1. Teenagers and Dating

2. 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
What is Dating?

3. Dating’s main purpose is entertainment and amusement
Dating Continuum:
Casual dating
Steady dating
Engagement
Marriage
Very flexible relationship system
Courtship and Dating

4. 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
Courtship and Dating

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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
Factors that Led to the Emergence of Dating

8. 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

9. 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
Functions that Dating Fulfills

10. 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).
Traditional Dating Patterns

11. 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
Contemporary Dating Patterns