# Ibsen's Chain Stitch explained — Getting Married

> Chapter companion for Getting Married by George Bernard Shaw.

## What happens

This chapter examines the problem of 'superfluous women' and the question of who will father their children, distinguishing between women who are involuntarily single and those who voluntarily refuse marriage. It argues that if society legitimizes children born outside marriage, the institution of marriage itself may unravel, as economically independent women would prefer freer unions. The chapter concludes that the only alternative to the disappearance of marriage is extensive divorce reform, and warns that marriage is like a chain stitch—once a single thread is cut, the whole seam unravels.

## Themes in this chapter

### Critique of Marriage as an Institution

The chapter argues that marriage may disappear through disuse if economic independence and freer unions become the norm, portraying marriage as fragile and potentially obsolete.

### Economic Dependence of Women

Highlights that women without independent means rely on marriage for livelihood, while economically independent women would prefer alternative unions, linking marriage to economic necessity.

## Key lines

> Ibsen’s similitude of the machine-made chain stitch, which unravels the whole seam at the first pull when a single stitch is ripped, is very applicable to the knot of marriage.

Ibsen's comparison of marriage to a chain stitch shows that if you cut one thread, the entire fabric falls apart.

_This metaphor underscores the fragility of marriage as an institution and the far-reaching consequences of any reform._

> The private contract stage of this process was reached in ancient Rome.

This stage of private contracts for unions already existed in ancient Rome.

_References historical precedent for non-marital unions regulated by private agreements._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/getting_married_se/chapters/ibsen-s-chain-stitch
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/getting_married_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/getting_married_se/chapters