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The State of Marriage and the Family in America Today
Knopf
April 2009
On Sale: April 14, 2009
288 pages
ISBN: 0307266893
EAN: 9780307266897
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
From one of the nation’s leading experts on the American
family, a book that explores the state of marriage in
America today; its evolution culturally; and with regard to
religion and the law, how and why the present state of
marriage—a merry-go-round of partnerships—developed, and the
implications for parents and children. During Andrew J. Cherlin’s three decades of study and
analysis of family life, he came to see that marriage in the
United States was different than in other Western
countries—Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New
Zealand—in a way that no one was writing about. He realized
that marriage in America, unlike in other countries in the
world, was seen as a cultural idael, and the U.S. government
was spending money to promote its continuation. The
institution of marriage had become a social and political
battlefield. Cherlin writes that Americans marry more repeatedly and have
more live-in partners; that marriage and remarriage,
frequent divorce, and short-term cohabiting relationships
have resulted in a core upheaval in American family life;
and that American children have been left to cope with the
frequent and disruptive comings and goings of parents. He writes that Americans have come to embrace two
contradictory models of personal and family life: marriage,
a formal commitment to share one’s life with another; and
individualism, which emphasizes personal growth and
development. The former promotes a lasting relationship; the
latter encourages one to move on. Each model is culturally
reinforced by two basic, powerful institutions: religion and
law. Cherlin writes about the inconsistency of American religion
and law with regard to family life. He argues that
contemporary religion, although supportive of marriage,
embraces the quest for self-development. And he makes clear
that family law, which used to be centered on marriage, is
today focused on the individual and his or her obligations
to children. He discusses the movement and civil struggle for same-sex
marriage in America as opposed to in many European
countries, where marriage is seen by gay couples as an
oppressive heterosexual institution. A fascinating book that illuminates the shifting nature of
America’s oldest and most cherished social institution, the
subject of intense and ever-increasing national debate.
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