CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
The genesis of marriage and family can be traced to the Holy Bible. God ordained marriage for three purposes: for companionship, pleasure and procreation. Marriage and family is designed for the development of human race but unfortunately many families are enduring what they ought to enjoy (Ebiai & Bumba, 2004). Marriage is a socially sanctioned union, typically between one man and one woman usually called husband and wife. The type and functions of marriage vary from culture to culture. Legally sanctioned marriages are generally conducted between heterosexual couples, although there are a few countries that recognize same-sex marriage (Broude, 1994). The prevailing view towards marriage is that it is based on emotional attachment between the partners and entered into voluntarily.
There are different types of marriages: monogamy and polygamy. Monogamy is generally in two ways; strict monogamy where a person is allowed only one spouse per lifetime and serial monogamy where people can be married to more than one person – in succession. There are also several specialized types of monogamous marriages that involve cousins; bilateral, matrilateral, patrilateral and parallel cousin marriages (Kalafut, 2007). Bilateral cross-cousin marriage occurs when two men marry each other's sisters. This entwines families very closely, and some societies continue it over several generations. Matrilateral cross cousin marriage occurs when a man is expected to marry his mother's brother's daughter. Continued over a number of generations, this eventually forms a circle where everyone is connected to each other.
Patrilateral cross-cousin marriage occurs when a man is expected to marry his father's sister's daughter. Continued over a number of generations, this eventually forms a circle where everyone is connected to each other. Parallel Cousin marriage is an interesting form of marriage encouraged in some societies between the children of two brothers. This helps keep inheritance and property within the family line.
The term polygamy is a Greek word meaning "the practice of multiple marriage". Polygamy can be defined as any "form of marriage in which a person [has] more than one spouse. Historically, polygamy has been practiced as polygyny (one man having more than one wife), or as polyandry (one woman having more than one husband), or, less commonly as "group marriage" (some combination of polygyny and polyandry).  All three practices have been found, but polygyny is by far the most common in the world (Kalafut, 2007).
A specialized version is called sororal polygyny where the man's wives are sisters. Polyandry is where a woman can have more than one husband at the same time and is generally divided into fraternal polyandry (where the husbands are brothers) and nonfraternal polyandry (where the husbands are not related). Christianity gives room to total monogamy whereby one man is entitled to one wife while in the Islamic world, marriage is sanctioned between a man and up to four women. In most societies in Africa marriage was polygynic, where a man could have multiple wives. In such societies, multiple wives are generally considered a sign of wealth and power.
DeGenova and Rice (2005) reported that families are universal and yet each is unique. In an ever changing world, families cannot remain static. Thus, families today, are different from those of previous generations. They differ in structure, composition, size and function. DeGenova and Rice (2005) define family as any group of persons united by the ties of marriage, blood, or adoption, or any sexually expressive relationship. Families can be described according to their structure and the relationships among the people in them:
A Voluntary Childless Family is a couple who decide not to have children (Some refer to this as a childfree family). This is mostly found in the western world. In Africa, a childless family is frowned at by the society, making it clear, that children are valued. A Single-Parent Family consists of a parent (who may or may not have been married) and one or more children. A Nuclear Family consists of a father, mother, and their children. A family origin is the family into which one is born and raised. The family consists of a child, his parents, and his siblings. A family of procreation is the family you establish when you give birth to your own children. An extended family consists of a man, possibly a partner, any children you might have, and other relatives who live in your household or nearby (this also includes grandparents who are helping to care for grandchildren). A Blended or Reconstituted Family is formed when a widowed or divorced person, with or without children, remarries another person who may or may not have children. If either husband or wife has children from a former marriage or previous relationship, a stepfamily is formed.
A Bi-nuclear Family is an original family divided into two families by divorce. It consists of two nuclear families which are: the maternal nuclear family headed by the mother and the paternal family headed by the father. The families include whatever children were in the original family and may be headed by a single parent or two parents if former spouses remarry (Ahrons and Rodgers, 1987).
A polygamous family is a single family unit based on the marriage of one person to two or more mates. Thus, if the man has more than one wife, a polygynous family is formed. If the woman has more than one husband, a polyandrous family is formed. Polyandry is rare, but polygyny is practiced in African and Asian countries (DeGenova and Rice, 2005). A Patriarchal Family is one in which the father is head of the household, with authority over other members of the family. A Matriarchal Family is one in which the mother is the head of the household, with authority over other members of the family. A gay (male) or lesbian (female) family (homosexual) consists of a couple of the same sex who are living together and sharing sexual expression and commitment. Some gay or lesbian families include children, usually the offspring of one of the partners. A Cohabiting Family consists of two people of the opposite sex who are living together and sharing sexual expression, and who are committed to their relationship without a formal legal marriage (DeGenova and Rice, 2005).