If You're Curious About These Questions...
You should listen to this audiobook
- Did you know that for thousands of years, marrying for love was actually considered a dangerous threat to the stability of society?
- Have you ever wondered why the "traditional" 1950s marriage model was actually a radical departure from centuries of human history?
- Are you curious about how the very thing that made modern marriage more fulfilling also made it more fragile than ever before?
Listen to Marriage, a History — Free Audiobook
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Key Takeaways from Marriage, a History
- Uncover the surprising truth about the 'traditional' family and realize that marrying for romantic love is actually a relatively recent development in human history.
- Discover why our hunter-gatherer ancestors originally invented marriage as a diplomatic tool to establish kinship and weave peace between potentially hostile bands.
- Learn how ancient and medieval societies used the institution of marriage primarily to expand economic trade networks and secure political alliances.
- Understand how the Enlightenment's ideals of self-determination and the financial independence brought by wage labor finally freed young people from arranged marriages.
- Find out why the Victorian era transformed marriage into an institution of profound emotional fulfillment while simultaneously plaguing it with widespread sexual repression.
Marriage, a History — Full Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: Recommendation
Chapter 2: Marriage first served to create kinship ties.
Chapter 3: Marriage became vital for expanding economic and political power.
Chapter 4: The Enlightenment and wage labor turned love into marriage’s central purpose.
Chapter 5: In the Victorian age, marriage promised emotional fulfillment but caused sexual frustration.
Chapter 6: After World War II, the male breadwinner model of marriage enjoyed its Golden Age.
Chapter 7: In the 1970s, greater lifestyle freedom led to a crisis in marriage.
Chapter 8: Although contemporary marriage is evolving quickly, it is far from doomed.
Marriage, a History Summary & Overview
Marriage, a History (2005) covers the history of the institution of marriage, from its genesis in the Stone Age to its recent crisis.
Who Should Listen to Marriage, a History?
- People interested in social history and women’s studies
- Couples considering marriage
- Proponents of “traditional” marriage
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