For Better and Worse: what history can teach us about modern day marriage
In her new book, For Better and Worse, historian Stephanie Coontz digs into thousands of years of marital history to help explain how the tradition has evolved.
Today, a little less than half of all households are headed by married couples. That’s a dramatic drop from 1949, when the marriage rate was nearly 80%.
Marriage trends are never static. They reflect economic, social, and cultural changes. They’re also shaped by history, mythology, and nostalgia: a longing for a time that never really was.
This week, our guest is historian Stephanie Coontz. For half a century, she has explored the evolution of marriage, gender roles, and family life. Her new book, For Better and Worse, digs into thousands of years of marital history to help explain today’s ambivalence about marriage and the ongoing fight over what the tradition really means.
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