companionate marriage

American  

noun

1. a form of marriage in which the partners agree not to have children and can be divorced by mutual consent, leaving neither spouse legally responsible for the financial welfare of the other.

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Etymology

Origin of companionate marriage

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

“The idea of companionate marriage and love became a part of the calculus of marriage, and Valentine’s Day cards became a part of courtship,” she says.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 13, 2023

Golia: Historians talk about the rise of the modern companionate marriage: the way that marriage—which was formerly a matter of economic exchange—was, in the 20th century, leached of some of that transactional aspect.

From Slate • May 16, 2021

“Does it have to be through companionate marriage? Do you have to have an emotional connection with this particular person?”

From Washington Post • Dec. 23, 2019

People who are into the idea of companionate marriage were fascinated by the peek into someone else’s mostly functional relationship.

From Slate • Feb. 6, 2012

Colorado's Ben B. Lindsey, the famous advocate of "companionate marriage" who died in 1943, spent four decades introducing numerous reforms, such as a Colorado law forbidding the charging of children under 16 with crime.

From Time Magazine Archive