A shotgun wedding is a forced marriage when a woman becomes pregnant out of wedlock. The father is forced to marry her to ensure financial stability for the woman and child. The term originated from the use of firearms in the past, but it is now used as a metaphor for situations forced upon someone. Repaired marriages have become less frequent due to changing social norms, government aid, and more options such as birth control and abortion.
A shotgun wedding is an informal phrase coined in America that commonly refers to a forced marriage when a woman becomes pregnant out of wedlock. The child’s father is forced to marry her, so she will not give birth without the benefit of a husband. Marriage is generally intended to ensure the financial stability of the woman and child.
No firearms are normally involved in a shotgun wedding, which is also commonly referred to as a shotgun wedding. The shotgun reference is thought to have begun in the 1700s or 1800s when the fathers and brothers of the pregnant woman allegedly used firearms to force the suspected father into marrying her. It is said that distraught and angry men often followed the man down the aisle with guns pointed at him to ensure his compliance.
Not only were shotgun weddings thought to punish the male involved for his improper behavior, but they were considered necessary to provide the child with two parents. It was once considered an appropriate way to prevent so-called illegitimate children. Many times, the mother hid her pregnancy to avoid being ostracized.
As social norms have changed, repaired marriages have become less frequent. Not only has the common practice of solving gun problems generally fallen out of favor, but financial support in the form of government aid has become available to single mothers. Birth control and abortion also provided more options. Single motherhood has become quite accepted and single mothers have become commonplace.
Although repaired marriages were called such primarily in America, other countries have picked up on the phrase and concept. The Japanese term dekichatta kekkon is slang for a marriage dictated by accidental pregnancy, but it wasn’t introduced until the late 1990s. The loose translation of the phrase means “wedding already happened” or “oops wedding”.
Once a very serious act of retribution against a man with bad luck, poor judgment, or both, the term marriage repaired or marriage made repaired is often used in jest in movies or television shows. For example, the Japanese term for shotgun wedding was used as the name of a popular sitcom there, and the popular American television comedy show “The Office” referenced the practice.
In recent years the term has been used by the media to refer to a completely different scenario. If a situation or decision is forced upon someone with the threat of serious repercussions for non-compliance, the term is used as a metaphor. For example, you might hear: “He voted for the referendum, but based on his previous votes, it appears that he was the victim of a shotgun wedding.”
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