Throughout almost the entire history of humankind, the social roles of men and women were entirely different. Traditionally, the role of a husband was that of a breadwinner and a patriarch of the family, whereas a wife’s duties were to take care of their children and keep the family hearth. The position of women was mainly a submissive one, and their access to education, art, and socially important occupations was limited. At the end of the 19th century, this state of affairs began to change: slowly but surely, women were acquiring social and professional equality, and traditional gender roles were becoming more and more blurred. An equal partnership has become an ideal of marital relationships, which is expressed, in particular, in the works of Marianne Weber, a known German sociologist of the early 20th century.
A position of a woman in a patriarchal society was a basis of Marianne Weber’s philosophical and social ideas. Many of her works were devoted to the experiences of the contemporary women, who were making first steps to engage into the workforce. This trend has led to the shift of the gender-based segregation of duties, which, according to Weber, required a revision of a woman’s role in a family (Abrams, 2017). In general, Weber’s position regarding marriage could be characterized as moderate feminism. In her works, she explores “the contradictory character of marriage as both diminishing individual autonomy and making a meaningful, ethically autonomous life possible for the individual” (Stoetzler, 2017, p. 11). In other words, while fully acknowledging that marriage might restrict women’s freedom, Weber believed that it is also essential for their protection against the brutal power of men.
According to Marianne Weber, an ideal of marital relationships is an equal companionship, which primarily consists in mutual respect and “can naturally only exist when husband and wife relate to each other not just as sexual beings but as human beings” (Abrams, 2017, p. 104). Advocating for the intellectual and professional autonomy of women, Weber simultaneously believed that both husband and wife ought to constantly improve and complement each other. To a large degree, Weber’s views of companionship were influenced by the nature of her marriage with Max Weber, who was also a prominent sociologist and a feminist. Stoetzler (2017) states that “Max and Marianne Weber developed an intense companionship that seems to have been a rather different kind of marriage from what Max had experienced in his parents’ house” (p. 250). Indeed, having common interests and inspiring each other’s intellectual ambitions, the couple managed to preserve a strong relationship despite all the misunderstandings and problems they faced.
A number of Marianne Weber’s ideas might be useful for modern women as well. If one tries to imagine the advice that Weber would give to a young bride today, first and foremost, it would probably be a suggestion not to lose her personality in a marriage. This means, in particular, that a woman should never forget about her interests, goals, and activities outside the household. Secondly, in order to build a successful marriage, a woman should create an atmosphere of companionship in her family, which is largely based on mutual support and respect. Last but not least, the common interests and constant intellectual development of both partners are also of great importance.
Without a doubt, the marital relationships in modern developed countries are radically different from what they have been for thousands of years before. Women now have equal rights to men, and the ideal of a relationship between husband and wife is that of equality and companionship. Such was the ideal of the German sociologist Marianne Weber, who believed that a happy marriage is impossible without mutual respect and equal personal development of each spouse.
References
Abrams, L. (2017). Companionship and conflict: The negotiation of marriage relations in the nineteenth century. In J. Purvis (Ed.), Gender relations in German history (pp. 101-120). Abingdon-on-Thames, UK: Routledge.
Stoetzler, M. (2017). Beginning classical social theory. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.