The Impact of the Extended Family on One's Marriage: An African Study
Baloyi, Elijah
While for Mbiti" death takes life while marriage creates life, another African proverb says “A
man without a wife is like a vase without flowers”. This articulation puts marriage not only at
the centre of human life, but also creates the impression that being unmarried is both a
taboo and disgrace, not only for the immediate family but also for the whole clan and
community. In ensuring the survival of the marriage, African marriage is characterised
among other things by extended family interventions. Marriage life for Africans is communal.
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