017). In a case involving lesbian couples who decide to have a baby, the most important decision that they make is regarding who is to carry the pregnancy. If one of the women undergoes artificial insemination thus vitro fertilization, the problem that emerges is that filiation that the child will have established during the first movement with her natural mother who also happens to be her genetical mother. Kinship suffuses marriage with a strong social dynamism (Farr, Simon, and Bruun, 2017). In a heterosexual relationship, for example, marriage contributes to the development of a partner's identity. One is given titles as well as assigned social roles that are provided by marriage, for instance, one can become a daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother and even great-grandmother. Therefore, the union offers one with the benefits of the roles that are provided by marriage. Same-sex marriages fail to deliver the benefits that marriage provides which creates a challenge.
Conclusion
Kinship shows the establishment of societies. After procreation, as well as the rearing of children, has already been done, intergenerational bonds of dependency still bind people. One of the most crucial factors of Kinship is the different roles that individuals play in the society. Consequently, these roles can only be fostered through marriage. Therefore, even with the pairing of two people, marriage is never static but is also dynamic and people need to accept the new-found kinship structures to enhance the development of the society.
References
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