Description |
290 pages : 15 plates ; 24 cm |
Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 243-284) and index. |
Contents |
Introduction -- Night falls in Miami Beach -- Welfare rights -- Coed facing expulsion, 1968 -- From Sheboygan to Madison -- Alternative lifestyle -- Palimony -- Mothers on trial -- Get married or move out -- Domestic partnerships -- Epilogue. |
Summary |
"The late twentieth century has seen a fantastic expansion of personal, sexual, and domestic liberties in the United States. In Not Just Roommates, Elizabeth H. Pleck explores the rise of cohabitation, and the changing social norms that have allowed cohabitation to become the chosen lifestyle of more than fifteen million Americans. Despite this growing social acceptance, Pleck contends that when it comes to the law, cohabitors have been, and continue to be, treated as second-class citizens, subjected to discriminatory laws, limited privacy, a lack of political representation, and little hope for change. Because cohabitation is not a sexual identity, Pleck argues, cohabitors face the legal discrimination of a population with no group identity, no civil rights movement, no legal defense organizations, and, often, no consciousness of being discriminated against. Through in-depth research in written sources and interviews, Pleck shines a light on the emergence of cohabitation in American culture, its complex history, and its unpleasant realities in the present day"--Provided by publisher. |
Subject |
Unmarried couples -- United States -- History -- 20th century.
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Unmarried couples -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- United States -- History -- 20th century.
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Discrimination against unmarried couples -- United States -- History -- 20th century.
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Common law marriage -- United States -- History -- 20th century.
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ISBN |
9780226671031 cloth |
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0226671038 cloth |
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9780226671048 paperback |
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0226671046 paperback |
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