Marriage in a Culture of Divorce (Women in the Political Economy) [Hardcover]

Karla B. Hackstaff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 8, 1999 | Series: Women in the Political Economy

Today, when 50 percent of couples who marry eventually get divorced, it is clear that we have moved from a culture in which "marriage is forever" to one in which "marriage is contingent". Author Karla Hackstaff looks at intact marriages to examine the impact of new expectations in a culture of divorce. She examines the shifting meanings of divorce and gender for two generations of middle-class, married couples. Hackstaff finds that new social and economic conditions both support and undermine the efforts of spouses to redefine the meaning of marriage in a culture of divorce. The definitions of marriage, divorce and gender have changed for all, but more for the young than the old, and more for women than men. While some spouses in both generations believe that marriage is for life and that men should dominate in marriage, the younger generation of spouses increasingly construct marriage as contingent rather than forever. Hackstaff presents this evidence in archival case studies of couples married in the 1950s, which she then contrasts with her own case studies of people married during the 1970s, finding evidence of a significant shift in who does the emotional work of maintaining the relationship. It is primarily the woman in the '50s couples who "monitors" the marriage, whereas in the '70s couples both husband and wife support a "marital work ethic", including couples therapy in some cases. The words and actions of the couples Hackstaff follows in depth - the '50s Stones, Dominicks, Hamptons and McIntyres, and the '70s Turners, Clement-Leonettis, Greens, Kason-Morrises and Nakatos - reveal the changes and contradictory tendencies of married life in the US. There are traditional relationships characterized by male dominance, there are couples striving for gender equality, there are partners pulling together, and partners pulling apart. Those debating "family values" should not forget, Hackstaff contends, that there are costs associated with marriage culture as well as divorce culture, and they should view divorce as a transitional means for defining marriage in an egalitarian direction. She illustrates her controversial position, that although divorce has its cost to society, the divorce culture empowers wives and challenges the legacy of male dominance that previously set the conditions for marriage endurance.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In a sea of passionate literature that arouses fears about changing family values comes Hackstaff's studious exploration of marriage in the midst of a divorce culture. The author (sociology, Northern Arizona Univ.) contrasted archival case studies of couples married in the 1950s with her own case studies of people married during the 1970s to determine gender differences in the perception of roles and the marital unit itself between generations. Using these extensive studies and personal interviews, she reveals many changes and contradictions in married life in the United States. Her contention is that there are costs associated with a marriage culture as well as a divorce culture and that right now society is making a transition to general equality that is unsettling but may ultimately lead to healthier marital relationships. Hackstaff has done a scrupulous job of research and case presentation. This academic complement to Stephanie Coontz's The Way We Really Are: Coming to Terms with America's Changing Families (LJ 4/1/97) offers a more even-handed look at marriage and divorce than Barbara Dafoe Whitehead's The Divorce Culture (LJ 2/15/97). Recommended for academic and larger public libraries.ADeborah Bigelow, Leonia P.L., NJ
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"This book makes giant strides in our understanding of marriage in the modern day." -- Arlie Russell Hochschild, author of The Time Bind: When Work Becomes Home and Home Becomes Work

"This is a very important book. . . . Hackstaff has given us some brilliant insights into one of the most important social, psychological, and moral problems of our time." -- Eli Sagan, author of Freud, Women, and Morality: The Psychology of Good and Evil

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 292 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (December 8, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566397243
• ISBN-13: 978-1566397247
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,252,780 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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