Question

discuss the reason why marriages are likely to be homogamous. why do you think homogamous union are more stable than heteroamous ones? how might the stability of interracial or interethnics relationships change as society becomes more tolerant of these?

please type this respnse so i can read it clearly. response should be 350 words please and thank you

Answer 1

Answer- A homogamous marriage is one wherein the two individuals involved are in some way similar to each other. The need for similarity in such marriages could be due to cultural obligations or importance. The similarities can be in the context of either socioeconomic status, caste, gender, nationality, ethnicity, age or religion. Homogamy is pretty common due to a plethora of reasons, they are as follows-

1) Interference of a third party in selecting a spouse- Many times, a homogamous marriage is a result of the interference of a third party, that is, parents or relatives in the selection of a spouse. This highly common in cases where families belong to a certain belief system.

2) Preference of the marriage candidate- It is also common for the marriage candidate to intentionally choose a spouse from the same religion, caste, ethnicity, etc, as it offers as a more comfortable and convenient option, as there are no cultural differences to be faced later on.

3) Constraints of available options for a spouse- A homogamous marriage may also be a result of a lack of available options for the marriage candidate.

4) Cultural obligations- In some cultures, it is mandatory to accomplish a homogamous marriage, as it is believed that an interracial marriage distorts the authenticity of religion.

Considering the above reasons, it is also common for homogamous unions to be more stable than heterogamous ones. A heterogamous marriage, however, involves the union of two individuals belonging from different cultural and social backgrounds. One of the major reasons why homogamous marriages are more stable is the lack of cultural differences. The lack of cultural differences creates room for a sense of mutual understanding and respect. The other reason being the involvement of a third party (family and relatives), this involvement, in a way, encourages the couple to sort out their issues and work on the betterment of the relationship instead.

However, the number of heterogamous relationships have been drastically increasing in society. People are more tolerant and accepting of interracial marriages, as times change. People no longer see it as a distortion of religion or culture, but rather an amalgamation of two cultures as one.