8 - How Do External Factors Matter in Intimate Relationships?

Summary

Historically, parents often arranged marriages (Hunt, 1959). People married at a young age, and it was believed that marriage was too important to be left to the whims of adolescents. Marriages were often used to consolidate land holdings and political alliances, ensure the passing on of cultural traditions and religious beliefs, and preserve or move upward in social status. Marriages based on love became more widespread about the time of the Industrial Revolution, when land holding became less critical as many moved from farms to cities. It was especially common in the United States, where young immigrants were often freer from the influence of parents back in the old country.