Welcome to the
Marriage Ecosystem!

Marriage is one of the hottest social issues right now. And there is good reason: it's a social institution that touches nearly every aspect of our lives.

We realized that we had a mountain of superb information about this subject, but that it wasn't organized very well. So we sat down to organize it. We took colored post-it notes and brainstormed on all of the different topics related to it, and then we brainstormed about which articles we had that would fit under these topics.

After we finished this paper creation, the more we looked at it, the more we realized that marriage is like an ecosystem. An ecosystem is a functional unit consisting of living things in a given area, linked together in a particular way. One of the wonderful things about an ecosystem is how it can be perceived as a unit, with each creature contributing to the welfare of the entire system. If one of the species dies in an ecosystem, the entire ecosystem is affected.

This critical social institution is more than the sum of many parts. When one part is removed or altered, the entire ecosystem begins to wobble and threatens to collapse. It plays a stabilizing role in society, both in people's day to day lives and also in our society as a unit. We hope by reading our site, you will understand why we call it an ecosystem. We also hope you'll understand why it's important to treat it as we might treat any other ecosystem: with respect, care, and appreciation.

About the Ruth Institute

At the Ruth Institute we are devoted to educating people about the value of marriage. We have a unique perspective because we approach the subject from a large scale perspective. This means we view it through a lens that encompasses all of society, not just individual people. Of course individual people's experiences are important, and there are many other sites and resources to help people with their individual marital issues.

Our focus is different. We call it a sociological perspective, since our focus is society as a unit. It's like viewing a rainforest from an airplane. You can't see the individual trees or animals, but you can see the whole rainforest, and can better understand the forces acting upon it, such as the weather. This is our role. We educate from this perspective, and we hope to make a difference in the lives of future generations of everybody by so doing.

The Ruth Institute is a project of the NOMEF, which is a 501(c)(3) organization. Your contributions to the Ruth Institute are tax deductible. We rely on the generosity of people like you, who understand our mission and believe in us to carry it out. Click here to donate now.

Definition of Marriage - How does the it effect the marriage ecosystem?
Learn how the definition of marriage is important to the marriage ecosystem
Economics of Marriage
Learn about the economics of marriage, which is part of the marriage-ecosystem.
Politics of Marriage
Learn about the politics of marriage and how they effect the marriage ecosystem.
Preserving the Ecosystem of Marriage
Tactics for preserving the ecosystem of marriage.
Children and marriage - how do they effect the marriage ecosystem?
Children and marriage - how do they effect the marriage ecosystem?
Contraception and the Marriage Ecosystem
How does contraception effect the marriage ecosystem?
No Fault Divorce and the Marriage Ecosystem
Learn how no fault divorce harms the marriage ecosystem.
Non marital Sex and Sex Outside of Marriage
Learn about non marital sex, sex outside of marriage, and how it impacts the marriage ecosystem
Sexual revolution
How as the Sexual Revolution impacted the marriage ecosystem?
Contact Marriage-Ecosystem.org
Contact us
Most Recent Updates to this Site
Marriage Blog - Learn about the Marriage Ecosystem
Gay Marriage Facts - How does gay marriage redefine parenthood?
Gay marriage facts and how gay marriage redefines parenthood.
Podcasts from Marriage-Ecosystem.org
Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse discusses social conservative issues on our Marriage Ecosystem Podcasts

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Inspiring People
to Defend
the Marriage Ecosystem

Our goal is to help everybody think about marriage in a new way, from a holistic, organic, and natural perspective. This perspective supports a free society for all, including future generations.

Personal reasons for marriage (such as love) are valid as personal reasons, but they serve as a poor foundation for public policies about marriage.

Donations from people like you help defend the ecosystem of marriage! Your tax-deductible donation gets you:

  • Our weekly e-newsletter, packed with information about the marriage movement
  • Our printed educational mailings, designed to keep you updated on important developments regarding marriage
  • Donations of $100-$999 receive our Ambassadors Packet, packed with educational materials about marriage, freedom and society.
  • Donations of $1,000 or more become Friends of Ruth and receive all of the above and more!

Donate at our main website, RuthInstitute.org:

Click here to donate



What are others reading?
Top pages are:

1. Part 5 of the Libertarian Case for Man/Woman Marriage: Marriage Laws & the Proper Role of the State

2. Part 3 of the Libertarian Case for Man/Woman Marriage: Gay Marriage Facts

3. Our page about Preserving the Ecosystem of marriage

4. Our page about how contraception harms the marriage ecosystem

5. Part 1 of the Libertarian Case for Man/Woman Marriage, Definition of Marriage



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