Steven L. Nock

In the following viewpoint, Steven L. Nock argues that women have made enormous gains in social and workplace equality since the 1960s. These changes brought enormous benefits to women but undermined the traditional family because marital roles failed to change with external roles. For example, many marriages are stressed because most women work full time just as their husbands do, but men do not share equally in the housework. Nock concludes that modern marriages must revise the traditional family model to fit new social realities. Nock is a sociology professor at the University of Virginia and the author of Marriage in Men’s Lives.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. How does the author define the traditional marriage model?
2. What does Nock contend are the six ideals of legal marriage?
3. What...