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?
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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.
Learning Tools
Reinforce what you learned from Marriage, a History
Mind Map
Marriage, a History
Pre-Modern Purposes
Kinship & Peace
Economic Power
Political Alliances
Views on Love
The Shift to Love
Enlightenment Ideals
Wage Labor
Victorian Era
The 1950s Golden Age
Marriage Boom
The Breadwinner Myth
The 1970s Crisis
Rising Divorce Rates
Female Independence
Modern Marriage
Evolving Norms
Enduring Value
Quiz — Test Your Understanding
Question 1 of 7
Why did our hunter-gatherer ancestors originally invent the institution of marriage?
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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