A Couple-Partnership: An Alternative to Heterosexual Marriage

Marriage brings outdated social roles of “husband” and “wife.”

Photo credit: iStock

By Catherine Aponte

KEY POINTS

• “Marriage,” “wife,” and “husband” are cultural creations that identify specific roles for men and women.
• A “couple-partnership” gives us a chance at an equal, intimate, committed relationship.
• Equality in our couple-partnership is ensured through collaborative negotiation.

For many years, men and women in heterosexual relationships have been changing the way they interact with each other. The traditional family, with marriage as the fundamental building block of society, is being challenged. According to the American Psychological Association, approximately 40–50% of first marriages end in divorce. The divorce rate for second marriages is even higher, with approximately 60–67% ending in divorce.

Why Marriage?

Marriage as a social institution was designed to serve two main purposes: to create a stable society and to ensure paternity.

Anthropologists believe stable social arrangements were needed when loosely organized groups of hunter-gatherers settled into agrarian civilizations. A significant…