The white elephant of the transitional marriage.

• Main Author: Tan, Jasmine Gek Ting.
• Other Authors: Michael Thaddeus Tan Koon Boon
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: DRNTU::Visual arts and music::Design
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/45218
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Marriage today sits in between two extremes—traditional marriage and egalitarian marriage. Traditionally, men and women are encouraged to behave according to established masculine and feminine roles, and take up breadwinner and homemaker duties respectively. The egalitarian marriage, however, has empowered her to pursue a career with her husband taking up equal household responsibilities. With women’s education, females are open to equalizing gender—but men have fallen behind in the pursuit of gender equality in marriage. Here, the Transitional Marriage comes into existence: the faster-changing woman, married to the slower-changing man. He keeps his position as the breadwinner; she juggles her place in the workforce with her society-entrusted role as the housewife, housekeeper, and nurturer of child. She falls victim to ‘housewife syndrome’: the cranky, dissatisfied wife. The White Elephant of the Transitional Marriage personifies the issues that gender roles play in marriages—and our refusal to acknowledge its presence when dealing with marital problems.