Wie de-institutionalisiert ist die Ehe? Deutungen der Ehe durch Paare vor und nach der Heirat

The work sheds light on the transition from a non‐marital relationship to marriage. Based on the basis of qualitative interviews conducted before and after marriage, the author reconstructs the interpretations of marriage that are documented in the narratives of couples. Marriage is viewed from a perspective that has not been widely used in sociology: on the one hand, as a de-instutionalized form of relationship that is characterized above all by individual freedom of choice, and on the other hand, as a legally and institutionally anchored structure that provides couples with specific framework conditions. The author wrote her doctoral thesis at the University of Siegen.