Exploratory study on parallel marriage ceremonies in Winneba in the Efutu Municipality

Abstract

This research sought to explore parallel marriage ceremonies, the agents involved, challenges and their effects on the marriage institution in Winneba in the Efutu Municipality. A qualitative approach was used to provide a successful conduct of the research given the complexity of the phenomenon under study. The research design used for the study was case study. The targeted population for the study were married people who performed parallel marriage ceremonies, adults who have reached their marital age but are not married, parents, opinion leaders (pastors) and marriage counsellors. In all, fifteen individuals were involved in the study. The purposive sampling technique was used to select all the respondents that were involved in the research work. A semi-structured interview guide was used for data collection. One of the major findings was that although the Marriage Act 1884-1985, Cap. 127 is nicely carved, it is still far from the people it was made for. That is, most of the respondents did not know much about the Marriage Act 1884-1984, Cap. 127 and it demands. In addition, the customary ceremony is seen as that which start the marriage process of which the ordinance ceremony (wedding) is the climax. Findings also showed that parallel marriage ceremonies are very expensive thereby discouraging young males from getting married. The study recommends that the concept of marriage contraction and the demands of the Marriage Act 1884-1985, Cap. 127 should be added to the Senior High School curriculum to help educate the youth about the dynamics in the marriage contraction and registration process.