Laurie Essig and Lynn Owens, “What if Marriage Is Bad For Us?”
1. How is the (Western) institution of marriage different today than it has been historically? What
are some of the changes that have occurred in how we think about marriage?
2. Do you agree with Essig and Owens’ reasons for rejecting marriage? Are some reasons more or
less compelling than others? Explain.
3. In what ways does access to marriage aid same-sex couples? Why might same-sex couples have
an emotional and political investment in marriage?
4. Do you think that marriage inherently supports the status quo? How might same-sex spouses (and
parents) challenge traditional assumptions about what marriage and family mean, particularly in
terms of gendered roles for husbands versus wives?
5. If you are or have been married, what do you think of Essig and Owens’ analysis of marriage? If
you are not currently married, do you see yourself wanting to get married in the future? Why or
why not?
INSTRUCTIONS
Use Times New Roman
12-point font with 1-inch margins on all sides.
In the upper left-hand corner of the page, type your full name, HW #, and due date.
All written assignments must be cited (examples below).
-APA
Pick two questions from the list and discuss them. Also, use another article from this week as a reference in your paper. Your paper should be no more than two pages doubled spaced. You will need to do outside research for this assignment. Please makes sure and state which article you are using in your introduction. You will need three sources for this paper:
1) The initial article you pick,
2) The second article you want to use, and
I PICKED THE TWO ARTICLES FOR YOU ALREADY, SO NO WORRIES
3) an outside source
