Marriage and Family: The Social and Economic Basis of Society - Essay Sample

Family and marriage are the basis of the other relationships existing in society. The family institution is fundamental in the community because it is where people get their first identity. Marriage is the legal contract, religious rite, or social practice that binds two or more people within the acceptable jurisdictions (Brake, 2009). Marriage is not only a social and legal process, but it also comes with economic responsibilities. Historically, married couples have the obligation of procreating, thus forming a family of their own. In the US, married people are more likely to find happiness in life than unmarried people (Notare & Richard, 2012). Marriage and family relations impact the American people emotionally, physically, economically, and save the government millions of Dollars.

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Generally, marriage and family improve the well-being of people in society. Identifying with once family or having a good marriage partner gives people in the community a purpose in their lives. A happy marriage is more beneficial to children because they get all the help with their mental and emotional development. With excellent psychological and emotional support, children are less likely to engage in activities like drug abuse. A majority of children who participate in harmful activities like the abuse of drugs in their adolescent stages in life are the ones with less psychological support from their parents. Therefore, the family's institute is critical to maintaining the overall well-being of societies in the United States.

The institutions of marriage and family play a significant role in reducing the rates of crimes. Happily, married are less likely to engage in criminal activities like stealing. Men and women in intact marriages are less likely to engage in violent activities (Notare & Richard, 2012). That is because they have a responsibility to maintain good morals, the people closest to them, mostly their families. Parents would not like to engage in activities that they would not want their children to do. Therefore, due to the strong bonds in the family institution, both parents and their youngsters are less likely to engage in criminal activities, both violent and non-violent. Therefore, family and marriage could save the United States government millions of dollars used in the judicial system due to the community's reduced rates of crime.

Marriage and family ties bring social benefits to the community and have economic benefits to the American people. A family consisting of both parents has a more stable income than those of single parents. Single mothers are less likely to save more money compared to other parents. An intact family has more money because both parents are working. The economic stability of married couple continues to their old age. Families with married parents have more savings at their time of retirement than single parents or the cohabitation case (Notare & Richard, 2012). Therefore, having married families brings financial stability to the family members, which benefits them and impacts the whole country's economic security—the government benefits when its citizens are finically stable. Millions of dollars are used to support needy people in the community through governmental initiatives. Therefore, a reduction in the people in need of support from the government will spare the government some funds.

Generally, people in stable families and good marriages have better health compared to unmarried people or unstable families. Spouses whose marriages are in good shape are less likely to get sick. Good health translates to having higher chances of living longer. Thus married people are more likely to live longer compared to unmarried people. Children from stable families are also in better health. The fact that married people are less likely to get sick means that the government uses fewer funds in public health care. According to Brake, families with both parents are expected to seek medical attention from private hospitals (2009). That is because they have individual medical insurance coverage. As a result of having better health, married people and their children are more likely to spend less time in hospitals.

Divorced people are more likely to engage in unhealthy activities like the abuse of drugs and alcohol. Such actions result in diseases like liver cirrhosis or lung cancer due to smoking. Therefore their immune systems are generally lower than that of the married people. The children of such parents may also engage in unhealthy activities when they grow up. These children are at higher risk of becoming poor when they grow up (Notare & Richard, 2012). That is because their parents do not give them their full support when growing up. Lack of parental support in development affects the children as they engage in activities that disrupt them from their studies. As a result, they do not get good jobs when they grow up. The community is affected by such people because they are not resourceful to the growth of the economy.

Conclusion In conclusion, the institution of the family is essential to society because it helps maintain the whole community's well-being. When people in society relate well with each other, the rates of crime reduce significantly. Good family ties promote good physical health among the family members, thus increasing their chances of living longer. Generally, a stable and complete family has a better financial position than one that is not complete. The benefits of family and marriage are not only social but also economical. The government gets to save millions of dollars due to reduced rates of crime and good health among the citizens. The economy also strengthens when its people are healthy, and they are financially stable.

References

Brake, E. (2009, Jul 11). Marriage and Domestic Partnership. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2016/entries/marriage/.

Notare, T. & Richard, H. M. (2012). Marriage and the Family in the United States: Resources for Society. Introduction: The Family. Retrieved from http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/marriage-and-family/marriage/upload/Marriage-and-Family-in-the-US.pdf