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9780195120561

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"""Marriage in Men's Lives is a searching, original look at why the institution of marriage has been so central to our society's definition of what it means to be a man . . . . Full of insights."" --Andrew Cherlin, Dept. of Sociology, Johns Hopkins University ""Nock's award-winning book takes an in-depth look at why married men are happier than their bachelor counterparts....Based on interviews with 6,000 men who were contacted yearly since 1979.""--The American News Service ""Marriage in Men's Lives is a searching, original look at why the institution of marriage has been so central to our society's definition of what it means to be a man . . . . Full of insights.""--Andrew Cherlin, Dept. of Sociology, Johns Hopkins University ""Having demonstrated the merits of lifelong marriage for children, sociologists are now taking another look at its value and function for adults. Steven L. Nock's perceptive and provocative Marriage in Men's Lives is one of the first contributions to this endeavor. . . . Nock focuses his attention on 'his' marriage in an effort to explain how and why marriage benefits men. . . . American marriages continue to be characterized by a gendered exchange of labor that builds dependency . . . Specifically, men receive household labor (on average, women perform two-thirds of the domestic labor in families) in return for their breadwinning (on average, men earn about two-thirds of the household income). It is precisely this mix of conventionality and dependence, Nock points out, that gives marriage a clear advantage over cohabitation for men (and women). . . . [In Nock's words:] 'Studies of cohabiting couples show that such glue is weak and destabilizes the entire arrangement.'""--Books & Culture ""Steven L. Nock, who wrote 'Marriage in Men's Lives,' tries to find out why marriage improves men's images of themselves and their masculinity, helping them to become more successful, more generous and more concerned about the welfare of others. . . . Nock drew on a database of 6,000 men who were interviewed yearly since 1979. Nock discovered that the expectations, rules and customs of marriage give men a way in which to fulfill traditional roles as fathers and providers. In meeting those expectations, men come to see themselves as good providers, which reinforces their sense of masculinity. . . . Nock learned that the more closely a man's marriage conforms to the norm, the greater are his work accomplishments and his involvement in community organizations. He asserts that marriage not only leads men to work and earn more, it also steers them into social functions and philanthropic efforts because such behavior is expected of grown men.""--The Daily Progress, Charlottesville, Virginia ""The author states that 'the basic premise of this book is that marriage is the way by which most men become men' . . . He suggests ... that the most effective type of marriage for men is 'normative marriage,' which is marriage based on free choice, maturity, heterosexuality, husband as head, fidelity and monogamy, and parenthood. . . . The strength of this book is that it has some interesting findings, demonstrating that marriage changes men's lives in positive ways. Marriage makes men more conforming and contributes to social control by making them invest more in their jobs, families, and communities. Another major strength of this book is that it contributes to the understanding of men and their family lives by using longitudinal data, showing how changes in marriage are related to other aspects of men's lives over time. The author also proposes some intriguing theoretical issues that may be an impetus for further analysis . . .""--Gender & Society"

This is an impressive treatise, timely and pioneering. It attempts to offer a balanced picture of lives of men in American families and fills in a gap in the studies of gender roles that are often skewed in one or the other direction. It is a useful work as a supplement to a marriage and family or gender role course, or a seminar on men's lives. Giri Raj Gupta, Western Illinois University, Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Studies Jan 2001

Marriage in Men's Lives is a searching, original look at why the institution of marriage has been so central to our society's definition of what it means to be a man . . . . Full of insights. --Andrew Cherlin, Dept. of Sociology, Johns Hopkins University<br>

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