Questions
1. Stephanie Coontz divides the history of marriage into two broad periods. One in which marriage is arranged by the parents and is for economic, political and status reasons, and another where the partners decide to get married and happiness is an aim of matrimony. Cite Coontz’s definition of marriage, then attempt your own definition of marriage.
What role do children play in the definition of marriage? Incorporate the various elements from both periods in the definition. Show how pre-modern marriage was not for love but for serving the parents’ wishes, and how modern marriage serves the couple and their children more than the parents of the married couple.
2.Given that almost all societies sanction marriage and limit who can marry whom, does the history of marriage help us understand the nature of family life? If so, how. If not, how not. If the answer is both yes and no, show how.
