the feminist librarian reads

No longer the ratifying (and for women, subsuming) institution of adult life, marriage in recent decades has shown an unexpectedly progressive pliancy: It has expanded to make room for new (non-hetero) participants; it now frequently includes two economically, socially, and professionally independent adults who may pass on (slightly!) more equitable attitudes and practices with regard to gender to their offspring. And yes, it frequently starts later and has become far more optional. But those revisions have also helped to improve the institution: Years spent single allow women and men better chances of finding a mate who suits them; women are now more likely to put down economic and professional roots in early adulthood, giving them more leverage within future partnerships; divorce rates have fallen as Americans have married later. Meanwhile, the ability to live and to have children outside of marriage has helped to destigmatize non-married life and single parenthood, creating a far more diverse set of paths for a nation full of adults with diverse needs, desires, and circumstances.