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The ties that bind.
Marriage and social networks in the modern age

Hilde Bras

The ties that bind. Marriage and social networks in the modern age. Chapter to be included in: A Cultural History of Marriage. Volume 6: The Modern Age (1920-2000+). London: Bloomsbury Press.

This project examines the relation between marriage and people’s social networks, with social networks being conceived as people’s ties to kin and non-kin, within and beyond the household. The chapter will integrate work from family history, family sociology, and (historical) demography. First, I will look at the influence of young people’s social networks on their marriage behavior (chance of and age at marriage, spousal age gap, social and geographical endogamy). Secondly, spatial and historical variation in the social networks of married couples in the modern age are examined, including the presence and role of kin in these social networks. The project takes a global comparative perspective including Western and non-Western societies.