Civil Partnership vs. Gay Marriage
So why is a Civil Partnership not a Marriage?
Marriage is a cultural institution. Gay relationships are also a cultural idea. The two are not part of the same cultural idiom.
Marriage is very much an institution created from the heteronormative patriarchal society. It assumes that a man and woman are united and that they take on their specific gender roles within this union. Whether or not the promise is made under God the gender roles are usually present. The man, for example, will likely wear a morning coat and the woman a dress for the ceremony. Sometimes couples break free from their prescribed gender roles. Although, in today's society, it is still only possible for women to give birth to children there has been a rise in recent years of 'house husbands' - men who stay at home to look after the house and the children whilst their wives work to become the main breadwinner. Even with this transferral of gender norm there is still a patriarchal overtone. The term 'house husband' is often used in sarcastic or mocking ways.
Homosexual relationships are fascinating in themselves because there are no pre-prescribed gender roles to be assumed. Many homosexual couples find that one partner is more dominant than the other. The more dominant may or may not be the more masculine. Many homosexual women choose to be either 'butch' or 'femme' and are usually interested in a relationship with someone who is the opposite of them in their gender expression category. Lipstick lesbians (feminine women who are attracted to feminine women), however, transcend these assumed roles. In a homosexual relationship there is no place for an institution such as marriage with all the historical baggage it carries. The civil partnership register affords homosexual couples most of the same rights as hetersexual married couples. In the event of something untoward happening to one partner the other is then granted the rights to carry out the wishes of the other. There are also rights with money and property that were previously not available for homosexual couples. This means, therefore, that homosexual couples are able to benefit from all the relevant priviledges of marriage without having to partake in a patriarchal institution.
Introducing the Civil Partnership is a great step for the United Kingdom. Some homosexual couples would like a full, recognised marriage and a civil partnership is the appropriate choice for some hetersexual couples. The next step for the government should be to introduce these other options. Seeing as it is equality we strive for there is little point in making the civil partnership available to homosexual but not heterosexual people.
Marriage is a cultural institution. Gay relationships are also a cultural idea. The two are not part of the same cultural idiom.
Marriage is very much an institution created from the heteronormative patriarchal society. It assumes that a man and woman are united and that they take on their specific gender roles within this union. Whether or not the promise is made under God the gender roles are usually present. The man, for example, will likely wear a morning coat and the woman a dress for the ceremony. Sometimes couples break free from their prescribed gender roles. Although, in today's society, it is still only possible for women to give birth to children there has been a rise in recent years of 'house husbands' - men who stay at home to look after the house and the children whilst their wives work to become the main breadwinner. Even with this transferral of gender norm there is still a patriarchal overtone. The term 'house husband' is often used in sarcastic or mocking ways.
Homosexual relationships are fascinating in themselves because there are no pre-prescribed gender roles to be assumed. Many homosexual couples find that one partner is more dominant than the other. The more dominant may or may not be the more masculine. Many homosexual women choose to be either 'butch' or 'femme' and are usually interested in a relationship with someone who is the opposite of them in their gender expression category. Lipstick lesbians (feminine women who are attracted to feminine women), however, transcend these assumed roles. In a homosexual relationship there is no place for an institution such as marriage with all the historical baggage it carries. The civil partnership register affords homosexual couples most of the same rights as hetersexual married couples. In the event of something untoward happening to one partner the other is then granted the rights to carry out the wishes of the other. There are also rights with money and property that were previously not available for homosexual couples. This means, therefore, that homosexual couples are able to benefit from all the relevant priviledges of marriage without having to partake in a patriarchal institution.
Introducing the Civil Partnership is a great step for the United Kingdom. Some homosexual couples would like a full, recognised marriage and a civil partnership is the appropriate choice for some hetersexual couples. The next step for the government should be to introduce these other options. Seeing as it is equality we strive for there is little point in making the civil partnership available to homosexual but not heterosexual people.
posted by Jen at 8:14 PM
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