What are your thoughts on the phrase "I now pronounce you Man and Wife"? Why wouldn't it be "Husband and Wife"?
by 
Penal Colony
ANSWERS: 20
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In both of my marriages, the phrase used in the ceremony was "I now pronounce you husband and wife"..
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Because we live in a male domminated world and it keeps women still in ther "place". I hate to say it that way but men still like their power...... some day us women will take it back and it will be "i now pronounce you "Woman and husband".....hahaha
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I think it's old-fashioned, and redundant. I mean, wasn't he pronounced male when he was born? When I got married I told the minister to use the "husband and wife" version. The "man and wife" version offends me, like I'm some kind of sidekick, and not an equal.
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Because a wife is no longer a human! She has become a servant! Or slave.
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Why wouldn't it be, "This contract is official...hope you read the fine print before signing"?
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I've heard it both ways, but I think "Man and Wife" dates back to a time when women were more subservient.
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Gives me the willies, like all things marriage related :) When I got married, we were pronounced husband and wife and that obey bit was non-existent as well.
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I think it comes from the days when women were chattel, like cows or sheep..it showed disdain for the role of woman..after all, "Man" is strong, independent and "husband" is the male counterpart of "wife", which puts the two on the same level. I have always objected to that and insisted the word "Husband" be used..my sister did the same! :)
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We didn't use a lot of the traditional terms when writing our vows. There was no 'obey' phrase used, and I also asked the officiant not to announce us as Mr. and Mrs.(husbands full name here).
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It doesn't bother me.I couldn't even tell you if it was in my marriage vows or not.Lol!
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it's changed now....haven't you been to a wedding lately? It's husband and wife
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Better then pronouncing you................dead.
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I don't have a problem with it.
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Husband and wife would be the more correct term. He was pronounced a man the day he was born!
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It does not matter as long as they are married they really don't care.
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If it takes a marriage for a man to finally become a "man" it is pretty sad.
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lol...you really wanna know? In the days when this phrase came to be....by marrying, the woman became his PROPERTY. He owned her....literally. so, it is a man and his wife. like a boy and his dog.
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It's a leftover from the days when a woman's legal status and property rights were dependent upon her married state. A man's legal status and property rights were just a given, based entirely on his having been born male. Pathetic, isn't it?
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I'll write my own vows. It will be I now pronounce you married. No "until death do you part, for better or worse." They'll be like, "as long you both want to be together. If either one of you gets sick of the other, you're free to go. I know pronounce you married for as long as you can stand each other."
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You know I never thought about that, but you are correct.
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