It's no wonder that folks are pessimistic about the future of marriage. Half of all the couples marrying today will end in divorce. In previous generations it is common to hear that a couple was celebrating their twenty-fifth, thirtieth, or even fiftieth wedding anniversary.
Marriage today is far more complex.
If each partner filled those expectations, there was a reasonably good chance that the marriage would endure. Even personality styles were prescribed. Men were supposed to be strong, silent, competent, unemotional, problem-solvers, good providers, handy around the house and protectors. Women were supposed to be good cooks, competent housekeepers, seamstresses, social, religious and nurturers. Men and women cut each other a great deal of slack in other areas, so long as each played by the prescribed rules and played their socially defined roles.