I just finished reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s new book, Committed, which is a modern look at marriage. (You know her as the author of Eat, Pray, Love). She has an interesting take on it, in part because she has an international perspective. And she delightfully weaves her personal story with more global views, much of which come from Stephanie Coontz‘ more scholarly research. Marriage for love is a relatively new phenomenon – in the past it was much more about property or political interests, or an economic division of labor. But now we expect to actually be happy in marriage, and expect our partner to be an emotional support as well as support in other ways. Our evolving expectations have led to a higher divorce rate. It’s an interesting book and a fast read.
Just as I finished, I read a delightful article in the The New York Times, which is really a follow up — “The Happy Marriage is the ‘Me’ Marriage,” by Tara Parker-Pope. There she explores how marriage helps open you to a new vantage point on the world. More about this next post …