Laurel outlook., 1945-04-04
Race to Altar
After War Seen
Sociology Professor Gives the
Result of His Survey
Of 1000 Families.

end will touch off: A ace to the
altar by millions of young Amerl-
cans, Jams in divorce courts by war
brides and grooms, and a struggle
to wrest from women their war won
economic freedoms.
These are forecasts of DR.. Harvey
]. Locke, Indiana university soclol-
ogy professor and authority on fam
lily life, who has just completed
interviews with more than 1000 fam
lilies in quest of the reasons for sue
cess or failure of marriages in these
hectic times.
DR.. Locke also has good news for
s~weethearts worrying about their
loved ones in service becoming IN
volved in wholesale marriages %
foreign bellies. Says the professor:
1.-The total number of Americans
marrying foreign brides will be
smaller than most people anticipate.
At the beginning of the war pub
licity was given to the marriages OF
Americans in the eXpeditlonary
services to Australian, Irish n
English brides. 1t is true that these
became sufficiently numerous to
cause the army and navy to set up
rigid regulations concerning them.
These regulations coupled with the
availability of some American wom-
en- in the auxiliary services will re-
duce the total number of marriages
of Americans to foreign brides.
Postwar Marriages.
"Where such marriages do occur
some of the men will remain in the
countries of the wives. Those who
return will have more difficulty in
adjusting to each other than in cases
where American men marry Amer
lean women"
Taking a postwar look into the
nations family situation, DR.. Locke
predicts:
Marriage and birth rates will in
crease after the war. Transfer OF
millions of men to foreign countries
has resulted in the postponement of
marriage for millions. A large por-
ton of these will rush to the altar
after the war"
Foreseeing an increase in divorces
after the war, DR.. Locke said, "This
may be attributed to the high pro-
portion of unhappy unions arising
from hasty war and postwar mar
riages, the divergent experiences
which separated husbands and
wives have had during the war peri
cd, and the backlog of estrange-
ments which remained in status quo
for the duration"
The freedom of women-econom-
ically and socially-gained in wal
time, DR.. Locke says, may be ex-
to decline somewhat after the
''In homes where husbands are alb
sent women have taken On new re-
sponsibilities. Many thousands have
entered the armed services and sew
eral million have been employed in
industry.
Status After War.
"Some women will relinquish
these duties and obligations willing
Iy and return to their prewar status.
Many others who have experienced
a high status, leadership, and indie
pendence will not be disposed to re-
turn to their former activities and
division of labor. While the status
Of women in the postwar period will
De lower than it was during the war,
t will be higher than it was in the
postwar period"
The toll of war, DR.. Locke contin-
led, will result in ''fewer men for
each 100 women after the war"
"At the close of World War l." he
"the preponderance of wom-
m led to various radical proposals.
proposals are to be expect
ID at the conclusion of World Wal
In fact, Prof. c. E. M. Joad,
University of London, is reported
to have made the proposal
hat British laws be altered to per-
nit a man taking a number of
Mates"
DR.. Locke, explaining that like
Guggestions were advanced a quar-
er century ago, declared such pro-
'osals as polygamy would not be
after this war because they
with the morals of the civil
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