"Wedded Wife by Rachael Lennon is a fascinating history of marriage and how it has changed over the centuries. This is a well-researched, thought-provoking read."
Wedded Wife by Rachael Lennon is a fascinating history of marriage and how it has changed over the centuries, from the original ancient customs to today's big business wedding industry. The book covers a wealth of information about marriages of convenience in the past (for status or wealth) to contemporary marriages for love and against all odds, within heterosexual, same-sex and nonbinary relationships. The book explores how gender roles, sexuality and politics influence many marriage traditions, beginning with engagements and prenuptials, through the wedding ceremony and celebrations, leading to consummation and potential parenthood, and also decisions to make when a marriage no longer seems to be working. Using examples from history, the author explores how marriage can define and affect a woman's role, in terms of her education, employment and societal rights, for example, and women's fights for sexual freedom, reproductive rights and access to divorce over the decades. Wedded Wife addresses several key questions and leads to many more: What compels women to keep making this choice and commitment? How does marriage fit in with feminist values and beliefs? And how might marriage practices evolve in the future? This is a well-researched, thought-provoking read.
Primary Genre | Popular Science |
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