Author ORCID Identifier
0000-0002-8319-9080
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2001
Keywords
Marriage, Societal-based rationale, Gendered roles, Caretaker-dependent relationship, Public institution
Abstract
Reflection on the prospect of varied, individualized possibilities for the meaning of marriage suggests, that in order to answer the question "why marriage?" we must first consider "what marriage?" or more succinctly, "what is marriage?" Questioning what marriage actually is calls attention to the institution's individualized and malleable nature. By contrast, a focus on "why marriage" highlights the societal function and rationale for the institution. I will discuss each question-the "what" as well as the "why" of marriage.
First Page
239
Publication Title
Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law
Recommended Citation
Martha Albertson Fineman, Why Marriage, 9 Va. J. Soc. Pol'y & L. 239 (2001).
Included in
Family Law Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Law and Gender Commons