Each marriage bears the footprints of economic and cultural trends which originate far outside marriage.
Arlie Russell HochschildHere is a new car, a new iPhone. We buy. We discard. We buy again. In recent years, we've been doing it faster.
Arlie Russell HochschildThe influx of women into paid work and her increased power raise a woman's aspirations and hopes for equal treatment at home. Her lower wage and status at work and the threat of divorce reduce what she presses for and actually expects.
Arlie Russell HochschildIf in previous decades large historic events drew people together and oriented them toward collective action, the recent double trend toward greater choice but less security leads the young to see their lives in more individual terms. Big events collectivize. Little events atomize.
Arlie Russell HochschildIf in the earlier part of the century, middle-class children suffered from overattentive mothers, from being "mother's only accomplishment," today's children may suffer from an underestimation of their needs. Our idea of what a child needs in each case reflects what parents need. The child's needs are thus a cultural football in an economic and marital game.
Arlie Russell Hochschild