The

Institution of
Open Marriage
Project #2 Ani Babahekian
Sociology, PCC
June 3, 2017
The Oxford English In this presentation, I will:
Dictionary denes ! Discuss the history and types of open marriages
open marriage as ! Discuss who the members of this unique society might be
! Explore the potential pros and cons
A marriage in
! Examine how this institution has changed over time
which both ! Propose how this institution might be viewed from a
partners agree Functionalist and Conict Theory Perspective
that each may
have sexual
relations with
others.
3 Main Types of !Swinging is when the two partners of a
Open Marriage: marriage allow each other to have sex
Swinging with other people
Polyamory
!Polyamory is the philosophy of being in
Polygamy
love or romantically involved with more
Many other subtypes exist
than one person at the same time.
!Polygamy is a form of marriage
consisting of more than 2 people (having
multiple husbands or wives)
 16th century Anabaptist sects; 18th-century
messianic Jewish sects; 19th century
History of Open communism; Pre-Islamic Arabia; Lemba
secret society in the French Congo; Orya of
Marriage: northern Irian Jaya; Inuit and Aleut;
Indigenous peoples in South America

Polygamous and
Polyamorous marriages go
back many centuries but
here we focus on the
Swinging lifestyle. 20th century: swinging began among
American Air Force pilots and their wives
during World War II before pilots left for

Swinging was overseas duty. The mortality rate of pilots

was so high, so a close bond arose between
pilot families that implied that pilot husbands
common in: would care for all the wives as their own
emotionally and sexually if the husbands
were lost. This was coined wife swapping.
 ! History shows us that the swinging lifestyle has been
common in many cultures around the world for centuries.
! It is estimated that 4% of the population in the US alone are
swingers; thats approx 13 million people.
Members of this ! AdultFriendFinder has 27+ million members and there are
institution and many other similar sites available online, in addition to
swinger clubs, resorts and organizations.
how it is perceived
by society ! Average swingers are in their late 30s and transition into
this lifestyle in their early 30s. Most are white, educated and
middle to upper class.
! The general population is very uneducated about open
relationships and judges it ercely. Religious communities
view open marriage as adultery, even though it involves joint
consent from both partners.
! On the Dr. Phil Show, swingers were portrayed as individuals
whose relationships were in shambles and had resorted to
cheating as a last attempt to save a dying marriage.
 Open relationships, particularly the swinging lifestyle hasnt
changed much over the years but it has become less of a taboo
subject, so more people are talking more openly about it.
How Swinging
There are many more clubs and resorts focused on swingers. There
has changed over are also many online sites that make it readily available to nd others
time in the community.

There is so much information about swinging, available to anyone

who is interesting in learning more.

The more we talk about it, the more it will become normalized.
 ! Pros:
! May allow one to claim their own power again
! May help one feel like an individual again
! May allow for complete openness and honesty in the marriage
! May spice up a marriage
! Brings variety in a routine life
The Pros and ! Its fun

Cons of Swinging
! Cons:
! May cause serious jealousy and destroy the marriage
! May promote more lying and miscommunication
! May cause disgust in each other
! More exposure to STDs (although STD rates are very low among swingers)
! Being looked down at by society
! Living in secret from society
Open Marriage Marriage is an important part of
from a maintaining a functioning society.
Functionalist
Perspective
A Functionalist might say that if an open
marriage helps keep a marriage happy and
healthy, it would contribute to the whole in a
positive way. The worst thing that could happen
from this point of view is a separation or divorce,
which would break the pieces of the large
puzzle. So by keeping the marriage stable, we
also keep society stable.
Open Marriage Karl Marxs thoughts
about open Rebuttal:
from a Social relationships:
Conict
Perspective ! He believed that the bourgeois
viewed women as nothing more
! Marx was merely focusing on the
male perspective, meaning he
than an instrument of was assuming the man chooses
production. He thought by to share his wife with other men.
sharing women, they were What if the woman is the one
treating them as prostitutes and choosing this lifestyle? What if
degrading them. He felt that this she has consented to this
polygamous lifestyle lifestyle? Now the lower
promoted inequality and was gender is empowered, so I
just another part of the powerful wonder how he would view this?
coercing the powerless.
 Conclusion
Swinging is not about
sharing your spouse https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-swinging-paradigm/201310/are-swingers-freaky-and-deviant

or allowing your https://askwonder.com/q/statistics-demographics-and-size-of-the-lifestyle-swinger-market-57daf90faec4161a008a7d8f

spouse to be with https://patch.com/california/paloalto/new-study-shows-swingers-are-more-likely-stay-marriedhttps://en.wikipedia.org/

wiki/Open_marriage
others. Its about taking
a journey together, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swinging_(sexual_practice)

being true to oneself http://www.hungtonpost.com/2013/07/23/open-relationships-marrie_n_3641114.html

and to each other and http://www.elle.com/life-love/sex-relationships/a39189/long-term-polyamory/

letting go of all the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_marriage_styles

fears that normally http://together.guide/swinging-vs-polyamory/
govern humans.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-polyamorists-next-door/201407/seven-forms-non-monogamy