Anthropologists recognize marriage as a way to “describe how different societies organize and understand mating and its consequences”. [18] The Anthropological definition of a prototypical marriage highlights the general expectations and facets that form this social construct. Within various cultures marriage is symbolically represented through a range of very simple to elaborate weddings. A marriage generally transforms the roles and responsibilities of two individuals within society. For example, an individual’s expectation of personal finance may be transformed to support both him/herself and their spouse. Marriage also sets the implications of permitted sexual access, setting boundaries for what is acceptable and when. However, these implications are also set based on personal preference as well as cultural norms.
Marriage is also a method in which cultural tradition is passed on to the children of the participants. Although the marriage relationship is a ‘traditional’ means for shaping a child’s standing and position in society, non traditional roles also serve as a valid means of raising children within cultural context. Marriage also serves as a means of creating extended families linking the Kin of the individuals.