Dating Differences Between The 1950's And Today

Dating and courting back then compared to now has similarities and differences. Just looking back to almost a century ago, one could instantly compare and contrast them. With new inventions and life milestones throughout the years, one could see how each thing has shaped relationships and the forming of relationships into what it is today. From war and automobiles, to technology and the Internet, the dating system has changed and is still constantly changing. The way females and males each pursued dating and their roles have evolved from traditions in the 1920s into slowly but surely a new modern system of dating in the 21st century.

The book “From Front Porch to Back Seat: A History of the Date” by Beth bailey explains the history of the

Dating in the1950s was much different than dating now. In the 1950s, men did the asking of the date in a formal way. There were no social media so the men had to use the telephone or ask the woman in person. Now, women can ask men on dates using many different technologies and social media including, Facebook, Twitter, and online dating services. In the 1950s, when a man asked a woman, the woman knew exactly what to expect and the relationship that was expected, for example, the woman knew that this was a romantic gesture. In the present, if a man and woman go out on a date, there is much confusion as to what it means, is it a friendly encounter or is it a formal date? It is also normal nowadays for men and women to be friends prior to and after a romantic relationship. Today, it is more common to meet at a public date spot and go home separately because “it takes away any fear and ensures safety until you get to know your date a little more”(Balavage). Similarly, between past and present it is still considered rude to keep your date waiting for longer than a few minutes. Both man and woman are to be on time and ready. In the past, when you went on a date, it was tradition for the male to meet the parents for their approval and even have the date chaperoned, whereas now, the introduction is not until a huge amount of time later,

Prior to the 20th century, courtship involved men and women spending time together and getting to know one another usually in the home of the women with her family chaperoning. The woman was the one in control because it was in her home. In the 1930s and 1940s, dating was done in more in public places then in private places, such as dance halls and movie theatres, without chaperones or family members. By the 1940s and early 1950s, post World War II, there was a huge shortage of men. For the first time in the United States, women outnumbered men tremendously. Due to the low number of men, marriage rates climbed and the average of those marrying went down. By the middle of the 1950s, they had what they called “going steady”, where the man would give the women something symbolic like a class ring or letterman jacket and that meant that either person could not date anyone else. Going steady often resembled divorce because when the couple would break up, they would have to decide who gets what and what each person has to give back. After the invention of birth control in the 1960s, sex and marriage were no longer closely linked together because premarital sex was a more common