Until relatively recently, the marriage union meant the dominance of the husband and the unquestioning obedience of the wife. Without the consent of her husband, a woman could neither get a job, nor even dispose of her own property, which belonged to her before the wedding. However, times have changed, and the institution of marriage in many countries has undergone dramatic changes.
Instructions
Step 1
First of all, marriage has now ceased to be indestructible. If earlier it was possible to dissolve a marriage relationship only in exceptional cases, by decision of the highest church hierarchs or the highest legislative body, recently the divorce procedure has been significantly simplified. The ban on divorce is valid only in relatively rare cases and for a limited period of time (for example, in Russia, divorce initiated by the husband is not allowed during the wife's pregnancy and during the first year after childbirth).
Step 2
The era of undivided domination of the stronger sex in marriage, moreover, reinforced at the legislative level, is a thing of the past. At present, the wife has the same civil and property rights as the husband. She retains the ability to own and dispose of the property that belonged to her before the wedding, and is not required to obtain permission from her spouse in order to work or engage in any social activities. She also has the right to spend the money she earned at her own discretion. Although, of course, reasonable spouses jointly decide what to spend money on.
Step 3
From time immemorial, the roles of spouses in the family have been clearly defined. The husband was supposed to be the breadwinner, breadwinner and protector, and the wife was to be a reasonable, zealous housewife, keeper of the hearth, educator of children. Any deviation from this rule was severely condemned. A married woman could earn money by doing only strictly limited activities at home, for example, providing services as a seamstress, a laundress, selling homemade cakes, giving music lessons, drawing lessons, etc. Trying to work outside the home was considered a shame not only for her, but also for her husband, her parents. Now this is out of the question, at least in developed countries. There, married women have long been working on an equal basis with their husbands, making a significant (and often predominant) contribution to the family budget.
Step 4
Finally, it is necessary to mention the institution of civil marriage. Previously, only a few loving couples decided to live together without resorting to the procedure for formalizing their relationship, because they knew that this would cause sharp disapproval not only of their relatives, but also of the whole society. Now civil marriage has become widespread. People live without a stamp in their passports, give birth to children, raise grandchildren. And no one can blame them for this.
