Why America changed its mind on gay marriage
Stephanie Coontz teaches at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, and is director of research and public education at the Council on Contemporary Families. She is the author of "Marriage,...
View ArticleThe New Instability
OVER the past 40 years, the geography of family life has been destabilized by two powerful forces pulling in opposite directions and occasionally scraping against each other, much like tectonic...
View ArticleWomen Have Come a Long Way, but Have Far to Go
OLYMPIA, Wash. -- This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which initially outlawed discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin -- but not on the basis...
View ArticleWho Still Can't Sit At America's Table
(CNN) -- Fifty years ago this week, the House of Representatives passed the Civil Rights Act, which made it illegal to discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, national origin, religion...
View ArticleThe Council on Contemporary Families is Holding an Online Civil Rights Symposium
Then. On February 10, 1964, the House of Representatives passed the Civil Rights Act, which made it illegal to discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, national origin, religion, or...
View ArticleWhy the "War on Poverty" Isn't Over
(CNN) -- In a State of the Union address 50 years ago this month, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared "unconditional war on poverty." Over the next year and a half, anti-poverty warriors developed new...
View ArticleThe Not-So-Good Old Days
From my latest NYT column:MY column last month about the dangers of nostalgia inspired many readers to write to me about their family memories of the 1950s and ’60s. Some shared poignant stories about...
View ArticleYou’ve Come a Long Way, Baby? Fifty Years Since the Equal Pay Act of 1963
Co-authored with Virginia Rutter of Framingham State University for the Council on Contemporary Families.Fifty years ago this week, on June 10, 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act,...
View ArticleThe Triumph of the Working Mother
My latest column in the New York Times:FIFTY years ago, Betty Friedan made a startling prediction in her controversial best seller, “The Feminine Mystique.” If American housewives would embark on...
View ArticleBeware Social Nostalgia
My latest column in the New York Times:AS a historian, I’ve spent much of my career warning people about the dangers of nostalgia. But as a mother, watching my son graduate from medical school on...
View ArticleThanks for the Feedback!
Thanks to the many people who sent me ideas for historical material to discuss on my NYT columns. There were many I couldn't use, but in two cases, I was able to suggest how the researcher could do his...
View ArticleCalling All Family Historians: Ideas for New York Times Column?
The New York Times has asked me to be a guest columnist in May and June while one of their regulars is on vacation. This is a bit more intimidating than when I actually have an idea for a column and...
View ArticleAssessing Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In”
My latest, on Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In for MomsRising.org:Sheryl Sandberg’s well-researched new book, Lean In, focuses on helping women who aspire to careers identify and overcome negative societal...
View ArticleHelp Needed: What's the History of Father-Daughter Dances?
In my work as Director of Research of the Council on Contemporary Families, I often get questions from journalists. A reporter for a national newspaper would like to know the history of...
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