The first characteristic of marriage is that it is a legally sanctioned relationship. In other words, marriage is a formal relationship that is recognized and bound by law. In western societies, marriages are begun with weddings as a means to publicly announce the legal union of the couple. Marriages are performed by religious representatives (member of the clergy) or by marriage commissioners licensed by the province to perform marriages. Just in 1998, 151,224 marriages were registered with Vital Statistics.

The second characteristic of marriage is economic cooperation. Economic cooperation is a joint effort relating to the management of finances and household matters. Husbands and wives divide economic activities and domestic work between them according to traditional and approved ideas of man's and woman's work. Traditionally, the husband worked outside of the home and was responsible for the fi

The third characteristic of marriage that I will be discussing is normative sexual activity and childbearing. A primary, although not essential, purpose of marriage is the procreation of children; therefore, sex is always recognized as a legitimate part of marriage. The 1996 Canadian census reports that most married couples have one or two children. Traditionally, it was felt that the married woman's major role was to care for young children at home. With many wives in the working force and the weakening of traditional roles, one would think that both the husband and wife would share the responsibilities of childcare. In fact, husbands who actively share in the childcare duties are the exception rather than the norm. Generally, even when wives work outside the home they usually have the greatest amount of childcare responsibilities.

The fourth characteristic of marriage is the expectancy that the union will endure and is undertaken with some idea of permanence. Marriage is a central institution in society; therefore, stability and permanence are societal concerns. An ideal type marriage is one that lasts until the death of either the husband or

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