Wife

For other uses, see Wife (disambiguation).

A wife is the female spouse, or participant, in a marriage.

Origin and etymology

The term originated from the Middle English wif, from Old English wīf, woman, wife, from Germanic * wībam, woman, related to Modern German Weib (woman, wife),Etymology of "Weib" from the Indo-European root ghwībh-; wīb, meaning veiled or clothed, referred to the wedding veils.American Heritage Dictionary on "wife". The original meaning of "wife" as simply "woman", unconnected with marriage, is preserved in words like "midwife" and "fishwife".

Related terminology

Although "wife" seems to be a close term to bride, the latter is the female participant in the wedding ceremony (to her groom), while a wife is the status of a married woman after the wedding, during her marriage. Upon marriage, she or her family may have brought her husband a dowry, or the husband or his family may have needed to pay a bride price to the family of his bride, or both were exchanged between the families; the dowry not only supported the establishment of a household, but also served as a condition that if the husband committed grave offences upon his wife, the dowry had to be returned to the wife or her family; for the time of the marriage, they were made inalienable by the husband.Britannica 2005, dowry A former wife whose spouse is deceased is a widow, and may be left with a dower (often a third or a half of his estate) to support her as dowager.Merriam-Webster, dower

Wife refers especially to the institutionalized form in relation to the spouse and offspring, unlike mother, a term that puts a woman into the context of her children. Also compare the similar sounding midwife, a person assisting in childbirth (“Mother midnight” emphasizes to a midwife’s power over life and death).Merriam-Webster on Midwife, and Britannica, midwife

A wife may, in some cultures and times, share the title of her husband, without having gained that title by her own right.Sharing the husband\'s title

Differences in cultures

The various divisions of the following chapters share the previous terminology in English language, notwithstanding religious and cultural, but also customary differences.

Antiquity

Many traditions like the wedding ring and a dower, dowry and bride price have long traditions in antiquity. The exchange of any item or value goes back unto the oldest sources, and the wedding ring likewise was always used as a symbol for keeping faith to a person.

Christianity

Western culture, that is Western Europe and also many of their former colonies, were guided by the Bible in regard to their view on the position of a wife in society as well as her marriage. This image changed considerably in the age of Modernity.

Historical status

In the Middle Ages and Early Modern history, it was unusual to marry out of love,William C. Horne, Making a heaven of hell: the problem of the companionate ideal in English marriage, poetry, 1650-1800 Athens (Georgia), 1993 though it became an ideal in literature.Frances Burney, Evelina, Lowndes 1778, and Seeber, English Literary History of the eighteenth century, Weimar 1999 Women were not expected to have any property:Elizabeth M. Craik, Marriage and property, Aberdeen 1984 they only were given a dowry by their parents to give her husbandGail MacColl and Carol McD. Wallace, To Marry An English Lord, p166-7, ISBN 0-89480-939-3 and inherited only if there were no male offspring.Future of the Children Unable to procure for herself, a woman had to submit to the husband chosen to avoid problems (prostitution, or a criminal career,Daniel Defoe, Moll Flanders: theoretical preface), which has been dealt with extensively in literature, where the most important reason for the lack of equal rights was the denial of equal education for women.for the 18th and 19th century, which contained much criticism of these facts, see also Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Boston 1792 The situation was assessed by the English conservative moralist Sir William Blackstone: “The husband and wife are one, and the husband is the one.”William Blackstone, Commentaries upon the Laws of England The situation changed only in the Married Women\'s Property Act 1882. Though the wife was generally expected to support the political faction favoured by the husband, satirists like Joseph Addison suggested ironically that the marriage contract might allow the wives to join the political faction independently in order to suit the expectations of their environment, or their peer group.Joseph Addison, The Spectator, No.81 Until late in the 20th century, women could in some cultures or times sue a man for wreath money when he took her virginity without taking her as his wife.Brockhaus 2004, Kranzgeld .

If a woman did not want to marry, another option was entering a convent as a nunThough cloisters\' practices were not bound by modern national borders, see sources for Spain, for Italy, and for Britain to become a "bride to Jesus,"(Taking) The White Veil a state in which her chastity would be protected(Taking) The White Veil and the woman was economically protected as well.The welfare of the cloister members was ensured by the Catholic Church and the Pope. Both a wife and a nun wore veils, which proclaimed their state of protection by the rights of marriage.Silvia Evangelisti, Wives, Widows, And Brides Of Christ: Marriage And The Convent In The Historiography Of Early Modern Italy, Cambridge 2000

Contemporary status

In the 20th century, two changes happened to Western marriage; the first was the breakthrough from an “institution to companionate marriage”;”Companionship marriage” and “companionate marriage” are synonyms (the latter being the older one), although the term usually refers to a relationship based on equality, it might instead refer to a marriage with mutual interest in their children, [1] for the first time, wives became a legal person, and she was allowed her own property and allowed to sue. Until then, wife and husband were a single legal entity, but only the husband was allowed to exercise this right. The second change was the dissolution of family life, when in the 1960s wives began to work outside their home, and with the social acceptance of divorces the single-parent family, and stepfamily or "blended family" as a more “individualized marriage”.Stepfamily as individualized marriage

Today, a woman may wear a wedding ring in order to show her status as a wife.Howard, Vicki. "A \'Real Man\'s Ring\': Gender and the Invention of Tradition." Journal of Social History. Summer 2003 pp837-856

In Western countries today, married women may have education, a profession and take time off from their work in a legally procured system of ante-natal care, statutory maternity leave, and they may get maternity pay or a maternity allowance.Maternity pay and allowance, and work and family guide The status of marriage, as opposed to unmarried pregnant women, allows the spouse to be responsible for the child, and to speak on behalf of his/her wife; a husband is also responsible for the wife’s child in states where he is automatically assumed to be the biological father.Cuckoo’s egg in the nest, Spiegel 07, 2007 Vice versa, a wife has more legal authority in some cases when she speaks on behalf of a spouse than she would have if they were not married, e.g. when her spouse is in a coma after an accident, a wife may have the right of advocacy.The restrictions of her abilities to do this vary immensely even within a legal system, see case NY vs. Fishman, 2000 If they divorce, she also might receive - or pay - alimony (see Law and divorce around the world).

Islam

Islams universal message to humanity indicates "O Mankind, keep your duty to your Lord who created you from a single soul and from it created its mate (of same kind) and from them twain has spread a multitude of men and women" (Qur\'an 4: 1). A scholar who pondered about this verse states: "It is believed that there is no text, old or new, that deals with the humanity of the woman from all aspects with such amazing brevity, eloquence, depth, and originality as this divine decree."

Women in Islam are held in the highest regard. Narrated Mu\'awiyah al-Qushayri: I went to the Apostle of Allah (pbuh) and asked him: "What do you say (command) about our wives?" He replied: "Give them food what you have for yourself, and clothe them by which you clothe yourself, and do not beat them, and do not revile them." (Sunan Abu Dawud: Book 11, Number 2139) "The best of you is one who is best towards his family and I am best towards the family". (At-Tirmithy). "None but a noble man treats women in an honourable manner. And none but an ignoble treats women disgracefully". (At-Tirmithy).

Women in Islam have a range of rights and obligations. Marriage takes place on the basis of a marriage contract. The New Encyclopedia of Islam(2002), AltaMira Press. ISBN 0-7591-0189-2 p.477 Women in general are supposed to wear specific clothes, as stated by the hadith, like the hijab, which may take different sizes depending on the Muslim culture, but they are not obliged to do so.Clothes Women in Islam are given the choice however to cover as they wish. In France, secularists invoked the 1905 law separating church and state. But that was supposed to stop the French republic protecting one religion - Catholicism. It was a way of opening up religious freedom for individuals - not a statement of official atheism. However today, the French government has banned any visible religious insignia in schools, including the hijab (contravening the original law). A notable case where a Jewish father, Laurent Levy, of 2 teenage girls Lila and Alma has him excoriating what he calls the "ayatollahs of secularism," hardliners of left and right who he says are preaching a new doctrine of intolerance - sowing the seed of even greater alienation and anger in France\'s high-immigration suburbs. [2]

As the woman\'s right to decide about her marriage is recognized, so also her right to seek an end for an unsuccessful marriage is recognized. To provide for the stability of the family, however, and in order to protect it from hasty decisions under temporary emotional stress, certain steps and waiting periods should be observed by men and women seeking divorce. Considering the relatively more emotional nature of women, a good reason for asking for divorce should be brought before the judge. Like the man, however, the woman can divorce her husband with out resorting to the court, if the nuptial contract allows that.

Traditionally, Muslim married women are not distinguished from unmarried women by an outward symbol (such as a wedding ring). However women\'s wedding rings have recently been adopted in the past thirty years from the Western culture.Westernized Muslims Traditionally and most commonly, the only sign of the marriage is the nikah,Nikah in marriage the written marriage contract.

Hinduism

In Hindi, wife means a women who shares every thing in this world with her husband and he does the same, including their identity. Decisions are ideally made in mutual consent. A wife usually takes care of anything inside her household, including the family\'s health, the children\'s education, a parent\'s needs.

In Tamil, a wife is known as a "Manaivee". "Manai" means "house", and "manaivee" "head of a household". The majority of Hindu marriages in South India even now are arranged marriages, which means parents that have a son will search for parents with a daughter, through relatives, neighbourhoods, or even brokers. Once they find a suitable family (family of same caste, culture and financial status), they proceed with discussions directly. In the past decades, a marriage out of love has become a rivalling model to the arranged marriage.

Indian law has recognised marital rape, sexual, emotional or verbal abuse of a woman by her husband as crimes. The Britannica mentions that "Until quite recently, the only property of which a Hindu woman was the absolute owner was her strīdhana, consisting mainly of wedding gifts and gifts from relatives."Britannica, Legal limitations on marriage (from family law)

Commonly, a wife wears a red dot on her forehead to show her status as a married woman.

Buddhism and Chinese folk religions

China\'s family laws were changed by the Communist revolution; and in 1950, the People\'s Republic of China enacted a comprehensive marriage law including provisions giving the spouses equal rights with regard to ownership and management of marital property.Britannica 2004, Legal limitations on marriage (from family law)

Other

In Japan, before enactment of the Meiji Civil Code of 1898, all of the woman\'s property such as land or money passed to her husband except for personal clothing and a mirror stand.Britannica, Legal limitations on marriage (from family law)

See also

Look up wife in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Marriage
• Husband

References

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