Welcome to Stephanie Coontz's official website!
Stephanie Coontz teaches history and family studies at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. She also serves as Co-Chair and Director of Public Education at the Council on Contemporary Families, a non-profit, nonpartisan association of family researchers and practitioners based at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her work has been featured in many newspapers such as The New York Times, as well as scholarly journals such as Journal of Marriage and Family, and she is frequently interviewed on national television and radio.
Stephanie Coontz's latest book is "A Strange Stirring"
Learn More about "A Strange Stirring"
Stephanie Coontz on the PBS News Hour with Ray Suarez, December 30, 2011
Stephanie Coontz on The Colbert Report, February 23, 2011
New Articles by Stephanie Coontz
- How Straight Marriage's Evolution Led to Obama's Gay-Marriage Endorsement The Daily Beast, May 14, 2012
- On Women's Day, a reality check CNN Opinion, March 8, 2012
- Santorum's stone-age view of women CNN Opinion, February 14, 2012
- The M.R.S. and the Ph.D. The New York Times, February 11, 2012
- Marriage: Saying 'I don't' Los Angeles Times, January 19, 2012
- Women in the Obama White House: sexism and progress CNN Opionion, September 25, 2011
- Kate Middleton and the great ‘housewife’ myth The First Post, May 10, 2011
- When We Hated Mom The New York Times, May 7, 2011
- British Monarchy Catches Up with Modern Marriage Trends Nexus, April 26, 2011
- Women's equality not quite there yet CNN.com March 7, 2011
- Economic disparity takes toll on marriage January 9, 2011
- Gay marriage isn't revolutionary. It's just next. January 9, 2011
- Is marriage becoming obsolete? CNN.com, November 22, 2010
- Why 'Mad Men' is TV's most feminist show The Washington Post, October 10, 2010
- Divorce, No-Fault Style The New York Times, June 16, 2010
- Why Gore breakup touched a nerve CNN, June 4, 2010
- Stop Blaming Betty Friedan Slate, May 5, 2010
Interviews
- Gender Gaps, POP Tech, October 2011
- Puncturing Betty Friedan, but Not the Mystique: An Interview with Stephanie Coontz, History News Network, January 24, 2011
- Empty Nest Syndrome & Other Marriage Game Changers KING5.com, October 27, 2010
- Marriage was Invented to Get In-Laws POP TECH, October 22, 2010
- Common Marriage Myths Debunked KING5.com, August 12, 2010
- Men and Marriage C-SPAN Video, October 19, 2009
- Good Question: How Has Marriage Changed? WCCO-TV, Minneapolis, March 8, 2007
- Psychjourney Podcasts
- Video — Media Appearances Sampler (50MB MPG download)
Just Released: A Strange Stirring: The Feminine Mystique and American Women at the Dawn of the 1960s
Based on extensive research on postwar gender roles and nearly 200 interviews with women and men who read Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique in 1963 and 1964, A Strange Stirring introduces us to the dilemmas and discontents of the wives and daughters of "The Greatest Generation" – the real life counterparts of the characters on tv's hit show, "Mad Men." Please visit the Strange Stirring page to see the latest reviews and articles about this new book
- Coontz Available for Interviews (Word)
- Coontz Press Release (Word)
Lectures and Other Speaking Engagements 2011-12
- What: Speech: For Better AND Worse: The Revolution in Love, Marriage, Parenting, and Family Life
Where: Mill Valley and San Francisco
When: November 8 & 9, 2011
- What: Barbra Streisand Endowed Lecture: Love, Marriage, and Intimacy
Where: University of Southern California
When: January 11, 2012, 4:45 pm
- What: Speech: What's Love Got to Do With It? The Revolution in Marriage
Where: Wilmington, Delaware Humanities Commission
When: February 2, 2011
- What: Media Training Workshop, Sociologists for Women in Society
Where: St. Petersburg, Florida
When: February 4, 2012
- What: Invited Participant, Renaissance Weekend
Where: Santa Monica, CA
When: February 17-19, 2012
- What: Daniel and Ellen Blom Endowed Library Fund Lecture
Where: Odegaard Undergraduate Library, room 220, U of Washington
When: February 23, 2012, 7 pm
- What: NWSA Speech: "Mad Men," Working "Girls," and Desperate Housewives: How far have men and women come from the 1960s?
Where: University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh Campus
When: 5 pm, March 15, 2012
- What: Lecture: Courting Trouble: The Revolution in Marriage and Close Relationships
Where: Trinity Western University, Fort Langley, British Columbia
When: March 22, 7 pm
- What: Lecture: Gender, marriage, and Family in the Postwar Era Where: Eureka, CA, Humboldt County Teaching American History Progra
When: March 31, 9 am-noon
- What: Lecture: Courting Disaster? Same-Sex Marriage and the Overthrow of Traditional Marriage
Where: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
When: April 5, 5:00 pm
- What: Lecture: NW Historians Guild
Where: Seattle Pubic Library, Northeast Branch
When: April 12, 6 pm
- What: Courting Trouble?: The Transformation in Marriage and Male=Female Relations
Where: University of Wisconsin at Waukesha
When: April 17, 7 pm
- What: Friends of History Endowed Lecture: "Mad Men, Working Girls, and Desperate Housewives"
Where: Portland State University, Mith Ballroom
When: April 25, 5:30 pm
- What: Council on Contemporary Families Conference on Child Well-Being
Where: University of Illinois, Chicago
When: April 27-29
- What: Lecture on Men, Women and Marriage in the 1960s
Where: Olin Hall, Whitman College, Pullman WA
When: Tuesday, May 15, 7 pm
- What: Keynote, Northwest Council on Family Relations Conference: For better AND Worse: The Revolution in Family Life
Where: Portland
When: May 18, 4-5 pm
Stay tuned for more events. To arrange a bookstore event or press appearance, contact cassie.nelson@perseusbooks.com
Coontz is available for lectures and other speaking engagements through the Jodi Solomon Speakers Bureau: jodi@jodisolomon.biz or visit www.jodisolomonspeakers.com. Professional organizations can reach her directly at: coontzs@evergreen.edu. For a list of possible topics and titles, see Lecture Topics.
Other Books by Stephanie Coontz!
Look for Stephanie's new book, just published by Basic Books on January 11, 2011:
A Strange Stirring: The Feminine Mystique and American Women at the Dawn of the 1960s.
Based on extensive research on postwar gender roles and nearly 200 interviews with women and men who read Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique in 1963 and 1964, A Strange Stirring introduces us to the dilemmas and discontents of the wives and daughters of "The Greatest Generation" -- the real life counterparts of the characters on tv's hit show, "Mad Men."
Marriage, A History, selected as one of the best books of 2005 by The Washington Post . Please visit the Marriage, A History page on this website for more information about this title, including availability.
The Way We Never Were
The Way We Really Are
The Social Origins of Private Life
Coontz recently published an expanded version of American Families: A Multicultural Reader, edited with two of her former students .
For a list of recent speaking engagements, refer to Coontz's Curriculum Vita (pdf) .
New Packaging, Same Great Content
This site has recently undergone major renovation! Please contact us if you experience any difficulties or have any questions or comments about the new interface.
