📖 Traditional roles
Some religious groups teach that husband and wife have different roles. For example, one may be seen as the main earner and the other as the main carer for the home and children. They say both roles are equally valuable.
Life and Death: Key Ideas » Marriage, Civil Partnership and Cohabitation
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 1, 2.5
- What marriage is, why people marry and the roles of partners
- What a civil partnership is, and the law on same-sex marriage
- Religious and non-religious attitudes to sex outside marriage
- Attitudes to cohabitation and to humanist weddings
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Unlock This CourseMarriage and its purposes
Marriage is one of the most important ideas in this topic. This lesson describes what different people believe. It is not about deciding who is right.
Key terms:
- Marriage: a legally recognised, lifelong commitment between two people, made in a public ceremony.
- Civil partnership: a legal union between two people that gives almost the same rights as marriage.
- Same-sex marriage: marriage between two men or two women.
- Pre-marital sex: sex between two people who are not married to each other, before marriage.
- Promiscuity: having sexual relationships with many partners, often casually and without commitment.
- Adultery: sex between a married person and someone who is not their husband or wife.
- Cohabitation: a couple living together as partners without being married.
- Humanist wedding: a non-religious ceremony led by a trained humanist celebrant.
People give several purposes for marriage:
💖 Love and companionship
Married partners promise to love, support and keep each other company through good times and bad.
👶 Bringing up children
Many people see marriage as a secure and stable setting in which to have and raise children.
🏡 Stability for society
Strong families can help to make communities steady. Marriage also gives couples legal protection, for example over property.
For religious people, marriage is often more than a legal agreement. Many believe it is a relationship blessed or commanded by God, so the promises are made in front of God as well as family and friends. Non-religious people, including humanists and atheists, can value marriage just as highly. They see it as a promise between two people, without a God involved.
Roles and status of partners
Attitudes to the roles of husbands and wives differ.
⚖️ Equal roles
Many believers and most non-religious people say partners should be equal. They share money, housework, childcare and decisions, and both may work.
The same questions apply to a civil partnership. Many couples in both kinds of relationship simply decide roles between themselves.
Civil partnership and same-sex marriage
The Civil Partnership Act 2004 created civil partnerships for same-sex couples. They are a legal union with almost the same rights as marriage. Since December 2019 opposite-sex couples in England and Wales can have one too. Some couples choose it because they do not want the religious or traditional meaning that marriage has for them.
Same-sex marriage became legal in England, Wales and Scotland in 2014, and in Northern Ireland in 2020. Most religious bodies may choose whether to hold same-sex weddings. The law does not allow the Church of England to do so. Check gov.uk for the current position.
- Some religious groups teach that marriage is between a man and a woman, so they do not hold or accept same-sex marriage.
- Other religious groups welcome it, saying that love and faithfulness matter most.
- Most non-religious people support it on grounds of equality, as long as both adults freely agree.
Marriage in religious communities and society
In many religious communities, weddings are major events. They bring families together and mark the start of a new family, which the community may help and support. Marriage is often seen as the proper place for sex and for bringing up children.
In society as a whole, marriage gives couples legal rights and protection, and many people see it as a pillar of family life. Others say society should value all caring relationships, married or not.
Sex outside marriage and cohabitation
Attitudes differ on all of these.
📗 Many religious views
Many traditional believers teach that sex belongs within marriage, so they are against pre-marital sex, promiscuity and adultery. They see adultery as breaking the promise of faithfulness. Some believers are more relaxed about sex before marriage when a couple are committed to each other.
💬 Many non-religious views
Humanists and many others do not think marriage is needed for sex to be right. They look for consent, respect and responsibility. Many accept pre-marital sex between committed partners, but they criticise promiscuity if it harms people. Most say adultery is wrong because it breaks trust.
Cohabitation is common in the UK, including in long-term relationships that last for years. Some religious people disapprove because they think a couple should marry first. Others accept it, especially if the couple are faithful, and hope they will marry later. Many non-religious people say commitment and love matter more than a certificate. A couple living together may not have all the legal rights of a married couple.
That belief in commitment over ceremony is shown by humanist weddings. They are legally recognised in Scotland and Northern Ireland but, at the time of writing, not in England and Wales. Check gov.uk or humanists.uk for the current position. In England and Wales, couples often have a separate legal ceremony as well.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up the terms. Adultery involves a married person, but pre-marital sex does not.
- Saying that a civil partnership is the same as a humanist wedding. A civil partnership is a legal union. A humanist wedding is a ceremony.
- Saying that all religious people are against cohabitation or that non-religious people do not value marriage. Both vary.
- Giving a view without a reason. Say who holds it and why.
Exam-style question
Paper 1, AO1 and AO2.
(a) Identify three purposes of marriage. [3 marks]
Model answer (a)
1. Love and companionship (1) 2. Bringing up children (1) 3. Stability for society (1)
(b) Outline two attitudes to cohabitation. [4 marks]
Model answer (b)
Some religious people disapprove of cohabitation (1), because they think a couple should marry before living together (1). Many non-religious people accept it (1), because they say love and commitment matter more than a marriage certificate (1).
(c) Explain why there are different attitudes to sex outside marriage. [6 marks]
Model answer (c)
Many traditional religious people believe sex belongs within marriage, a relationship blessed by God, so they are against pre-marital sex, promiscuity and adultery (2). They see adultery as breaking the promise of faithfulness. Some believers are more relaxed about sex between committed partners, so attitudes differ even within religion. Humanists and many non-religious people do not think marriage is needed, because they judge by consent, respect and responsibility (2). They may accept pre-marital sex between committed partners, but still criticise adultery because it breaks trust and harms people, and promiscuity if it harms people (2).
(d) 'Marriage is no longer important in society.' Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion. [12 marks]
Plan for (d)
For: many couples cohabit for years; civil partnerships are now open to all couples; humanists say commitment matters more than ceremony; many people value caring relationships whatever their form. Against: many religions teach marriage is blessed or commanded by God and the right setting for children (add a teaching from your own religion here); marriage gives legal rights and public commitment; weddings are central in religious communities. Possible conclusion: weigh the growth in other relationships against marriage's continuing importance for believers. A strong answer might say marriage remains important to many, but is no longer the only accepted way to commit.
Exam tip
In (c), when the question says 'different attitudes', give contrasting views and say why each group holds them, using key terms like adultery and cohabitation correctly.