Many people head to the beach, area pools and the city’s cooling centers amidst the heat. Another popular spot is the Cook County clerk’s office. Last month the clerk issued more than 800 licenses for civil unions in the county, over half the licenses issued across the state. Civil unions are open to all couples and many hope they signal a move toward full marriage equality for same-sex couples. But the desire for the right to marry comes at a moment when more than one-third of all Americans believe the institution of marriage is obsolete. So is marriage undergoing a radical transformation? Eight Forty-Eight was joined by Christine Percheski, a sociologist at Northwestern University, who studies family life to assess ideas of marriage in America today.

Music Button: Groovilicious, “What it is” from their self-titled release (New Breed)