In FOR BETTER AND WORSE, Stephanie Coontz unravels the roots marriage trends, looking at critical periods of historical transformation, revealing shifting romantic ideals, gender expectations, and cultural myths that have impacted our family relationships all the way through twenty-first-century life. Stephanie Coontz is the director of research and public education for the Council on Contemporary Families. She’s written five books on gender, family, and history, including MARRIAGE, A HISTORY: How Love Conquered Marriage, which was cited in the U.S. Supreme Court decision on marriage equality.