Overview

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.

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9780190296674

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Reviews

An important and much-needed scholarly contribution on marriage in emerging adulthood. Conceptually guided and illustrated with interview data, a strong case is made for the marriage paradox in today's increasingly diverse landscape of romantic/sexual relationships and experiences. A must-read for scholars of close relationships in emerging adulthood! -- Manfred H. M. van Dulmen, PhD, Kent State University The authors effectively and concisely present the quantitative results, making them easily comprehensible. Quotes from participants are included throughout, supporting the qualitative findings, and communicating the complexity of relationships and marriage from the participants' perspectives...developmental psychologists will find that this book provides an in-depth look at an important issue that is rich with participants' perspectives. --PsycCRITIQUES

Author Information

Brian J. Willoughby, PhD, is an associate professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University. Dr. Willoughby is considered an international expert in the field of couple and marital relationships, sexuality, and emerging adult development. His research generally focuses on how adolescents, young adults, and adults move toward and form long-term committed relationships. Spencer L. James, PhD, is an assistant professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University. As a family demographer, Dr. James is interested in the ways people form, maintain, and dissolve long-term romantic relationships, especially during emerging adulthood. He draws primarily on nationally representative longitudinal datasets and advanced statistical methods to answer questions about contemporary trends in marital and cohabiting relationships.

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