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1983 BCE
Why marriage started
Marriage served as a primary means of preserving power, with members of the ruling class marrying off daughters to acquire land or gain alliances with other countries. Source: https://theweek.com/articles/475141/how-marriage-changed-over-centuries
Image: https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/love-and-marriage-in-medieval-england/ -
1950s
Marriage is obligatory. Marriage becomes almost universal, and the nuclear family is dominant. A survey in 1957 showed that 4 out of 5 people believe that preferring to remain single is "sick," "neurotic" or "immoral."
Source:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200505/marriage-history
Image:https://www.mycomicshop.com/searchminyr=1950&maxyr=1950&TID=382941 -
1970s
Women are becoming self-sufficient and changing social rules which means marriage is no longer obligatory. Unhappy couples break up rather than stay together and the divorce rate increases drastically.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200505/marriage-history
Image:https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/marriage-mystery-you-know-who-7681472 -
The future of Marriage
Bernard argued that there are two marriages, his and hers. She attempted to prove this by discussing the fact that women are unpaid for their parenting and domestic responsibilities in the home and therefore not as valued as the men's work.
Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/finding-true-love/201003/is-marriage-toxic-women-part-i
image: https://www.mallorybooks.com/pages/books/22684/jessie-bernard/the-future-of-marriage -
Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert
The book Committed exposes the ugly side of marriage, by examining questions of compatibility, infatuation, fidelity, family tradition, social expectations, and divorce risks.
Source: https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/4481/committed
Image: https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/4481/committed -
What Americans think of marriage
About 40% of Americans think marriage is an obsolete concept. Fewer couples than ever before are married, and it is believed marriage rates will continue to decline. Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-future-of-marriage_n_6265428?ec_carp=8350087988164525489
images: https://www.maronlawgroup.com/separation/ -
The Childfree movement
In 2014, many articles were published about how many women were not planning on having children. The women claim they are not childless, stating they are not missing anything by not taking the path to motherhood but instead they are free from the 18-year long burden that children can be.
Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/faith-popcorn/childfree-by-choice_b_5658465.html
Image: https://slate.com/human-interest/2012/06/choosing-to-be-child-free-there-are-other-kinds-of-babies.html -
Why so many American women are deciding not to have kids
The American birthrate is sinking with 3.8 million babies were born in 2017 which is the lowest number in three decades. Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/the-child-free-life-why-so-many-american-women-are-deciding-not-to-have-kids/2018/05/31/89793784-64de-11e8-a768-ed043e33f1dc_story.html?utm_term=.8c91b6e3d8a0 Image: http://kleo.wagenaardentistry.com/google-images-baby/
