The Role of Gender in the Institution of Marriage free essay sample

When it comes down to marriage, most cultures seem to have the same thoughts about what ideals make up a marriage and what it should be based on. Dr. Steven L. Nock discusses his opinion on the problematic trends within the institution of marriage in the article, â€Å"The Problem with Marriage. † This article was published in 1999 and suggests that American institutions, such as marriage, have traditionally been organized around gender. One of the problematic trends is the conflict between ideals central to marriage. Nock also discusses the differences in gender equality that reside in family trends. He uses his own research and knowledge, as well as other credible sources to support the idea that marriage has always been organized around gender. He believes that the most important institutions to democratic society, like marriage, are in decline. Dr. Steven L. Nock appears to have an outstanding amount of knowledge and experience on the topic of marriage and important institutions in America. Nock has authored several other books and articles about the causes and consequences of change in the American family. He has focused on the intersection of social science and public policy concerning households and families. Some of the books he has written such as, â€Å"Marriage in Men’s Lives† and articles like, â€Å"Marriage as a Public Issue† can be referenced to support his claims and ideas in, â€Å"The Problem with Marriage. † Rhetorically, he wants readers to understand the reasoning why marriage is traditionally organized by gender. Nock’s article, â€Å"The Problem with Marriage†, intends to give readers a more in depth look at some problems gender brings to marriage. He uses this article to teach his audience more about the ongoing issues related to marriage. His intentions are to share his knowledge about these problems so readers completely understand. In a way, he also uses his article to persuade his audience. In this article he writes, â€Å"The solution is to restore marriage to a privileged status from which both spouses gain regardless of gender†. (Dr. Steven L. Nock 20) That statement gives the reader more to consider, and states that Nock believes there is a way to solve the conflicts related to gender and marriage. This article is intended to be written for anyone wanting to know more about the link from gender to marriage. Anyone studying the sociology and psychology of marriage or gender could use this article as a very credible source of data. Dr. Steven Nock connects to his audience through his data. His experience with this topic relates his audience to the topic of marriage and gender. Most people can relate to and understand what he’s talking about when he expresses the fact that most marriages are based on gender. Nock’s research on this topic is supported by data and statistics in this article. He writes, â€Å"Research confirms that most women who marry today desire marriages that differ importantly from those of their grandmothers because women’s lives have changed in so many other ways in recent decades†. Nock also uses statistics such as, â€Å"Three in four (75 percent) never-married men under age 30 described getting married as important for their lives in 1993†. (Nock 21) Data such as this gives the reader a visualization to help prove his point. Nock also states his own opinions towards the conflicts, relating himself through his own emotions to connect with the audience. He states, â€Å"My research on covenant marriage has convinced me that any attempt to privilege marriage over other statuses will be controversial and resisted, especially by those who see traditional marriage as unfair to women†. By giving his own personal opinion he is persuading the reader to think in the same way as he is while on this topic. Even though this article was published in 1999, Nock has shown through his research that even over decades of time, the values and traditions of marriage have hardly changed. This could possibly show a continuing pattern over time, even applying to research today. Dr. Nock strongly believes that, as Americans, our culture is unchanging when it comes to marriage and the inequality of gender. Shown through his research, traditionally Americans have not changed their ideals and beliefs about marriage and Nock gives the reader much more to think about when comparing gender and marriage. He also believes that these problems can easily be changed simply by changing our views and customs about gender when it’s related to marriage. In his article, Dr. Nock explains his viewpoints and opinions about the roles gender has always played in marriage. He believes this is problematic and unchanging towards the institution of marriage and tries to teach his audience about the importance of these problems. There are many factors that cause our culture and many others to believe that a traditional family should consist of one father and one mother. The roles that each parent plays in the family are completely different from one another and Nock’s research explains more in depth about why these beliefs and values have always been this way. Rhetorically he uses statistics and data, along with research and experience, to connect with his audience. He does not try to blame his audience for having the wrong values and does not tell them if their beliefs are right or wrong, but tries to persuade his readers to look deeper into the matters at hand.