Ryan Johnson 17755274

This essay will critique the ideological and common sense view of the institution and
practice of marriage. The ideological traditions and practices of marriage vary
depending on culture. This will be narrowed down to focus on what is the modern
western culture on marriage. Two quotes will form the cornerstone of the critique.
What texts do is offer roles, and offer them to you as if you already fill them
(Thwaites et al. 162); Texts can offer roles that seem so commonsensical it may seem
hard to conceive of doing otherwise (Thwaites et al. 162). Both of the quotes will be
related back to how marriage is common sense in a western society. The essay will
provide reasoning to why marriage is a patriarchal social institution and explore the
relationship between interpellation and discourse in regards to the patriarchal
ideology. By exploring the ideological relationship between interpellation and
discourse it becomes apparent that the institution of marriage requires one to adopt
specific positions in order to view it as common sense.
The characteristics of a traditional marriage in a western society reflect a patriarchal
institution. Shultz (1982) best describes the core values associated with tradition
marriage, saying that Marriage is permanent and monogamous; children are
automatic, essential, and central; husbands earn money and make decisions; wives
stay at home taking care of the house, children, and husband. This reflection of the
tradition indicates that traditional marriage has clear roles that determine the
household. In a patriarchal system, a male holds predominant power over the
household or institution and women are largely excluded from being involved in core
decisions (Mirken, 1984). The parallels can be drawn between the traditions of
marriage and patriarchy by the family roles that are apparent in each. Marriage offers

males the head of the household, accounting for wealth and a career whilst for
females the traditional role offered is that of a nurturer and stay at home family care
giver. Therefore, because the roles offered to each gender equate to an imbalance in
power over certain areas of the household, the institutional traditional norm of
marriage is a patriarchal system.
Patriarchy may be the ideology behind the traditions of marriage but interpellation is
one of the tools that allow it to become common sense. Interpellation occurs when a
subject, the addresser, interpellates a position or role for the receiver to assume
(Thwaites, et al. 2002). In this case, the ideology, patriarchy offers a role by
addressing their position through marriage. The subject that interpellates the role is
the addressee position, the people within the western society that has been invited to
recognise themselves to be a part of the ideology. It is important to note that the role
that is being presented to the western society does not have to be assumed. Rather, the
fact that the western society has to make a choice to recognise themselves as a part of
the ideological practice of marriage indicates that there is a community of
interpellation. This provides an us and them mentality for those who are apart of the
community. Basically, for the ideology to be effective, the majority will assume the
role offered to them. This leaves the minority, the people who did not assume the role,
alienated because they did not conform to the now common sense views of the
majority. This was done in marriage by making the marriage an event. By offering
lavish, stylistic moments, such as the vows or the proposal itself, people see marriage
as a romantic ceremony and assume the ideological patriarchal role presented to them
as an inevitable consequence of marriage.

The discourse involved in marriage inexplicitly correlates with the ideology of

patriarchy. The discourse of marriage has evolved with other social structures but the
core gender structure has predominantly stayed the same. A discourse is the norm of
what is said or done (OShaugnessy, Stradler and Stradler, 2012). There are three
components of marriage discourse that has not changed into the modern age.
OShaugnessy, Stradler and Stradler (2012) depict the discourse in western society as
whole to be largely determined by a few major ideologies. Although it may seem to
many people within this society that they are consciously doing and saying things
without influence, there are underlying, unconscious influences that determine what
people seem to be common sense (OShaugnessy, Stradler and Stradler 2012). The
first and most obvious example of discourse in traditional marriage is the use of
language. The process where the wife takes the maiden name of the male reflects the
patriarchal mentality. This is because the women has to be a part of the males new
family, since by common sense views held its his, and give up her familys name.
There are many examples like this within the discourses of marriage. However, a
major discourse to analyse is what is the view of marriage to people considering to get
married. A journal by Singh (2013) demonstrates the attitudes towards marriage.
According to the article, the data suggests that men and women are entrapped by
certain gender-based discourses. Although there is some evidence going against this,
the majority of women wanted to get married for the idealised notions of love and
romance whilst the men wanted to get married for more practical reasons Singh
(2013). According to Singh (2013), young men and young women largely comply
with existing gender regimes that perpetuate gender inequalities and place women in
subordinate positions. This can prove that the discourse of marriage is heavily
influenced by the underlying ideology.

The relationship between discourse and interpellation goes hand in hand to make the
patriarchal nature of western marriage common sense and justified. The interpellation
is offered to people within the western society. With the role offered, comes certain
discourses that must be maintained if one choses to assume the role. Discourse is
clearly influenced by interpellation, as its the role thats being offered that makes the
things that are being done the norm. However, since the person who is being
interpellated role to assume can change depending on the gender, so are the discourses
associated with that role. For example, the role offered by the institution of marriage
to women is for them to be a nurturing caregiver/mother. The discourses that are
associated with the role are for the woman to be proposed too, change their name,
have kids and look after the house. On the other hand, the role and the discourses
offered to men would be remarkably different. Therefore, the discourse is heavily
influenced by the role the interpellation offers. However, the role is dictated and
influenced by an underlying ideology and thus is the discourse.
In conclusion, marriage is a patriarchal institution. Therefore, since the interpellated
roles offered are influenced by gender, the discourse and role if assumed will provide
males with more power over the family structure. However, some of the discourses
associated with marriage and women, such as being lavishly dressed, being proposed
too, making the wedding an event and having a holiday for a honeymoon, detract
from the oppressive imbalance of power patriarchy provides. In terms of the quotes in
the introduction (Thwaites et al. 162), It is not only texts that offer roles that seem
commonsensical and that it may seem hard to think otherwise, but also institutions,
such as marriage can provide the same intepellation. When an underlying ideology,
such as patriarchy, uses interpellation and discourse to enhance the appeal and detract
from the unfairness of an institution, the oppressed begin to live and even enjoy the

role offered to them because it has become so commonsensical. This is why critiquing
the ideology is important to discuss.

References
Mirkin, H. (1984). The Passive Female: The theory of Patriachy. American Studies
International,

25(2).

Retrieved

from

https://journals.ku.edu/index.php/amerstud/article/view/2566O'Shaughnessy,
Stradler, & Stradler,. (2012). Where are Discourses and Ideologies Found?. Media
And Society, 5, 180-91.
Singh, S. (2013). Women want love, men want wives: The discourse of romantic love
in young adults' future marriage goals. Empowering Women For Gender
Equity, 27(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10130950.2013.808798
Shultz, M. (1982). Contractual Ordering of Marriage: A New Model for State Policy,
70 CAL. L. REV. 204, 207 (1982); see also Nicholas Bala, The Debates About
Same-Sex Marriage in Canada and the United 202 (2006) (With all of these
changes in the nature of traditional marriage[]the virtual abolition of the
concept of illegitimacy, the discarding of legally proscribed gender roles in
marriage, and the advent of no fault divorceit is understandable that the
question of the legal recognition of same-sex relationships is arising now.);
Martha Albertson Fineman, The Inevitability of Dependency and the Politics
of Subsidy, 9 STAN. L. & POL'Y REV. 89, 93 (1998) (Traditional marriage
was a lifelong commitment to an institution with well-defined, complementary
gendered roles.); Sherif Girgis et al., What is Marriage?, 34 HARV. J.L. &
PUB. POL'Y 245, 246 (2011) (describing the traditional understanding of
marriage as the union of a man and a woman who make a permanent and
exclusive commitment to each other of the type that is naturally (inherently)

fulfilled by bearing and rearing children together); Eric Rasmusen & Jeffrey
Evans Stake, Lifting the Veil of Ignorance: Personalizing the Marriage
Contract, 73 IND. L.J. 453, 463 (1998) (explaining that traditional marriage
seemed to assume that all couples . . . desired a permanent marriage with
traditional sex roles and with procreation as a major purpose); Elizabeth S.
Scott, Social Norms and the Legal Regulation of Marriage, 86 VA. L. REV.
1901, 190708 (2000) (The set of norms that the spouses adopt and by which
they agree to be bound in traditional marriage includes both commitment
norms and gender norms, which together regulate both the spousal and the
parental roles.).