The Role Of Marriage In The 1920's

Marriage and Divorce in the Post Victorian Era Marriage is a social structure. When couples get married they enter into a relationship that is societally recognized and to some degree societally regulated. Laws, customs, traditions and cultural assumptions are intrinsically involved in defining the path that a marriage will take. In the late 19th century many Americans had to come to terms in some way with the societal expectations of marriage, guided by the Victorian mores.

Marriage is perhaps the most unique contract among all others. Not only does it serve as an emblem for a couple’s love and commitment, but it also holds strong ties to national policy and jurisdiction. Throughout American history, marriage ideals and the paradigm of consensual monogamy have been strongly enforced. By implementing certain policies and excluding other alternatives to marriage, marital laws have essentially promoted monogamous marriage as well as shaped people’s understandings of societal roles. Specifically, the role of women has evolved within the constraints of marriage.

In the aftermath of the dual revolution, European society underwent vast changes spanning all aspects of society. Political ideologies began to evolve congruently with changes that were occurring across the continent. Various conservative, liberal, and utopian viewpoints emerged, critiquing the new modern society. The critiques encompassed all aspects of society, including the ideas of marriage and family. Three prominent intellectual figures that proposed differing ideas on marriage were Louis de Bonald, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, and Charles Fourier. All three came from various positions on the political spectrum; Bonald was conservative, Hegel a liberal, and Fourier a utopian socialist. Coming from different ideological backgrounds, their ideas on society, marriage, and family differed greatly.

Events that occurred in the 1920s altered society greatly, becoming an important part of modern day reality. The way society thinks in the 1920s is quite similar to modern society, illustrated through the ideology of the “American Dream”. During the 1920s, people aspired to grow to their fullest through achieving a high social status, and wealth. Likewise, in modern society, people continue to carry this idea as they aspire to have a good job; earn money; and obtain a high social status. This idea of opportunity of prosperity and success has continued on into the modern society, having a great impact. These impacts are also visible through the lessons carried on from events that occurred in the 1920s. Many mistakes were made in this era which are

America's Political and Social Attitudes During the 1920's America is the most powerful country in the world and prides itself in being a 'melting pot' of different cultures but has that always been true of America. I would like to argue that during the 1920's America became less tolerant of anything Un-American. I would like to mention immigration policy, the Ku Klux Klan, political hysteria and Religious intolerance. Before 1917 America had an 'open door' policy toward immigration but thousands of immigrants were pouring in from eastern European, Asian, and African countries which the WASPS (White Anglo Saxon Protestants), who had power at the time, didn't want in America. After 1917 a literacy test was introduced so all immigrants had to be able to read and write in English to be allowed in to the country which discriminated against non English speaking countries and poorer countries where people couldn't afford to learn English, and so the 'open door' began to close.

Over the last couple of centuries, the way that relationships are viewed and treated has changed, drastically. In the present, most relationships are viewed as something amazing and something to be appreciated, even though there are a few outlying relationships that are still like they were centuries ago. Women in the nineteenth and twentieth-centuries were viewed as property. Therefore, when they got into relationships, they were treated just as that—her husband’s property. Specifically, during the nineteenth-century, men were the main focus of society, and usually women and their views were muffled. Women were expected to freely provide the nurturing services and emotions that men want. After marriage, men went back to work while women stayed

The nineteenth century was a century like no other. Times were technology and manufacturing are at their infancy. The mass production of almost all commodities resulted in higher standard in Europe, but only for the upper and middle classes. Although the driving machine of these industries, the lower and working classes of Europe were at no advantage then the native people around the globe. The European working and lower classes where slaves in their homelands just like the native popeles around the globe under European control.

The concept of marriage is a puzzling phenomenon considering the fact that from past history until now and beyond, most humans have and/or will take part in it during their lifetimes. The reasons for marriage may seem trivial for someone living in today’s love oriented society, but in other cultures and times past, marriage served many different purposes. Marriage is described by Merriam-Webster as a “legally and socially sanctioned union, usually between a man and a woman, that is regulated by laws, rules, customs, beliefs, and attitudes that prescribe the rights and duties of the partners and accords status to their offspring (if any)”. When looking into both past and present motives of marriage; love, procreation, culture, economics, and religion best explain why the phenomenon has continued to exist since the beginning of time.

During class, the decade of the 1920s was discussed. As the destructive World War I ended, the United States entered an era of substantial social changes. Based on our study, I believed the biggest changes of the 1920s were the growth of women’s social status and the remarkable economic prosperity.

Marriage in the Western European Society Without exception marriage is a human social construct. The animal kingdom does appear to have a number of species that appear to mate for life but the term marriage implies a formal commitment requiring ceremony, social obligations and rights. There are also very many cultural differences around the world in what is perceived to be “marriage”. However, without exception all cultures do have an understanding of the term, have obligations and benefits to marriage, most especially for men. We shall, for the purpose of this essay, only explore Western European society.