
Marriage has been declared dead by many scholars and the media. Marriage rates are dropping, divorce rates remain high, and marriage no longer enjoys the prominence it once held. Especially among young adults, marriage may seem like a relic of a distant past. Yet young adults continue to report that marriage is important to them, and they may not be abandoning marriage, as many would assume. The Marriage Paradox explores both national U.S. data and a smaller sample of emerging adults to find out how they really view marriage today. Interspersed with real stories and insight from emerging adults themselves, this book attempts to make sense of the increasingly paradoxical ways that young adults are thinking about marriage. The combination of national trends, statistical findings, and quotations from emerging adults makes for a deep exploration of why we see the marital trends of today, and why they may not actually represent emerging adults moving away from marriage.
This book investigates the apparent contradiction between the declining rates of marriage among young adults and their persistent, stated desire for marital commitment. Authors Brian J. Willoughby and Spencer L. James, both scholars in family studies, utilize a combination of national U.S. statistical data and qualitative interviews to analyze the shifting landscape of romantic relationships. They argue that the perceived abandonment of marriage is a misunderstanding of how emerging adults navigate the transition to adulthood in a modern social context.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Experts in sociology and family studies identify this work as a valuable resource for understanding the complexities of contemporary romantic life. Readers frequently note the balance between rigorous statistical analysis and the accessible, humanizing inclusion of personal narratives.
Page Count:
265
Publication Date:
2017-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190672587
ISBN-13:
9780190672584
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