The transmission of the meanings attributed to marriage between different family generations

Abstract

This multiple case study aimed to understand how the meanings attributed to marriage are transmitted between three family generations. Six women belonging to  three  generations  of  two  families,  aged  between  28  and  90  years,  all  married, participated.  Face-to-face,  individual  interviews  were  conducted.Genograms  were constructed with the participation of members of the three generations. The interviews were submitted to thematic-reflexive analysis and the genograms interpreted from the family systemic referential. All the participants are among the oldest children in their families  of  origin,  three  of  them  being  the  first-born.  For  them,  especially,  the responsibility of caring for  the  younger  siblings remained, as if  they  had a parental task over them. The results highlighted the family influence on theconjugal bond and the  transmission  of  family  inheritance.  The  mechanisms  for  the  transmission  of  the meanings of marriage were the learning of behaviorslinked to femininity, sharing of daily experiences, family traditions and relational patterns reinforced in the family and socially. Expectations prior to marriage and the baggage of the families of origin were evidenced in social roles and conflict resolution. Transgenerational and gender issues were highlighted in order to understand the transmission of contents as a way to maintain the family legacy.