‘Rom-Com’ vs ‘Epic Adventure’: Author Explains How the Perception of Marriage Has Changed

Changing how we talk about marriage could renew its social value, says co-author of ‘I … Do? Why Marriage Still Matters.’

Marriage offers extra benefits known as the “marriage advantage,” write Andrea Mrozek and Peter Jon Mitchell in their new book. Funda Demirkaya/Shutterstock

There are two common views of marriage, researcher and author Peter Jon Mitchell says. One is a more traditional or “institutional” view, and the other is the “soulmate” view, with the latter being the predominant one today.

The institutional view is a more “ancient way” of thinking of marriage, where partners “voluntarily constrain themselves” in a permanent union to pursue a shared purpose, he says, adding that this model often results in integration through parenthood, emotional intimacy, and economic cooperation.