This research sought to examine changing meaning of marriage and meaning of family among urban working class residing in East London and how their perceptions of marriage have shifted from the orthodox norms. This study was conducted in Amalinda, which is one of the East London suburbs. Interviews were conducted with male and female informants. It is acknowledged in this study that marriage has traditionally been regarded as imperative in both African and Western cultures. However, there have been some drastic changes in the marriage institution in the twenty-first century. This study found out that people have shifted from the orthodox practices of marriage. The traditional culture has been influenced by various factors such as education, globalisation, and urbanisation. Furthermore, there has been a rise in the number of people who cohabit, increase in the age of first marriage, premarital childbearing and there has been a decline in the number of polygamous marriages and arranged marriages and a number of people have no problem with same-sex marriages. Furthermore, financial implications and financial securities play are influences on why some people choose or not choose to marry.

The purpose of the study was to identify causes and consequences of early marriages in Lusikisiki. The population of this study is a convenience sample from Lusikisiki. The researcher thought that this was appropriate because these subjects would be sharing their personal experiences in the form of case studies. The ages of subjects that were interviewed were 40 years & 47 years old (both married early) and those that married late were both 50 years old. The idea that guided the study was an exploratory one aimed at understanding the phenomenon of early marriage. The aim was to explore the following ideas: Young girls are being given into marriage at their early age by their parents because of the bride price (ilobola)Women that are given into marriage early feel victimized by this process early marriage disrupts the school pattern of young girls Men are the main beneficiaries of early marriage.