In Wedded Wife: A Feminist History of Marriage, Rachael provides an intimate and accessible examination of the history of marriage.

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Having married her wife just a few years after the legalisation of same sex marriage in the United Kingdom, Rachael E Lennon interweaves her own personal experiences of marriage with stories and anecdotes from throughout history. She explores how the history of marriage continues to influence, pressure and shape women’s choices today.

In this relatable study, Rachael explores themes such as the pressure to marry, the politics surrounding proposals, the spectacle of marriage, the business behind it, and the pressures tied to consummation, as well as issues such as taking a man’s name, the nuances of marriage vows and obedience, ‘having it all’ and trying to keep up the fight to have an enduring marriage.

In shaking off patriarchal expectations, Rachael examines marriage’s troubling past and celebrates a more joyful present, celebrating the feminist activists who have fought to make marriage a more equitable celebration of love, open regardless of gender or sexuality.

She asks what compels us to keep making this choice? Can we let go of the gendered baggage that we have inherited? Can we hold true to feminist values as we commit to our partners? And what does that look like? How can we build on the past to continue to redefine marriage for the future?