Childbearing and Marriage: Investigating the Importance of Context for Meaning-Making of First-Time Marriage

Abstract

Previous research reveals that the temporal ordering of childbearing and marriage can have an impact on the meaning of first-time marriage. This article aims to obtain a deeper understanding of meaning-making of first-time marriage in relation to childbearing. Narrative interviews with 16 brides and grooms in 8 couples in Sweden were conducted. The material was analyzed in relation to the temporal ordering of childbearing and marriage. The study reveals that the construction of meaning of marriage does not only relate to the temporal context. Social factors such as social class or family formation might also be relevant for how meaning is constructed. This article contributes to a deeper understanding of meaning-making as a relational process constructed within particular contexts.

Comparing the timeliness and adequacy of antenatal care uptake between women who married as child brides and adult brides in 20 sub-Saharan African countries

“…As Izugbara and colleagues [ 3 ] noted, pregnancies and their outcomes would remain highly risky for child brides, except there are major interventions to address the problem. Since childbearing is closely linked to marriage in the African contexts [ 53 ], and child brides lack what it takes to negotiate safer and protected sex, millions of them would continue to get pregnant annually in a precarious condition. Moreover, considering that child marriage is mainly common among women of low socio-economic status [ 22 , 23 ], child brides largely lack economic resources and are unable to make independent decisions to seek healthcare.…”

Narratives on Ritual Transfer: An Interview Study about the Creation of Civil Ceremonies in Today’s Sweden

“…That it is stipulated, archetypical, and carried out in a way which the actors were familiar with, gives it a traditional character. Ritual transfer in this sense is also part of shaping one's cultural identity as a Swede, at least among well-educated people (Jarnkvist 2011(Jarnkvist , 2019, such as the narrators.…”

“…Identity-avoiding states that a whole category of identity (e.g., "faith") is irrelevant in the ritual. Studies on wedding rituals in religious and civil contexts reveal that individuals construct femininity (Adeniji, 2008), motherhood (Jarnkvist 2011) as well as fatherhood (Le Goff and Ryser 2010) and social class (Jarnkvist 2011(Jarnkvist , 2019 in the ritualization. Baptism (Reimer 1995;Høeg 2008), weddings (Jarnkvist 2011), and funerals (Bäckström, Edgardh Beckman, and Pettersson 2004;Wiig-Sandberg 2006) held in the Nordic folk churches can be a way of showing loyalty to the country and its culture.…”

“…Baptism (Reimer 1995;Høeg 2008), weddings (Jarnkvist 2011), and funerals (Bäckström, Edgardh Beckman, and Pettersson 2004;Wiig-Sandberg 2006) held in the Nordic folk churches can be a way of showing loyalty to the country and its culture. Church weddings and baptism are found to be part of constructing a religious identity by relating to the organization and its beliefs (Bromberg 2005;Høeg 2008) and civil ceremonies may be used to show autonomy in relation to religious organizations (Høeg 2008;Jarnkvist 2011Jarnkvist , 2019.…”

“…Previous studies on civil ceremonies in the Nordic countries reveal that rituals performed in Protestant folk churches, such as the Church of Sweden, function as role models for the creation of civil ceremonies (Høeg 2008;Jarnkvist 2011;Davidsson Bremborg and Jarnkvist 2015;Liljas Stålhandske 2009). The Church of Sweden has, for a long time, dominated the ritual scene for most rites of passages in Sweden, and is still a part of a middle-class habitus (Jarnkvist 2011(Jarnkvist , 2019. This is probably why church rituals are normative in Sweden.…”