Marriage as a Social Institution by Stephen L. Nock (Summary and Analysis)- NEB Grade 12 (New Course) English

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About Author

Steven L. Nock (March 11, 1950 – January 26, 2008) was a researcher, author, and the Commonwealth Professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia. He wrote extensively on the role of marriage in society, and worked in the Federal Department of Health and Human Services as a consultant on American family policy. He authored textbooks and articles about the causes and consequences of change in the American family. He investigated issues of privacy, unmarried fatherhood, cohabitation, commitment, divorce, and marriage. His book, Marriage in Men's Lives won the William J. Good Book Award from the American Sociological Association for the most outstanding contribution to family scholarship in 1999.


About Essay

In this essay, the author examines the national marriage debate by reviewing the social and demographic trends that have changed the role of marriage and the family. He views that marriage and parenthood are private matters, relevant only to the individuals directly involved. He points out the programs that have strengthened marital relationships, lowered divorce rates, reduced out-of-wedlock births, and encouraged responsible fatherhood.

Marriage is a social institution. It defines the form of relationship between man and woman who seek to extend their relationship for a long time. During the past fifty years, Steven L. Nock analyzed the notion and role of marriage rapidly changed due to the social trend, cultural influence, and the relationship between marriage and parenthood. He also opines that the negative consequences of marriage have been emerging in the United States. This phenomenon as a sociological imagination shows the marriage and divorce now are not only connected to the individuals, but this private matter has become a social issue, which this essay tries to raise, mainly concerning marriage with its apprehension as a social problem. 


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