The Shadow of Marriage

The Shadow of Marriage examines the boundaries of the nuclear family in the mid-20th century. It highlights the high level of involvement in children's care by unmarried women and the largely invisible relationships between children and unmarried men. It examines men and women who never married between 1914 and 1960, drawing upon a wide range of sources including biographies, oral histories, novels, films, government statistics, and social surveys. The book discusses the significance of age, generation, gender in work and non-familial lifestyles, and unmarried men and women's intimate, sexual, familial, and professional relationships. As the first major study of the history of single people in England, this will be a valuable resource for researchers and students in social history, gender studies, women's studies, social policy, and sociology.