Реферат: Changes In Women And Marriage Essay Research

also have indicated that women who marry late are close to their

parents. Frequently, their career goals are consistent with their

family backgrounds (Allen & Kalish).

Modern attitudes about sex are also influencing women.

Traditionally, marriage was seen as a way to legitimize sexual

relations. With the arrival of easily available birth control, sexual

freedom is no longer a ?reward? to be associated with marriage

(Allen & Kalish). Premarital sex and living together arrangements have

become more acceptable to many (Unger & Crawford). Women who married

late will have been more able to have adequate sexual lives before

marriage than women who married during the average marrying years.

Late marriers considered premarital sex more acceptable than normative

marriers. Willingness to participate in intimate personal and sexual

relationships outside of marriage reduces the attractiveness of the

marriage role (Gottman, 1994).

The pursuit of an education is another significant influence

on women, with the level of education achieved by women being directly

related to their marital age (Elder). College attendance among women

has doubled – one out of five women obtained some college education in

the mid 1960?s compared to two out of five in the early 1980?s. ?With

their rapid increase in college attendance, by 1983 women constituted

over half of the student body at two-year colleges and closed to half

of the students attending four-year colleges? (McLaughlin, 1988,

p.35). The most dramatic changes have occurred in the professions of

law and medicine. The number of women becoming lawyers increased from

230 in 1960 to approximately 12,000 in 1982 up from 3 to 33% of all

lawyers. Similarly, the number of women who received medical degrees

increased from 3% in 1960 to approximately 4,000 in 1981, representing

a jump from 6 to 25% of all medical degrees. Women are also rapidly