Traditional family from 10,000 BC to about 1975 AD
A man and woman would marry, the man would provide and the woman would keep house and bring up children, supporting each other along the way. Sometimes one could be subsumed into a larger family structure. Often women had little say in this, and for a lot of men it wasn’t much better.
Division of assets upon death would be divided up according to rules of their culture.
The laws were built on the premise of a man and a woman marrying and the expectation that children would be produced. Until recently, for a woman, there wasn’t an easy life away from this. And within a marriage, her body was the husband’s property to use as he wished.
Even so, the traditional nuclear family unit is the best, most successful way to support each other and raise children. It should be allowed to be unashamedly accepted as such.
Modern life
Nowadays however, many other disparate people will look to build a life together. They are looking to support each other, but not necessarily to raise children. Sometimes not even intending to be a unit for life.
Laws need to protect all fairly, if we wish to be free to live as we wish. We should leave religions alone to grant marriage as a religious construct to those they see fit. The state needs to recognise a broader definition – maybe call it, say, a symphyletai? This would allow for anyone who wishes to, to get together as a legal unit, all equally responsible for it. This would include same-sex, relatives, multiple people, even a combination of all three. Consummation wouldn’t have any part in it, and intercourse between any people that is currently illegal would stay that way – for good reason.
Under symphyletai (family contracts) the state would divide assets as the state sees as fair upon a death or divorce. Some allowance could be made for conditions to be placed in the initial contract as long as they weren’t applied with duress.
Policies
Short and sweet.
- If you wish to work together for mutual benefit then the law should allow you to do so as you wish. It should support you in the case of a breakdown of that relationship too.
- Leave religion alone to do what they think is best for their own congregations in regards to uniting people in relationships.
Next up – Part 15: The final part – the moral aspect to the OTF and a round-up of the series.
© Jerry Mandarin 2022
