The Abolition of Marriage (Hardcover)

by Maggie Gallagher (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A look at the critical condition of the institution of marriage in the U.S. and how the government has contributed to its decline.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: Regnery Publishing, Inc. (March 13, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895264641
• ISBN-13: 978-0895264640
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #225,972 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute "must read" for married couples -- 10+++, November 30, 1996

By A Customer

This book is a major eye-opener on too many issues to list. You won't think the same about marriage, divorce, and the long-term consequences of both. I've been married for 11 years, and have 3 kids. After I read this book, I've figured that, come hell or high water, my wife and I are sticking together forEVER. Far, far more at stake in marriage -- and divorce -- than most of us realize. This book is a profoundly disturbing -- and much-needed -- wakeup call about the consequences of divorce. And if you or someone you know has been thinking about getting divorced -- READ THIS FIRST. Cannot recommend this book too highly.

20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very realistic look at modern marriage, October 17, 2000

By	Antoinette Aubert (Santa Clara, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Gallagher has produced an intelligent, much needed treatise. Her hypothesis is that marriage no longer exists. With no fault divorce one person in a marriage can end it anytime they choose for any reason. The traditional social contract of mom at home and dad at work depended on the legal contract that bound dad to mom, forever. Without that legal contract the social contract was destroyed as well. A woman who stays at home with her children today is a walking a tight-rope without a net. Gallagher points out that many women choose career over home out of fear, not necessity or ambition. She defends traditional marriage not in romance novel terms, but in the very real impact family breakup has on children. Gallagher explains why marriages should be saved even when not blissful. The value of marriage lies in working through difficult times more than in idealized romantic illusions.

16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Insightful, March 27, 2002

By A Customer

This book challenges much of the conventional wisdom that US society has adopted since the beginning of the modern welfare state and the sexual revolution. Ms. Gallagher outlines many of the destructive results that these modern trends have brought to bear on marriages and families.

After reading the book, it is hard not to question the liberalism that has changed our society in the past 40 years.