Is "Married at First Sight" Bad for Marriage Equality?

“I do”. The magic words that commit two people to one another, until either death do them part or until a stage of irreconcilable differences.

The hit channel Nine television series Married at First Sight is in its fourth season of using scientific research to connect couples through genetics, psychological analysis and physical appearance.

Nearing a million viewers an episode—up 23.2 per cent of total viewers over its last season—Married at First Sight is a hit among the age brackets of 25 – 45 and 16 – 39 year-olds.

Given the big audience, is this television show a positive or negative for marriage equality?

Though Married at First Sight is purely an entertainment show, it does seem to downgrade marriage in a small way. Having two individuals who don’t know each other and have never met tie the knot seems unfair for same-sex couples who love each other very much yet are denied that same unity. This surely brings a bitter taste to marriage for the same-sex couples who just want to love and be loved as others can.

In a 2016 episode of the program, watched by hundreds of thousands Australia-wide, a same-sex couple was paired together for the experiment. (As same-sex marriage has not been legalised in Australia, the ceremony was held in New Zealand.)

Showing a same-sex couple on television probably raised a few eyebrows for the older viewers, given that 41 per cent of people aged over 55 agree that marriage should only be between a man and a woman and find this type of relationship unconventional. That’s compared to the 68 per cent of young people aged between 18 and 34 who disagree with that statement. The younger generations seem to be more accepting of people, no matter where they’re from or who they love. And interestingly, that’s the demographic watching Married at First Sight most of all.

I believe having this display on television as a statement was a positive step in the right direction to legalising marriage equality, even though Channel Nine has come under fire from unhappy viewers within the LGBTQI community, claiming same-sex marriage was just being used as a novelty on television.

Perhaps it was disappointing when the professionals on the show didn’t quite perfect their research and the same-sex couple broke off the relationship (on their honeymoon). Still, regardless of Nine's intentions, I believe it was worth broadcasting a same-sex marriage; to open people up to the idea of it and push people into communicating about it.

Married at First Sight is a bit of a double whammy: a positive step for marriage equality but also a dampener on the meaning of marriage, making it more about entertainment and less about loving the person you choose to unite with.

Jess Pabian is one of Student Edge’s student contributors. See more student contributions here.

Photo: Facebook (Married at First Sight Australia)