General
boston marriage
What does boston marriage mean?
A 19th- and early-20th-century term for two unmarried women sharing a home and a life, financially independent of any man. Some were romantic, some weren't — the phrase let polite society leave that unspoken. It got its name from Henry James's 1886 novel The Bostonians, which centers on exactly this kind of arrangement, though James never used the words himself. His own sister Alice lived one. Common among suffragists and the early college-educated set.
"Two spinster schoolteachers, one house, forty years — the neighbours called it a Boston marriage and asked no further."
Origin
Late 19th century, associated with Henry James's novel 'The Bostonians' (1886); James's sister Alice lived in such a partnership.
Frequently asked questions
What does Boston marriage mean?
A Boston marriage refers to two women living together long-term and independent of men, a term from the Victorian era.
How do you use Boston marriage in a sentence?
"The two of them shared a home for decades in what people back then called a Boston marriage."
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