Dating Changes Over the Years

History shows how the act of dating has changed through the ages. During the early days, when America was young and growing, older men dated girls in their teens. Their intent was to rear children who would tend the farm and help grow the crops. Man's life span was less than forty years of age. Farms yielded crops that were the source of their livelihood.

Dating During the Prohibition Years

Dating became open and less restrictive. Women were openly flirtatious and men enjoyed their affection. Women were allowed in bars and flirted with the men they were interested in. It was not a secret that the girls want to meet men. Women went to Church dances to meet men. Their purpose was marriage. Women became outgoing. They lived the life that interested them. Others, earned a living running brothels and charging men a hefty fee to have sex with the ladies. Dating was easy as men were always available and showed it.

Dating During 1940 and After WW II

As a result of World War ll, women left home to work in factories and steel mills. Many worked overseas in the hospitals and tended to wounded soldiers due to the war. They nursed the soldiers back to health and began a relationship with many. Some fell in love and married when they returned home from the war.

Women became liberated. They no longer were satisfied in remaining stay-at-home housewives. They openly became competitive with the men. They dated those they were interested in, had sexual relationships with many and became sucessfull in their jobs and saw no reason to marry. Therefore, they continued meeting men in dating groups that cropped up, paid the joiner fees, and continued dating.

Dating became a way of life for the single women after the war. They put dating want-ads in newspapers geared to single men. They bought homes in the suburbs, earned a lot money, went to single parties to meet men. Life had changed. Men and women became equal. They joined singles clubs, formed groups geared to meeting men for dating.

I used to go to these at-home-parties in the hopes of meeting a man to date. After my first husband died this method was great. The hostess placed an ad in the local papers. They charged a fee of $5.00 to the men. Women went free. There was an all you can eat buffet served and the men came with the hopes of meeting a future wife. It was through this method that I met two men who played an important part in my future life. I married one of them.

More Recent Dating Methods That Helped to Find a Mate

I. The Daily Newspapers and magazines had a section for dating. It advertised the phone numbers of those looking for a date. I remember this very well. Each of the major newspapers had a Classified Column. Those who were looking for a date paid to place an advertisement. I had responded to some of those ads. Each was written to attract the opposite sex with a message and a phone number.

I met a man from England who owned a summer home at Disney. He phoned me often and invited me to be his guest when he arrived to spend a week in Disney World with his young children. I loved his accent and agreed to meet him. He sent a cab to take me. He was very wealthy. One look at him, as the cab drove by him, made me want to go directly home. No amount of money could make me want to date him. The cab drove me home.

2. Many small stores had a rack standing on the floor that held local newspapers. They were free. They held pages of ads from those who were looking for a date. This was another method used as Dating Sites.

3. Computers replaced newspaper dating sources. Dating groups cropped up on the Internet. One of the first online dating sites was Match.com. It grew and afterward other dating sites followed.Yahoo.com was one of them. I met a lot of nice men on dating sites on the Internet.

I once met a man who flew from Scotland to meet me. We talked for long time before we met in person. Internet dating was easy. Dating online, without meeting, was interesting, challenging and fun. He suggested that we each spend six months in each Country. He was looking for a long term relationship; was a widower and I was a widow.

He spent two weeks with me in my home. He treated my entire family out to dinner at an Upscale hotel on Mother's day. I took out a passport with the intent of visiting him. He went home and the next day was 911. I never met him and never heard from him again.

Dating As Done Today

Today, teens and adults alike meet dates through Cyberdating,- in chat rooms and texting. They fall in love and date without meeting the man or woman. Dating in this generation is done easily and quickly with the touch of a keyboard to those who live in all parts of the world. Many do not speak the same language.

Dating no longer has restrictions with regards to sex, color, religion or place of birth. Dating has come a long way since the Colonial Days when a man had to ask the woman's father for permission to date and marry his daughter.

Source: my own knowledge and experience

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