SHE COOKS, CLEANS, AND PAYS HIM RENT, BUT SHE'S NOT HIS WIFE. HE'S HER FATHER, BUT THEY'VE NEVER MET. THEY SAY THEY LOVE EACH OTHER, BUT HAVE THE OPTION TO LEAVE IF THINGS GET ROUGH. Marriage is in trouble. Labeled old-fashioned, out-dated, and irrelevant, marriage is being abandoned for divorce, living together, single parenting, and sexual freedom. Lasting marriages, which used to be esteemed as the building block of society, are disappearing at an alarming rate. Drawing from one hundred years of social science research, Why Marriage Matters examines the state of marriage in America today and gives readers solid reasons to believe in marriage in a postmodern culture. If you want to know more about the benefits of marriage for society or understand why so many marriages are falling apart, Why Marriage Matters provides a strong, reasoned case for defending marriage in a society characterized by a lack of commitment.