Hi from
Dublin again. This is my last blog and I hope you have enjoyed my previous
blogs and enjoy this one as well. This time I am going to talk about our culture
and our social behavior in Ireland. I will tell you about our relationships and
our behaviors when it comes to sex, sex and Catholicism, same sex marriages,
marriages in general, and our dating behaviors. Here we go!
First I
am going to tell you about is our view and behaviors when it comes to sex. In
my family, sex is not something we talk about openly, and we are more
conservative when compared to other European countries. Of course, social
attitudes and sexual behavior has changed in the last four decades and is much
different now then what it was when my parents were younger. Some of the
changes include the increase in non-marital births, sex before marriage, and
cohabitation. I think it is because of the differences in cultures, the new
development of social attitudes, urbanization, and of course the mass media that
we see every day (Conroy, 2006). In regards to cohabitation, I think it is a
normal thing now days because people are still conservative but not as
conservative as they use to be. My parents and I do not talk about sex openly
because of our conservatism and we don’t feel that it is appropriate. Also here
in Ireland, when it comes to casual sex and sex under the age of consent, we
have the lowest school in Western Europe which I think is great. I do not
believe in casual sex or sex under the age of consent but there are girls in my
school that believe in different things (Conroy, 2006).
Next I
am going to talk about sex and Catholicism. As I have said, Catholicism is huge
in Ireland, and due to the changes in the last years, these changes have affected
the catholic beliefs. Catholicism and its moral teachings, have had many
influences on our life including the public policy on sex and sexual behavior.
I learned these from my parents and also while going to church. These teachings
include no sex outside of marriage, and a ban of artificial forms of
contraception within marriage. These are the most well known teaching and the
change is that sex before marriage has become a normal occurrence with younger
age groups. My parents of course look down upon this, but I myself along with
other friends have partaken in this change (Conroy, 2006). I feel like this has
also been a result of mass media and changes in cultures around the world.
Once
major controversy we have been having in Ireland is the different beliefs of
same sex marriages. As of right now, the rate of homosexuality in the Republic
of Ireland is the lowest in Western Europe but it is still a controversy to
some people (Conroy, 2006). Even though Ireland has a low rate of same sex
marriages, many people including my parents and I are turning our thoughts around
and are supporting it. I think I read in the newspaper the other day that ¾ of
the population is supporting it as well. Of course because of the religion
aspect, there are concerns that people have about same sex marriages. These
concerns are it will damage or change the definition of marriage, religious
freedom will be affected, civil partnership is enough for homosexuals, and
marriage is only about procreation (Griffith, 2004). I however do not agree
with these concerns. I feel that everyone is an equal citizen and they deserve
equal freedom, and marriage is about the person you love not what gender they
are. My parents have always said that denying a civil marriage to same sex
couples is discriminatory and unfair (Griffith, 2004). Also when it comes to
the concern of procreation, my parents and I believe that for a child being
raised in a loving home by loving parents no matter what gender is more important
than be raising by strictly a mother and a father (Griffith, 2004). Soon, many
of us Irish, hope that people become more open-minded and accept people for who
they really are.
Now
that I have talked about same sex marriages, I am now going to talk about
marriage in general. I don’t have a lot to say about marriage but I have a few
things. Marriage of course important to the Irish culture and Ireland is known
to have the lowest divorce rate (Griffith, 2004). I think this is a huge
accomplishment for our culture and a great part of our social behavior. As I stated,
there have been changes in the Irish culture and even though marriage is still
important, there are some Irish that believe that marriage is no longer the
institution it once was (Barry, 2011). It is now a tendency to remain single
for a while, partake in delayed marriages, or not get married at all
(Schellenberg, 1991). In my parents’ relationship, they were too focus on the
avoidance of sexual relationships, high respect for their family and family
values, and be loyal to their vows (Schellenberg, 1991). As my opinion, I have
seen how happy my parents are together, and I cannot wait to have that.
Last
but not least, I am going to talk about the social behavior when it comes to
dating in Ireland. Dating in Ireland is not something we do for fun. Of course
we like to date people but when we date, we are eager to settle down with a
serious long-term partner therefore, we take dating seriously. I am currently
single and not dating but my ideal date would be casual, informal affair that
is relaxed (Barry, 2011). I think this is pretty normal for most Irish people
on their views of dating. Some important characteristics of relationships in my
opinion are personality, faithfulness, education, and descent financial
position. Physical attraction is not very important to me and I can that for
other Irish as well. When we do find that special someone, we believe that love
is about being cared for and understood, and it will all be worth it in the end
(Barry, 2011).
Well
that’s all I have on social behavior here in Ireland! Hope you enjoyed!
Barry, G., Hurley, S. (2011).
Anotherfriend.com, Love: Uncovered. The
first detailed and intimate
study of Irish
attitudes to dating, relationships, love, and marriage. April 15, 2014
from,
Conroy,R., Cousins, G.,
Donnelly, C., Laye, R., McGee, H., Mulcahy, F., Quail, A., Rundle, K.
(October, 2006). Department of Health and
Children. Irish Study of Sexual
Health and
Relationships.
April 15, 2014 from,
Griffith, M. (2004). Marriage
Equality. The Case for Marriage Equality
in Ireland. April 15, 2014
from,
Schellenberg, J.
(1991). Patterns of Delayed Marriage: How Special are the Irish? Taylor
&
Francis,
Ltd: JSTOR. Volume 24. Pp. 1-11.
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