College of Education

School of Continuing and Distance Education 2014/2015 – 2016/2017

SOCI 223

Traditional Ghanaian Social

Institutions

Session 5 – The marriage and family

institution

Lecturer: Dr. Rosemond Hiadzi, Sociology Contact Information: rhiadzi@ug.edu.gh

Session Overview

• At the end of the session, the student will

• Understand the various meanings of marriage and family in traditional Ghanaian society

• Identify the various types of marriages and family

• Know and understand the various functions of the family

• Understand the importance of marriage in traditional societies

Slide 2

Session Outline

The key topics to be covered in the session are as follows:

• Topic One – Types of family

• Topic Two – Marriage

Slide 3

Reading List

• Abotchie, C. (2011) Structure of Traditional Ghanaian Societies. Hans Publications Ltd. Accra

• Assimeng, J. M. (1981) Social Structure of Ghana. Chapter one

• Nukunya, G. K. (2002) Tradition and Change. An Introduction to Sociology. Chapters one and two

Slide 4

TYPES OF FAMILY Topic One

Slide 5

Types of family

• Nuclear family

• Polygynous family – a husband, two or more wives and their unmarried children

• Polyandrous family – a wife, two or more husbands and their unmarried children

• Composite/ Joint family – two or more lineally related kinsfolk of the same sex, their spouses and unmarried children

• Extended family – two or more nuclear families united by the nuclear family of the parents (Murdock) – Residential extended family – Non residential extended family

Slide 6

Classifying families

– Family of procreation –

• Where a person forms his/her own family

• Family of orientation –

– Where a person grows up

Functions of the family

• The family can be said to be a concentrated nucleus of the larger society, maintaining and carrying on the procedures and processes of the larger group in a miniature and intensified form (Mc Elmer). Discuss.

MARRIAGE Topic two

Slide 9

Marriage

• Defining marriage – Lucy Mair – the union between a man and a woman such that children born to the woman are

recognized as legitimate offspring of both parents

– N.B. Read Nukunya to identify 5 reasons why this definition will not be applicable in all societies

Who marries whom (marriage prohibitions)

• Exogamy is the practice of selecting mates from outside one’s group. (prohibits one from marrying someone within their own group)

• Endogamy is the practice of selecting mates from within one’s group. (prohibits one from marrying someone outside one’s group)

• Rules of child betrothal marriage – although a girl may be betrothed at any age, marriage and sexual activity can take place only after the puberty rituals are performed

Who marries whom

• Rules for prescribed marriage – contracted with a person in a particular social category because it is a rule for one to marry from such a group e.g. royal marriages

• Rules for preferred marriages – contracted with a person in a particular social category not as an established rule but because it is thought to be desirable and admirable to marry from that group

Types of marriage

• Primary marriage – a marital union which constitutes the first experience of the partners involved

• Secondary marriage – either one or both partners have some earlier marital experience

– Forms of secondary marriage

1. Levirate marriage/ widow inheritance

2. Sororate marriage

3. Ghost marriage

4. Serial monogamy

Types of marriage (Number of marriage partners)

• Polygamy is the practice of a man or woman having multiple marriage partners.

• Polygamy usually involves polygyny, one man having more than one wife.

• Polyandry is the practice of a woman having more than one husband.

• Monogamy is a sexually exclusive marriage with one spouse.

• Cenogamy/ Group marriage is a marital union involving a number of men and women at the same time.

Types of marriage

• Types of polygynous marriage – Sororal polygyny

– Non-sororal polygyny

– General polygyny

• Types of polyandrous marriages – Fraternal polyandry

– Non-fraternal polyandry

– General polyandry

Mate Selection

• What are some of the things that were considered when selecting a potential spouse in traditional Ghanaian societies?

– Ethnic origin

– Economic activity of the potential spouse

– Religious affiliation

– Geographical mobility

Marriage payments

• What does the payment of bride price symbolize?

– Readiness of the man to start his own family

– Potential of the man to be responsible both as a husband and as a father

– Appreciation to the bride’s family

– Legitimizes the children that will be born out of the marriage

Marriage payments

• Rights in genetricem – rights a man has over the reproductive services of his wife, that is, rights in a woman as mother (genetrix)

• Rights in uxorem – rights a man has over the domestic, sexual and economic services of his wife, that is, rights in a woman as wife (uxor)

Place of residence

• In patrilocal/virilocal residence, after marriage, a woman is separated from her own kinship group and resides with the husband or his kinship group.

• In matrilocal/uxorilocal residence, the couple live with or near the wife’s parents.

• Neolocal residence is the practice of the new couple establishing their own residence.

• Duolocal residence pattern is when a husband and wife live in separate houses.

The importance of marriage

• Why is marriage so important in traditional Ghana?

– It is the institution through which the most cherished goals of the traditional Ghanaian, namely a family, are achieved