Individualism and the Private Sphere

Abstract

The cultural, legal and religious meanings of marriage remain important in the twenty-first century, despite the fact that individualism reigns supreme. We have seen that the ‘marital decline’ perspective wishes to revive marriage as a stable, committed and functional form; while for those celebrating marriage’s resilience, personal satisfaction overrides any traditional considerations. Both sides of the debate would agree, however, that the key is how to strengthen and rejuvenate relationships. This chapter, along with Chapter 7, analyses my research findings and argues that governments face many challenges in their attempts to facilitate marriage and relationship education. While strengthening marriage has gained attention as a public policy issue — particularly in the US — there is no single cure or magic potion which offers a panacea for dealing with the changes in people’s personal relationships. Neither public policy nor private institutions can revive marriage as the socially sanctioned institution for love, sex and reproduction.