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  • Racial Justice
    • America Appears to be Heading for a Religious Civil War
      America Appears to be Heading for a Religious Civil War
    • Holocaust Humor and The ‘Real’ Germany — As Top Officials Shatter Post-WWII Taboos, German Conservatives Follow GOP Playbook and Charge Ahead
      Holocaust Humor and The ‘Real’ Germany — As Top Officials Shatter Post-WWII Taboos, German Conservatives Follow GOP Playbook and Charge Ahead
    • From Civil Rights Liberals to New Age Conspiracy Theorists — What Betty and Barney Hill’s Alien Abduction Story Reveals About America
      From Civil Rights Liberals to New Age Conspiracy Theorists — What Betty and Barney Hill’s Alien Abduction Story Reveals About America
  • Politics/Law
    • America Appears to be Heading for a Religious Civil War
      America Appears to be Heading for a Religious Civil War
    • Holocaust Humor and The ‘Real’ Germany — As Top Officials Shatter Post-WWII Taboos, German Conservatives Follow GOP Playbook and Charge Ahead
      Holocaust Humor and The ‘Real’ Germany — As Top Officials Shatter Post-WWII Taboos, German Conservatives Follow GOP Playbook and Charge Ahead
    • ‘Sit Down and Be Quiet’ — MAGA Attack on Jewish Republican Exposes Christian Nationalism’s Shaky Commitment to Pluralism
      ‘Sit Down and Be Quiet’ — MAGA Attack on Jewish Republican Exposes Christian Nationalism’s Shaky Commitment to Pluralism
  • Sex/Gender/Justice
    • ‘Sit Down and Be Quiet’ — MAGA Attack on Jewish Republican Exposes Christian Nationalism’s Shaky Commitment to Pluralism
      ‘Sit Down and Be Quiet’ — MAGA Attack on Jewish Republican Exposes Christian Nationalism’s Shaky Commitment to Pluralism
    • Following Republican Playbook, German Conservatism Breaks <em>the</em> Post-WWII Taboo
      Following Republican Playbook, German Conservatism Breaks the Post-WWII Taboo
    • Contrary to Claims of Anti-Trans Muslims, LGBTQ+ Acceptance is Widespread in the History of Islam
      Contrary to Claims of Anti-Trans Muslims, LGBTQ+ Acceptance is Widespread in the History of Islam
  • Christian Nationalism
    • America Appears to be Heading for a Religious Civil War
      America Appears to be Heading for a Religious Civil War
    • ‘Sit Down and Be Quiet’ — MAGA Attack on Jewish Republican Exposes Christian Nationalism’s Shaky Commitment to Pluralism
      ‘Sit Down and Be Quiet’ — MAGA Attack on Jewish Republican Exposes Christian Nationalism’s Shaky Commitment to Pluralism
    • Overnight Sensation ‘The Rich Men North of Richmond’ isn’t Just a Window into a Forgotten America — It’s an Invitation into a Worldview
      Overnight Sensation ‘The Rich Men North of Richmond’ isn’t Just a Window into a Forgotten America — It’s an Invitation into a Worldview
  • Books
    • From Civil Rights Liberals to New Age Conspiracy Theorists — What Betty and Barney Hill’s Alien Abduction Story Reveals About America
      From Civil Rights Liberals to New Age Conspiracy Theorists — What Betty and Barney Hill’s Alien Abduction Story Reveals About America
    • Russell Moore Claims There’s a Crisis in Evangelical America — But White Evangelicalism is Exactly Where it Wants to Be
      Russell Moore Claims There’s a Crisis in Evangelical America — But White Evangelicalism is Exactly Where it Wants to Be
    • Is ‘Beyond Doubt’ Correct About the Decline of Religion? Yes… Sort Of.
      Is ‘Beyond Doubt’ Correct About the Decline of Religion? Yes… Sort Of.

Stephanie Coontz

Stephanie Coontz teaches History and Family Studies at The Evergreen State College, in Olympia, Washington and serves as Director of Research and Public Education of the Council on Contemporary Families. Her books include Marriage, A History: How Love Conquered Marriage, American Families: A Multicultural Readers, The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap, and The Way We Really Are: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap.

Politics/Law, Sexuality/GenderJanuary 14, 2010

“Traditional” Marriage or a Break with Tradition?

By Stephanie Coontz

Marriage as we know it is a recent invention.

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Religion Dispatches

Religion Dispatches

Religion Dispatches is your independent, non-profit, award-winning source for the best writing on critical and timely issues at the intersection of religion, politics, and culture.

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