Forty years ago, marriage provided the sanctioning union necessary for sex, childbearing, and social status, and this "loving" union was for the most part an enduring commitment. As a result of such societal expectations, people married at an earlier age and divorce was strongly discouraged. However, over the past forty years, the social doctrine governing marriage has changed as certain societal standards have relaxed. For example, greater acceptance of premarital sex and cohabitation before marriage …showed first 75 words of 475 total…

…showed last 75 words of 475 total…and be middle class as opposed to lower class background. What has transformed societal attitudes toward marriage so that young women delay it, older women get out of it, and some women skip it altogether? Economic factors, a rise in feminism, parental influences, attitudes about sex, educational pursuits, and the divorce rate have all undergone significant cultural changes and are among some of the reasons being credited for influencing the ideas women have about marriage.