About the lecture

In this lecture, we think about the concept, function and importance of marriage, focusing in particular on: (i) some examples of how the state influences family life, including through child tax credits and tax benefits to married couples; (ii) some of the key legal elements related to marriage; (iii) the potential importance to individuals of their relationship’s social recognition once married; (iv) the expense of a typical Christian wedding forming part of the prestige of marriage; (v) the ‘once in a lifetime’ narrative of a Christian wedding; (vi) understanding a wedding to be a symbol of heterosexuality and a representative of heteronormativity.

About the lecturer

Dr Rosie Nelson is a lecturer in gender in the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies at the University of Bristol. Dr Nelson’s research interests are in LGBTQ+ sexualities, trans and non-binary identities. Some of Dr Nelson’s recent publications include ‘What do bisexuals look like? I don’t know!’ (2020) and ‘Questioning identities/shifting identities’ (2020).