Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage

3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 · rating details · 856 ratings · 154 reviews

Marriage has never been more fragile. But the same things that have made it so have also made a good marriage more fulfilling than ever before. In this enlightening and hugely entertaining book, historian and marriage expert Stephanie Coontz takes readers from the marital intrigues of ancient Babylon to the sexual torments of Victorian couples to demonstrate how recent the...more

Hardcover, 448 pages

Published May 19th 2005 by Viking Adult

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Microhistories -- Sweeping Social Histories Of Just One Thing

97th out of 568 books — 840 voters

A History of Private Life by Philippe Ariès

Social History Books - All About People & Society

133rd out of 266 books — 70 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Aug 12, 2007 ian rated it 2 of 5 stars

Reminds me of just how culturally marginal intellectuals are in general--not just queer ones. The traits that probably make this book accessible and engaging for a mass audience drive me wild on a scholarly level. I want citations!! And really, I'm not solicited by the cuteness of chapter titles like "Soap Operas of the Ancient World."

I suppose the first two sections, which offer a sort of cross-cultural & historical context for white bourgeois Western marriage norms, are well-intentioned....more

13 likes · like · see review

Aug 10, 2011 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, social-history, gender

And to think I could have taken a course with Stephanie Coontz back in the day when I was a student at The Evergreen State College... Alas, I was not interested in the history of the family then.

Now as a Lit prof., how I wish I had. Teaching works like 'Trifles,' 'A Doll House,' 'The Yellow Wallpaper,' stories by Kate Chopin and others which center on marriage, I find myself constantly trying to correct students' notions of marriage in history. Many of them really do believe that marriage as we...more And to think I could have taken a course with Stephanie Coontz back in the day when I was a student at The Evergreen State College... Alas, I was not interested in the history of the family then.

Now as a Lit prof., how I wish I had. Teaching works like 'Trifles,' 'A Doll House,' 'The Yellow Wallpaper,' stories by Kate Chopin and others which center on marriage, I find myself constantly trying to correct students' notions of marriage in history. Many of them really do believe that marriage as we know it--based on love, like interests and monogamy--is how it's been throughout history.

It's nice to find a concise history of marriage in the Western world I can refer to...for myself and my students. On a personal note, I find marriage--the idea of and desire for--increasingly mysterious...but then, I'd made a bad match and my son is 18 now and out of the house...

The book is fascinating for its exposure of gender roles and the changing notions of women. For instance:

"Throughout the Middle Ages women had been considered the lusty sex, more prey to their passions than men. Even when idealization of female chastity began to mount in the eighteenth century, two recent historians of sexuality say, few of its popularizers assumed that women totally lacked sexual desire. Virtue was thought to 'be attained through self-control; it was not necessarily innate or biologically determined.' (end note: 43)
"The beginning of the nineteenth century, however, saw a new emphasis on women's innate sexual purity. The older view that women had to be controlled because they were inherently more passionate and prone to moral and sexual error was replaced by the idea that women were asexual beings, who would not respond to sexual overtones unless they had been drugged or depraved from an early age. This cult of female purity encouraged women to internalize limits on their sexual behavior that sixteenth and seventeenth authorities had imposed by force." (159)

No wonder I've long been fascinated by The Middle Ages...

(less)

11 likes · like · see review

Apr 11, 2008 kareem rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

a good overview of the history of marriage. it reassured me that the norms and ideals we take for granted right will change, so it's ok to think different :). and policy decisions and social systems (which always lag behind the times) are still based on 1950s notions of love and marriage.

my notes from the book:
http://knotes.tumblr.com/post/31522713

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 16, 2010 AB marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: author-f, nonfiction

Not a hint or anything, dudes; just an interest.

4 likes · like · see review

Aug 11, 2008 Kay rated it 4 of 5 stars

Stephanie Coontz does an excellent job of explaining that all the stereotypes about marriage today are largely the products of long and gradual social and economic factors over time. Now, instead of arguing about marriage in a bar based on my instincts, I have Coontz's data to back me up.

Although the book is largely history, some of the most interesting stuff comes at the end, when she demonstrates with data that a lot of stereotypes about highly educated women either never get married or experi...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 05, 2007 thefourthvine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, history

This is a fascinating, compelling, well-written, and lucid history of marriage. It's the fun kind of history book - the kind with enough anecdotes to make the individual pages fun and enough meat to give your brain something to chew. (Eeek, that metaphor needs to be put out of its misery. I promise I won't do that again this review.)

This book is a must-read for everyone who is concerned with the current status of marriage - the divorce rate, gay marriage, traditional family values, whatever. An...more

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 22, 2007 Inder rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history, politics, women

I was actually reading this book when my husband and I decided to run off and elope. Which is funny, because the history of marriage is something your average modern woman wants nothing to do with!

But what is so great about this book is the way that it contextualizes our current obsession with a 1950s marriage and "family values" in a much larger history. Turns out (surprise surprise) that marriage meant something very different in Medieval times, and something very different again in the 18th C...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 01, 2009 Daniel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: general-nonfiction

Well, I learned from this book that the conception of marriage that my generation has inherited is mostly from the 1950's. (yes, to be fair I should say it's my conception of marriage, but I really don't think I'm alone in holding it.) I was quite surprised by the number of features of marriage I thought to be old-fashioned which were from a recent high-water mark of the male-breadwinner love-choice marriage. I am reading up on marriage these days to understand our cultural background for the ga...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 14, 2013 Daniel Ronan rated it 3 of 5 stars

A little dense at times. Overall pretty good. Not a criticism of the author, but more of anthropologist in general: they say that marriage is a human universal, and that in every culture in every time on every place all over the world there has been marriage. But then when they define marriage it means practically any human relationship in which sex may or may not be involved. If you take the definition of marriage today, which is roughly "a government and religious institution in which two coha...more

like · see review

Feb 29, 2012 Sheri rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a fabulous book, especially with the ongoing discussions about gay marriage, the decline in frequency of heterosexual marriage, the increase in childbearing by unmarried women, and the stratification of marriage by class (i.e., well-educated, wealthier people getting married; less well-education, poor people remaining single). This is a history of the last 3000 years of "marriage," and it's well researched and supported by an amazing array of sources. If you want to understand the role of m...more

like · see review

Jan 21, 2012 Abbey rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you don't have time to read this amazing academic history of marriage, here is the Cliffnotes version:

"traditional marriage" lol

Her treatment of Victorian-era sexuality and marriage was absolutely riveting. You can skip ahead to that part, I won't judge you.

My only complaint (and it's a small, nitpicky polypoint) is that while she presents a lot of disparate pieces of information about monogamy, multiple marriages, as well as more fluid arrangements, she neglects to weave them together to...more

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 07, 2011 Jessica rated it 2 of 5 stars

I heard about this book during wedding planning (and I think it was mentioned in a few books that I read during that time) so I was really excited to read this.

The beginning of the book was really interesting, I thought. It was a neat glimpse into what marriage used to mean, and I always like hearing about life in the middle ages. The second half of the book was just... boring. Once she got past, oh, the Industrial Revolution, I was just bored. Probably because I have far more knowledge on life...more

like · see review

Jan 22, 2011 Jamila rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-for-school

This is one of my favorite books on the history of marriage, though it's not without its flaws. Coontz does an excellent job of taking a wide range of scholarly work and summing it up for a public audience. Through a discussion of marriage dating back to the ancient times, Coontz demonstrates that our current conception of marriage-for-love is a recent invention. Rather, marriage for the majority of history was an institution that was entered into for practical and pragmatic reasons, an institut...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 11, 2011 Alechia rated it 3 of 5 stars

As a history book, this is pretty decent, although the title should really be "A History of Marriage in the Western World," since she mostly focuses on marriage in Europe and America. I read the whole book, which wasn't the easiest thing to do, since it is a history book and I was compelled to take notes on everything. Throughout the book, Coontz kept mentioning how marriage was hard in the modern world, and I kept waiting for some practical advice about this. When it finally came, I was infuria...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 06, 2010 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"A marriage that survives and thrives in today's climate of choice is likely to be far more satisfying, fair, and effective for the partners and their children than in the past."

Written in response to reporters and academics proclaiming the death of marriage, Coontz's book details the history of marriage and the economic, social and political forces that have transformed it into what it is today. Yes, marriages may have lasted longer in the past, but divorce was always present in some form or a...more

like · see review

Jan 02, 2010 Jonathan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, nonfiction

This book is remarkable not for its lucidity, but for being such an easy read while synthesizing information spanning from Ancient Athens, through the Middle Ages, to the present. Coontz chronicles the transformation of marriage from a basic tool of diplomacy (for the wealthy) and home economics (for the masses), where people’s allegiance was to their parents and siblings first, to a love match expected to offer emotional fulfillment in which the partners were devoted first to their spouse and c...more

like · see review

Jun 03, 2011 Tanya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, general-non-fiction, ebooks

In general I have a very conservative opinion on marriage, and though this well-researched and convincingly written book enlarged my perspective, it did not change my view that "traditional" marriage is the ideal. I don't know that Coontz so much intended to dismiss that view, as to help readers realize that my traditional ideal is not "how it's always been," and certainly isn't how it always will be.

The bulk of the book traces the gradual change in marriage, from its long existence as the econo...more In general I have a very conservative opinion on marriage, and though this well-researched and convincingly written book enlarged my perspective, it did not change my view that "traditional" marriage is the ideal. I don't know that Coontz so much intended to dismiss that view, as to help readers realize that my traditional ideal is not "how it's always been," and certainly isn't how it always will be.

The bulk of the book traces the gradual change in marriage, from its long existence as the economic unit of society (where the wife assisted the husband in whatever his trade was, from farming to shopkeeping to managing a noble estate) to being primarily an emotional and psychological haven from the world. Coontz makes it very clear that until the 18th century "love" was not a reason for marriage. In the non-industrialized world it was impossible for one person to do all the tasks necessary to feed, shelter, and clothe himself, let alone children. Finding a spouse was more like forming a business partnership - you chose someone who was best equipped to help run your personal business and brought connections (particularly in-laws) that would help you. It wasn't until industrialization that living standards were raised to the point where people had the luxury of choosing a partner based on emotional attachment.

This trend reached its apex in the 1950's, when the "Father Knows Best" stereotype had its heydey. Earning power had reached the point that a large segment of the population could live on one income, and gender roles became more defined than ever with professional (male) and domestic (female) spheres separating completely. Many psychologists believed this new "traditional" form of marriage would spread throughout the world and last indefinitely. However, a mere decade later the "perfected" institution began to unravel. At the root of the problem is that a marriage based on emotional attachment is put in jeopardy when emotions wane. If the only reason to get together is to find personal satisfaction, why stay together if that satisfaction evaporates? Through the '50's and '60's the collapse of traditional marriage was delayed, however, by the simple fact that women were still so economically dependent upon men. By the 1980's when real wages for female workers were relatively comparable to their male coworkers', many women saw going it alone as a realistic option. This also increased the value placed on the female gender in general, which has improved satisfaction in marriage for both men and women. Coontz elaborates on other factors that affected marriage through the decades that I won't go into here, but are very worth learning about.

She also discusses the fact that modern people no longer see traditional marriage as the only way to structure life. Many opt for cohabitation, same-sex relationships, single-parent homes, and even permanent solitary living. In today's world all these are workable, and in the author's mind are perfectly acceptable. However, she (somewhat grudgingly, I thought, and almost between the lines) admits that the ideal situation is an equal marriage between a man and a woman. For those husbands and wives who can make it work, marriage in today's world can be the best it has ever been. Thus in the end I can more-or-less agree with nearly everything Coontz says in Marriage, a History and still be an advocate for "The Proclamation on the Family" that my church holds dear. Though I had a few questions along the way, I'm glad to have read this book.

(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 19, 2010 Anjali rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was an interesting look at the history of marriage from the beginnings of hunter-gatherer societies (bands) to Greco-Roman times to medieval and Enlightenment era concepts of marriage to "modern" marriage of today. It was fascinating, as the author said, that the 1950's model of love marriage based on the male/breadwinner, female/homemaker family model was a relatively recent invention, having only a 150 year development behind it. Prior to that, marriage was often based on politics, consol...more

like · see review

Jul 02, 2011 kingshearte rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, non-fiction

This was a really interesting book. One of the biggest things I learned from it was that the "traditional marriage" propaganda machine has to be one of the most successful ever, because although I certainly didn't buy into the notion that things had to stay that way just because they'd always been that way, I nonetheless did pretty much accept that it had more or less always been that way. But it really hasn't. The people who have been freaking out over how drastically marriage has changed from...more This was a really interesting book. One of the biggest things I learned from it was that the "traditional marriage" propaganda machine has to be one of the most successful ever, because although I certainly didn't buy into the notion that things had to stay that way just because they'd always been that way, I nonetheless did pretty much accept that it had more or less always been that way. But it really hasn't. The people who have been freaking out over how drastically marriage has changed from the "traditional" days of the 50s really need to become aware that that model really only existed for a few decades, and that marriage before that was just as vastly different and ever changing.

It provided a lot of food for thought, too. When I got married four years ago, I had concerns. Not because I wasn't sure I was right or anything, but because when you look around at all the other couples who presumably also thought they'd made the right choice, but end up divorced anyway, it's hard to find the confidence that you're right while they were all wrong. And sometimes I still think about that, and although things are good, it's only been four years, and there's still a lot of future ahead of us, and who knows what that will bring. In a way, this book simultaneously made me feel like divorce is more likely but also less horrifying. I'm not sure if that's good or not, but it does bring up a point made in this book: we expect so much of our marriages now, that it's kind of no wonder so many of them fail to live up to that. It's like marriage's evolution has consisted almost solely of adding expectations to it without taking any away. Initially, it was supposed to provide children and cooperation for various survival purposes. Then it was supposed to provide those things and last forever. Then it was supposed to be all that, plus your only sexual outlet (at least if you were a woman). Then you were supposed to love your partner on top of all that. These days, in addition to all that stuff, your partner is supposed to provide for pretty much all your emotional needs. It just doesn't seem that surprising that there's starting to be some trade-off. In some cases, people choose to pursue sexual avenues outside the prime relationship (either with permission or without). In other cases, it's that forever thing that goes by the wayside. And maybe that's not such a terrible thing. I can't quite go so far as to say it's desirable or anything, but I don't think it spells doom or anything. And if we're moving toward a more casual model of partnerships, well, it's been that way before. Why not again?

As for gay marriage, well, if you know me, you probably know that my stance on that is quite adamantly pro. And given the current state of marriage, I truly find it unfathomable that people disagree. I really do. These days, the only thing you really need opposite genders for is having babies, and if childlessness as a choice is becoming more and more accepted (and I can vouch that it is, at least among the people I encounter), then the ability to produce a child without outside assistance should not be a relevant factor in who can marry. I could go on, but suffice it to say that I have yet to hear a compelling argument against it that does anything to convince me.

Anyway, at the end of the day, this book could be a touch repetitive in some descriptions of marriage and its purposes, but was ultimately quite fascinating. I'd recommend it if you're interested in the subject matter.

One comment from other reviews, that is worth noting: this is a history of Western, especially white, marriage. It does not delve into other cultures' current marriage practices, so don't expect it to.(less)

like · see review

Jan 11, 2012 Gail Fligstein rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fascinating to contemplate how much the social construct of marriage has changed over the centuries. For one thing, the concept of marriage as a romantic vision is relatively recent; for most of history, marriage has been purely economic. Since the monumental social changes of the sixties and seventies, marriage is no longer the only way to get our needs met. Birth control has given women the choice of when and how many children to have. The expansion of women's work has given women the possibil...more

like · see review

May 10, 2009 Shannon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Obviously, examining the history of Western marriage for the last five thousand years is quite an undertaking. Thanks to my love of Women's Studies and being a happily married woman, I began the book with a plethora of facts and personal experiences that made it an even more captivating read. I engaged in a lot of banter with my husband over it. For example, Coontz mentions how medieval Muslim and Christian thinkers asserted that too much intimacy between a husband and wife weakened a believer's...more

like · see review

Oct 29, 2010 Jenne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, feminism

I had a couple of major realizations reading this book. Marriage is getting better for women, and in extension life. The dissolution of marriage that is a reality in our society has positive outcomes granting men and women greater freedom, autonomy and personhood than earlier centuries. Because of the advantages I wouldn't go back and chose "traditional" marriage or what people think they are referring to when they say marriage should go back to the way it used it be. Its never been good, or bet...more

like · see review

Feb 05, 2009 Bookmarks Magazine added it

This year the protean state of marriage is all about love. Really__even if the institution itself wields less power over individuals now than it ever has before. Critics agree that Marriage is an engrossing read. Coontz's impressive research, well-supported details, and brisk pace provide a wealth of information and ideas (ladies, being blonde or dumb is not the secret to success). Yet, it has some flaws. Each chapter in this general survey could have been its own tome. Although Coontz embraces

...more

like · see review

Aug 16, 2012 Charlotte Sanders rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a really, really interesting book. The writing isn't awesome, but isn't bad by the standards of contemporary popular nonfiction. The author surveys Western history--mainly the history of Whites living in Western Europe and North America--through the lens of marriage and the family, and gets a fascinating perspective. I have an entirely new understanding of, and empathy for, the quotidian human experience of these various historical eras. Who would ever have thought I could empathize with...more

like · see review

May 01, 2009 Olga rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who has any interest or investment in marriage

Shelves: nonfiction

This book reads very well, and as you read it, the history of marriage from the ancient times till today unfolds in front of your eyes and shows very unexpected patterns in its fabric.

While we still know very little about the causes of these various changes in marriage and can only speculate on what they are (especially the reasons marriage appeared in the first place), there's enough facts in this volume to deal with the changes that did happen.

I always was intrigued by the church marriage and...more

like · see review

Jan 01, 2012 Elisabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

Marriage broadened my thinking about why people choose marriage now vs. why they did in the past and the ways in which life after the ceremony was different in the past. It was enlightening to learn the many ways in which marriage was not perfect in the "good old days" despite the claims we often hear in the media. It made me consider in a new light why I chose to get married and why I choose to stay married. Marriage is such a personal thing, but we are influenced social forces, many of which I...more

like · see review

Jun 01, 2012 Larry rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is about the evolution over time of the institution of marriage in Western Civilization and is a valuable text for a society considering the implications of gay marriage. It demonstrates that marriage has changed radically over time and even in my own lifetime. While it is not about gay marriage, the book does demonstrate that heterosexual marriage does not mean the same thing that it meant even forty years ago.

Coontz is a bit wordy in making her point and sometimes I just skipped ove...more

like · see review

Aug 31, 2011 Christy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Christy by: A Practical Wedding Blog

A fascinating look at the evolution of marriage as an institution and the economic, political and social role it has played from ancient times to today. In particular I enjoyed reading about how the emergence of women's rights at various times in history (1790s, 1920s, 1970s) helped to shape the institution. Provides food for thought for both men and women, married and unmarried.

I read this after reading Elizabeth Gilbert's "Committed" and think the two (one personal memoir with some pop anthro...more

like · see review

Jul 07, 2009 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

It started out with the beginnings of the history of marriage, and since I'm a history nerd, I loved it. She talked about how in the beginning people married to gain connections, mainly by the way of in-laws. This purpose remained number one for a long time. During this time period, men and women did have different roles, but both were responsible for contributing to the household for food and care. Since the book covers a lot of history in the West, I won't go into detail about all the changes...more It started out with the beginnings of the history of marriage, and since I'm a history nerd, I loved it. She talked about how in the beginning people married to gain connections, mainly by the way of in-laws. This purpose remained number one for a long time. During this time period, men and women did have different roles, but both were responsible for contributing to the household for food and care. Since the book covers a lot of history in the West, I won't go into detail about all the changes which have taken place over time. But she basically explains how marriage started as something that was necessary in order to keep society together and was not related to love. As Europe and the U.S. became more industrial, women gained more power, and therefore had more options. Thus, a loving marriage become more of a goal as women gained greater independence, though marriages were still based on society's rules and acceptance. Coontz posits that in the past 30 years, marriage has changed more than it did in hundreds of years before. Marriage is no longer a sure thing in people's life or in signaling entrance into adulthood. Because both sexes have options for economic independence, sexuality, and acceptance outside of marriage, it is no longer a given. People have become less and less likely to stay in a marriage that is not satisfying. Though many family values advocates decry this as ruinous for society, Coontz takes a very pragmatic approach, that we can't turn back time and that changes are here to stay. She also talks about the many positives of the love-based marriage and its capacity for great closeness.

One of the most positive things Coontz talks about is how most dating and marriage advice is out of date, because society is changing faster than can keep up. So all of those ideas about how the man must chase the woman, and what each is looking for in a partner are not necessarily up to date. We still have many people willing to tell us advice based on old assumptions, though a lot more relationships are more equitable than this.

A very fascinating book.(less)

like · see review

Jun 24, 2012 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars

It's easy to forget how greatly our expectations of marriage have changed in just the past 50 years, let alone the past 200. What began as the way to most efficiently staff and manage a farm has been taken over by considerations of passion, "compatibility," and social status. I think we're obviously better off now that we can marry for love, but the current concept of an ideal marriage usually leads to discontent when the unromantic aspects of marriage come into phase. The advice I'd give to som...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (5)

More editions...

Genres

Non Fiction

130 users

History

113 users

Sociology

29 users

Feminism

23 users

Marriage

20 users

Gender

10 users

Gender > Gender Studies

9 users

Social Science

8 users

History > Microhistory

7 users

Relationships

7 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Stephanie Coontz

Stephanie Coontz teaches history and family studies at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, and is Director of Research and Public Education for the Council on Contemporary Families, which she chaired from 2001-04. Coontz is the author of "A Strange Stirring": The Feminine Mystique and the Wives of "The Greatest Generation" (Basic Books, forthcoming 2010) and the award-winning Marri...more

More about Stephanie Coontz...

Books by Stephanie Coontz

The Way We Never Were: American Families & the Nostalgia Trap

A Strange Stirring: The Feminine Mystique & American Women at the Dawn of the 1960s

The Way We Really Are: Coming to Terms with America's Changing Families

American Families: A Multicultural Reader

The Social Origins of Private Life: A History of American Families 1600-1900 (Haymarket)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Marriage, a Histo...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Marriage, a History: H...

“College graduates and women with higher earnings are now more likely to marry than women with less education and lower wages, although they generally marry at an older age. The legal profession is one big exception to this generalization. Female attorneys are less likely to ever marry, to have children, or to remarry after divorce than women in other professions. But an even higher proportion of male attorneys are childless, suggesting there might be something about this career that is unfriendly to everyone’s family life, not just women’s.” — 2 people liked it

“Like it or not, today we are all pioneers, picking our way through uncharted and unstable territory. The old rules are no longer reliable guides to work out modern gender roles and build a secure foundation for marriage. Wherever it is that people want to end up in their family relations today, even if they are totally committed to creating a so-called traditional marrige, they have to get there by a different route from the past.” — 1 person liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage
avg rating	preview: Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage Goodreads rating: 3.93 (856 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270008.Marriage_a_History?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309210694l/270008.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270008.Marriage_a_History?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage by Stephanie Coontz[/url]

Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website