*What is Dating?
*Dating- meeting of people as a romantic engagement
*Most often found in societies that allow individuals to choose their own marriage partners
*In some societies, marriages are arranged and some do not even see each other until the wedding day
*Idea of dating has only been around in the U.S. since just after WWI
*Courtship and Dating
*Dating’s main purpose is entertainment and amusement
*Dating Continuum:
*Casual dating
*Steady dating
*Engagement
*Marriage
*Very flexible relationship system
*Courtship and Dating
*Courtship-social interaction
similar to dating but with
the sole purpose of eventual
marriage
*Not flexible or casual
*The man first had to meet
the parents and ask
permission
*The man’s intentions had to be marriage-minded
*Done under close supervision or at social events
*Factors that Led to the Emergence of Dating
*Industrial Revolution- people moved from the farms to the cities where young adults could gain more economic freedom and establish their own homes.
*Parental control over young adults and courtship decreased
*Before this time, time of
marriage was determined
by age at which a man
acquired the home and
resources to support a family
*Factors that Led to the Emergence of Dating
*Public Education-
by the 1900s, most
secondary school
students attended
co-ed public
schools which
increased
interaction
between boys and
girls
*Factors that Led to the Emergence of Dating
*Automobiles & Telephones- young adults
had more freedom of movement without
their parents and could more easily talk
to members of the opposite sex
*Equality of Women- more women entered
the workforce and took on active
community roles, which increased the
interaction between single adult men
and women
*Willard Waller’s study on American dating patterns
*Late 1920s-early 1930s
*Found that college students dated based on fraternity/sorority status, looks, money, clothes, cars, dancing, and popularity
*Later studies showed that while status attainment and entertainment are major factors of attraction, character and personality factors are also important.
*Many similarities between qualities of a
casual date and marriage partner
*Homogamy- tendency of individuals to
marry people who have social
characteristics similar to their own
*Functions that Dating Fulfills
*Serves as a form of entertainment
*Means of socialization that teaches people about the opposite sex and social situations
*Helps teach role behaviors and define self-concepts
*Fills psychological needs such as conversation, companionship, and understanding
*Helps attain status, as people are judged in part by whom they date
*Aids in spouse selection in later stages of dating
*Traditional Dating Patterns
*Most characteristic of dating patterns of the 1940s and 1950s.
*Men arranged and paid for dates
*Had an established weekly timetable
*Tied to social status
*Stages of dating:
*Early stage: dates that involved attending an event (movie, game, etc.)
*Steady dating:
*Women received class ring, identification bracelet, or letterman’s jacket.
*This stage acted as a form of anticipatory socialization for marriage (this did not always mean they got married though).
*Contemporary Dating Patterns
*No set stages of dating—informal
*Men and Women more equal in roles
*Relationships focused more on friendship and the group than on the couple
*Amish dating practices:
*Begin dating around 16
*Amish men receive their own courting buggy (horse-drawn)
*Teens spend time together at formal events (weddings, cornhusks, picnics, barn raisings, etc.)
* Best time: Sunday evening “singings”
*Very discreet about relationships until they
decide to marry
*Dating with marriage in mind—do not
recognize divorce