The Way We Never Were

The definitive edition of the classic, myth-shattering history of the American family. Leave It to Beaver was not a documentary; a man's home has never been his castle; the 'male breadwinner marriage' is the least traditional family in history; and rape and sexual assault were far higher in the 1970s than they are today. In this book, acclaimed historian Stephanie Coontz examines two centuries of the American family, sweeping away misconceptions about the past that cloud current debates about domestic life. The 1950s do not present a workable model for personal lives today, and neither does any other era from our cultural past. This revised edition includes a new introduction and epilogue, exploring the clash between growing gender equality and rising economic inequality, shaping modern family life, marriage, and male-female relationships. More relevant than ever, this book serves as a potent corrective to nostalgic views of an American tradition that never really existed.