Hackstaff, Karla B. 1954-

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HACKSTAFF, Karla B. 1954-

PERSONAL:

Born 1954. Education: University of Colorado, B.A.; University of California—Berkeley, M.A., Ph.D., 1994.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Department of Sociology and Social Work, Northern Arizona University, P.O. Box 15300, Flagstaff AZ 86011. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, associate professor of sociology, 1994—.

WRITINGS:

Marriage in a Culture of Divorce, Temple University Press (Philadelphia, PA), 1999.

SIDELIGHTS:

Sociology professor Karla B. Hack-staff's study Marriage in a Culture of Divorce is an examination of the institution of marriage in late-twentieth-century America. By looking at records from couples married in the 1950s and comparing them to similar records from couples married in the 1970s, Hackstaff sees patterns that illustrate the movement from a "marriage culture" to a "divorce culture"—a transition that some have viewed as a decline in family values. "Marriage culture," explained Social Forces contributor Steven L. Nock, "is a cluster of beliefs, symbols, and practices based on three ideas: marriage is a given, marriage is forever, and divorce is a last resort. Divorce culture, in contrast, views marriage as an option, marriage as contingent, and divorce as a gateway."

Hackstaff recognizes different forces at work in this movement, including economic issues and increasing equality between the sexes. She sees in the rise of divorce culture "a transition to general equality that is unsettling," wrote Deborah Bigelow in Library Journal, "but may ultimately lead to healthier marital relationships." "Those debating 'family values' should not forget, Hackstaff contends, that there are costs associated with marriage culture as well as divorce culture," stated a reviewer on the Temple University Press Web site, "and they should view divorce as a transitional means for defining marriage in an egalitarian direction." "Hackstaff skillfully illuminates how gender and power work in contemporary marriages," explained Demi Kurz in Contemporary Sociology. "Scholars of marriage and the family and gender relations, as well as the students in their classes, will find this book a valuable resource."