Stephanie Coontz was born on August 31, 1944 in Seattle, WA. She is a professor,
historian, researcher and author of books on the history of marriage and family
relations. She has written a number of essays and at least five books.
Marriage, A History: From Obedience to Intimacy, or How Love Conquered Marriage
was published in 2005. Coontz looks back through time to examine the traditions
associated with marriage and how they have evolved. She starts with prehistoric man
and builds up to the current day. Early on, marriages were arranged to satisfy economic,
political, social needs and/or whims of parents and extended families and had little to
do with the desires of the individuals getting married. It wasn't until the 18th Century
and the Enlightenment that a love-based model of marriage began to take shape. The
1950s saw the implementation of the "traditional model" with the breadwinner husband,
the stay-at-home mom with a union created based on love. But that model, as beautiful
as many like to envision it, was short lived. Kirkusreviews.com calls the book "a rich,
provocative and entertaining social history."