Conflict in Marriage of Different Cultures Essay Paper

Conflict in Marriage of Different Cultures
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People across different cultures over the world have different perspectives when it comes to the issue of marriage. Marriages are bound to have conflicts, and what varies is how the involved parties handle such conflicts. According to conflict theory, society is in competition due to limited resources. Hence, law and order are maintained through power. Such is an indication that marriage is no expectation of having such conflicts. Therefore, this paper will discuss the way various cultures across the world handle conflicts in marriage.
The conflict theory is one of the reasons as to why there are so many marriage conflicts among couples. According to the theory, Karl Max's theory suggests that society is facing a lot of conflicts as a result of limited resources. Therefore, this calls for people to use power to maintain social order instead of using conformity. As well, every person in society will work their level best to maximize their benefits. Therefore, in the case where a community only allows the monogamous type of marriage, then a cheating partner would be the cause of conflict in marriage. Statistics indicate that the female population is more than that of men. Hence, women would have to share husbands for everyone to have a partner. Sharing partners is unacceptable in most cultures, and therefore, it is the fight for the limited male partners that result in people cheating. Such kind of social order is maintained by partners fighting their level best to ensure that their marriage remains strong.
As well, the theory considered the society to be divided in terms of class and economic status. Such classes are used in the maintenance of inequality and domination of the ruling class. Therefore, this raises the idea of money being a cause of conflicts in marriages. In most cases, people tend to marriage partners who are from their social class. As a result, such a decision results in fewer conflicts in the marriage since both parties understand each other’s economic status. However, in a case where the male partners losses their job, then the chances are high that the marriage will be unstable. Society views masculinity as being able to provide for a family. Hence, if a man gets to a situation where they cannot provide for the family's needs, they get to lose their respect in most cultures across the world. People tend to have different social preferences, and therefore, if one of the parties fights for their interests to prevail, then there are high chances that the marriage would not work. In some cases, money has been sought as a way of preventing conflicts in marriages since it brings order in most of the things uniting a couple. Hence, a difference in the economic status of partners turns out to be a challenge in most cultures. It takes an individual's ability to understand the state of their marriage and in turn, be able to come up with ways of avoiding the conflicts.
Based on the various causes of marital conflicts, it is clear that various cultures across the world have different perspectives on such conflicts. An example is Islam society. Their Sharia law requires them to practice polygamy in marriage. The Quran permits a man to have a maximum of four legal wives in the case where people might turn out to be unfair to single orphan girls. As well, the law requires the husband to treat each of the wives equally. Every Muslim lady is aware of the requirements of their culture, and therefore, a polygamous man would not be a source of conflict in the marriage. Given that the man has the responsibility of taking equal care for the women, then there will come no time that a wife would feel less appreciated. Such is an indication that cheating is a rare occurrence in marriage between people from the Islamic culture. However, given that marriage conflicts are unavoidable, Muslims are no exception. Factors such as mental health, mistrust, differences with in-laws, and infidelity, among others, have become a common source of conflict. Therefore, in the case where a marriage is facing challenges, Muslims tend to hire a marriage counselor in an attempt to repair the broken marriage. The counselors help the coups in understanding the various dynamics of marriage so that the involved parties can appreciate one another. It is through such appreciation that a couple is able to overcome the factors that cause conflicts in a marriage. Divorce in Muslim, also known as Tala, is a process that takes a substantial amount of time before it can be completed (Layish, 2017). The first declaration of Talaq is revocable, and it does not provide a basis for an ended marriage. The husband has the opportunity of revoking the declaration before the waiting period, which takes three menstrual cycles to end. The purpose of the waiting period is to provide the couple with an opportunity of working out their differences instead of getting a divorce. It is the wish of every couple to last in their union forever. Hence, marriage conflicts are viewed as challenges that a couple can solve and get back on track. Divorce in the Islamic community is considered as the last option to a failed marriage. In addition, women in Islamic women are allowed to divorce their husbands on the condition that they return any dower, also known as Mahr, that they had received from the husband. The procedure of a woman divorcing a man is known as Khula. The Qadi's court oversees the procedure.
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