All societies in the world depict different forms of social inequality. Social inequality is perpetuated through differences in access to social goods in the community. This is brought about by class, power, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion, and kinship. Social rights entail aspects such as the source of income, freedom of speech, healthcare, labor market, education, and political representation. Social inequality in marriage is often linked to the unequal distribution of resources between the couples ( Stehr, 2018 ). The approach adopted in resource allocation significantly impacts the delivery of privileges and rights, access to public resources such as judicial system, education, transportation, credit, as well as financial services such as banking. In marriage, men and women experience varying levels of rights and responsibilities in spite of predominant credence in marital equality ( Stehr, 2018 ). Over the years, gender-based patterns of inequalities have declined in the United States (U.S). However, inequity persists in other parts of the world. Varied factors are responsible for the systemic gender differences in the quantity and type of domestic labor and family care provided by spouses. Other manifestations of inequality include variations in authority and power in decision making as well as access to, and control of household resources after divorce. This paper presents arguments in favor of and against social inequality in marriage while presenting personal point of view.
Often, married women allocate more time each week than their male counterparts to various household duties and family care, even when they have other responsibilities away from home. According to Stehr ( 2018) , married women devote approximately nineteen hours, while men spend about ten hours to complete house chores each week. There is also a significant difference in the type of house chores completed by the two sexes. Women tend to do routine and repetitive labor that needs regular attention while men perform activities that can accommodate a flexible schedule and those that require discretion (Warwick-Booth, 2009) . This disproportionate allocation of duties is justifiable owing to the fact men and women naturally wired differently. As a result, the ability of the two sexes to excel in different chores varies. For instance, with regard to childcare, women feel obligated to carry out maintenance chores like washing clothes, while fathers choose to spend their time with their children in recreational activities like swimming (Schieman et al. , 2017) . As a result, women are seen to spend more time on various maintenance chores, and the amount of time spent on leisure activities and sleep is significantly reduced. However, this does not imply that the duties executed by their husbands are less critical.
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Social inequality in marriage is also manifested in the form of marital power. Marital power involves the ability to impose will on one’s partner in a marriage (Warwick-Booth, 2009) . Alternate balance in personal traits like the presence of more considerable expertise, control over socio-economic resources, and more refined communication skills explain the inequalities observed in marriage. In this regard, more power is held by the spouse that contributes more financially or possesses a higher social status. To a less extent, partners with better persuasive skills win contests, but often, the spouse with more interest and knowledge about a point of concern carries the day. Men tend to control conversations through frequent interruptions and vetoing topics. These differences are justified by and attributed to gender differences in communication styles. Likewise, patriarchy is often institutionalized through religious customs or state laws and ultimately forms the basis of power in marriages. Such aspects bestow legitimate authority on men to take over their families as the head, thus justifying inequality.
Social inequality in marriage is unjustifiable from several fronts. For instance, for women that experience assault, their assailant is most often their husbands or boyfriends. Gender inequality and oppression of women act as the primary drivers of family-based violence. Battering is cited as a conscious strategy applied by men to control women and to maintain their power in marriage. Some men have a high preference for sons as compared to girls. When this happens, girls are at a higher risk of facing violence within families (Marmot & Bell, 2016) . Parents have been forced to adopt different practices like sex-selective abortion, to increase their chances of giving birth to a male child (Frederico et al. , 2018) . Moreover, globally, there is widespread female genital mutilation (FGM). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), FGM is done to enhance marriage opportunities for the girl child through sustained virginity. Further, structured cross-cultural studies have shown that wife-beating is the most prevalent form of family violence in intimate relationships. The vice is made possible by guilt on the victims’ side, absent legal recourse, and feared retaliation from partners. In this regard, there is a need to address social inequality in marriages.
There is an attempt to form peer or egalitarian marriages despite the widespread patriarchal forms of marriage. These efforts are attributed to the existing gender inequalities and the changing roles in marriages. Among the contributing factors is the desire for two wage earners (Boikova & Dahs, 2018) . In the past, married couples have been dissatisfied due to inequalities depicted with traditional marriages. Today, couples who agree to maintain equity in their relationship express high satisfaction levels. In my opinion, social inequality still exists in marriage today. Despite the different justifications for it, there is a need to break down patriarchal structures and other enablers of this inequality so that marital partners, especially women, are not disadvantaged.
References
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Frederico, M., Michielsen, K., Arnaldo, C., & Decat, P. (2018). Factors Influencing Abortion Decision-Making Processes among Young Women. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , 15 (2), 329. Doi: 10.3390/ijerph15020329
Marmot, M., & Bell, R. (2016). Social inequalities in health: a proper concern of epidemiology. Annals of Epidemiology , 26 (4), 238-240. Doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2016.02.003
Schieman, S., Ruppanner, L., & Milkie, M. (2017). Who Helps with Homework? Parenting Inequality and Relationship Quality among Employed Mothers and Fathers. Journal of Family and Economic Issues , 39 (1), 49-65. Doi: 10.1007/s10834-017-9545-4
Stehr, N. (2018). The Culture and Structure of Social Inequality. Pioneers in Arts, Humanities, Science, Engineering, Practice , 181-198. Doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-76995-0_15
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