Interview Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Interview - Assignment Example All the children are male except for the youngest, who is a female. Her children are 40, 37, 35 and 31 accordingly. She and her husband are currently residing in their own home, which is not far from that of her children, and therefore of her grandchildren as well. The purpose of this paper is to examine the selected woman's opinions and notions of marriage, family and children as she was raised to believe, according to which she's lived her life, and then compare and contract those to those of my own. The woman interviewed, my grandmother, believes, and was brought up to believe, that marriage is supposed to last forever. It was a very different time from today, two generations ago, and this perception was much more common and popular than, in contrast to the very different one of today. Strangely enough, though, people used to get married at a young age and perhaps without even knowing their intended spouse for as long as people do today prior to marriage. This seems quite odd and bizarre for me today, but my grandmother says that that's how it was back then. If you knew the person for a year or two and thought you were compatible, you got married. Sex before marriage was also much less acceptable or appropriate. It was also common opinion that one has to do whatever he or she possibly can in order to save and preserve the marriage if it falls under a hard time (Author, Year). What she describes is very reasonable for that time, but seems quite obsolete today. Few are the people who still hold these beliefs today, and they are considered to be very unusual and the exception of the codes of behavior and norms of today. Things have changed a lot in these years between her generation and mine. Along with the emancipation of women, women's right movements and the changes in society as well as in the legislature, there's been a major shift towards living life each person sees fit. There is much less pressure today from families or others to get married quickly, an d less criticism or eyebrow-raising if a woman isn't married. This is truer for men than for women, but it also applies to women. Men are often thought to be less mature for serious relationships, commitments and marriage, let alone starting a family, while women are typically seen as more marriage and family oriented. While it may hold some truth (and women do indeed think more about relationships and the desire to be married and have children than men do), it is most definitely not true for everyone, and sometimes it is completely the opposite. Back in my grandmother's time it was quite unheard of. A woman was supposed to be married and was expected to do so until a certain age. Today it is not like that at all. Being married and becoming a mother were considered to be an inseparable part of being a woman (Author, Year). Today, there are women who opt never to get married, even though some of which are in long, committed relationships. It is now believed by some that marriage isn' t for everyone, and some do choose not to get married. Coupled with the current divorce rates, things have certainly changed in the decades since my grandmother's time and until now (Author, Year). It is interesting to note, in this context, that although marriage has become less essential to some women today and perhaps because of it, the wedding industry has grown immensely, and the wedding day is now considered to be one of life's more important milestones. In the past, while it was also significant, people didn't make such a big