The marriage is related to the measurement of the frequency of marital acts in different places and times. Today it is an important demographic data that can even be related to fertility or migration.
Other characteristics such as nationality, age and even divorces and remarriages, are elements whose frequency is usually studied within the marriage, since all are related to the marriage union. From here the different rates related to marriage can be derived, which are usually expressed in annual averages.
Marriage unions throughout history have taken place for many different reasons. Although today marriage could ideally be seen as a decision motivated by love between two people, the reality is that there are many perspectives. A few centuries ago it was exclusively a religious activity, but over time it also became a legal and competent act for the State.
Marriage as a guarantee of peace treaties, commercial agreements, political relations and others were common until approximately the 10th century. Most were agreements led by the father figures of the bride and groom. However, from the 12th century, after the well-known Decree of Gratian, the verbal consents of both the bride and the groom began to be taken into account.
Another important factor in the issue of nuptial unions is divorce, which was adopted as a legal process in the mid-nineteenth century, the same century in which civil marriages unrelated to religion began. As for love, it was taken into account as a compelling reason for marriage only in the Victorian era.
In this way the concept of marriage has been changing over time, however, it has had great cultural and social value from the beginning.
Conjugal unions in Latin America
Various studies have emphasized two conjugal unions that prevail in Latin America from the 20th century to the present: consensual unions and legal marriages.
In the first place, it should be clarified that consensual unions refer to cases in which the couple cohabits or maintains a coexistence of space without being legally married.
There are many social factors that have been recognized as influencing decision-making in marriages. Some of them have to do with origins or nationality, socioeconomic situations and some cultural precepts related to motherhood.
The possibility that the consensual union can function as a trial period before formalizing a legal marriage with less chance of failure is also discussed.
Unlike other regions of the world, consensual unions date back to times of colonial conquest. There are several reasons, among which are the great cultural difference that existed between the settlers and the indigenous natives, and an administrative structure that was too young.
These great obstacles prevented an efficient imposition of marriage. To these factors are also added the issues of race, which created caste divisions that should not be linked to each other and the religious restrictions that existed with respect to unions between individuals of different ethnicities.
Consensual unions
Some study data from the beginning of the 21st century show the inclination of the Latin American population towards this type of conjugal unions. The highest numbers are located in the central areas of the American continent and the Caribbean countries, however the southern cone has been increasing its levels over the years.
Some time ago it was determined that the poorest groups in society were more likely to have consensual unions, but today it is already a phenomenon that does not distinguish social classes and can be seen in any of them.
Age also influences the data, showing that older age groups often establish changes in the trend of cohabitation and proceed to legalize unions.
Generational aspects
The inclination towards marriage can be linked to cultural, social and even generational patterns. Recently, millennials (a generational group that starts from the 1980s to the mid-1990s) have shown their disinterest in marriage.
In 2014, an estimate was made that if the current rate is maintained, within 20 years, millennials would be the adult population with the lowest marriage rate compared to their previous generations.
The patterns have changed over time. During the 20th century, it was still common to think of marriage at an early age to establish family stability. Today the new generations tend to prioritize economic stability before getting married. Many also prefer consensual unions.
The divorce
Some statistical reports reveal the increase in divorces in multiple Latin American countries. For example, in countries like Mexico, in 2018, the number of divorces increased four times more since the 1980s.
Countries like Brazil also show an increase with a ratio of 1 divorce for every 3 marriages. On the other hand, after the reform made to the Family Code in Argentina in 2015, the divorce figures increased above 40%.
Some of the causes of divorce that have been revealed are infidelity, violence or abandonment and mutual agreement. It should be noted that legal divorce in Latin America is quite recent.
In Mexico it dates from 1917, in Venezuela there are records of 1942 with the reform of the Civil Code, but in areas such as Argentina or Brazil, it is located in closer years such as the 70s and 80s.
Some countries also reveal a frequency of divorces according to their years of duration, with a higher incidence in couples with more than 20 years of marriage.
Divorce appears as a strong stigma in different Latin American societies, despite this, it is currently more widely accepted.
References
- Everitt, L (2012) Ten key moments in the history of marriage. BBC News Magazine. Retrieved on September 11, 2017 from bbc.com
- Institut National D'etudes Démographiques. Nuptiality. Recovered from ined.fr
- Noreen Goldman & Anne R. Pebley (1981) Legalization of consensual unions in Latin America, Social Biology. Recovered from htandfonline.com
- Castro-Martin, T (2002) Consensual unions in Latin America: Persistence of a dual nuptiality system. Journal of comparative family studies. Recovered from researchgate.net
- López-Ruiz L, Esteve A and Cabré A (2009) Consensual unions and marriages in Latin America: two patterns of educational homogamy? Autonomous University of Barcelona. Pap. population vol.15 no.60. Recovered from scielo.org.mx
- Luhby T (2014) Millennials say no to marriage. CNN Spanish. Recovered from nnespanol.cnn.com
- National Healthy Marriage Resource Center. Marriage Trends in Latin America: A Fact Sheet. Recovered from healthymarriageinfo.org
- International Family Day: this is how divorces go in Latin America (2019). Sputnik World. Recovered from mundo.sputniknews.com
- National Institute of Statistics (2012). Divorces sentenced for the duration of the marriage, according to the federal registry entity, 2012. Courts of first instance and courts for the protection of children and adolescents. Recovered from ine.gov.ve