Taking Marriage Seriously: Marriage Between Deinstitutionalization and Legal Codification

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The aim of the project is to investigate the transition from cohabitation to marriage. Couples undergoing this transition face the challenge of having to deal with two conflicting aspects of marriage: On the one hand, marriage is deinstitutionalized inasmuch as cohabitation has become fully accepted as an alternative to marriage in most social circles, and therefore whether couples marry or not is considered an entirely personal, subjective choice that has to be given meaning by the individuals-in-couples. On the other hand, marriage is still a clearly defined institution with considerable legal and social consequences for those involved. Therefore, even couples whose decision to marry is rooted solely in personal motives have to deal with the institutional consequences of their decision. How couples make sense of this tension between (societal) deinstitutionalization and (legal) institutions will be investigated longitudinally on the basis of qualitative interviews with couples conducted prior to and roughly one year after marriage.