Michael Hyun

CAS 137H
28 October 2013
Dr. Raman

The Evolution of Relationships

In society today, the perception of what a relationship means varies from person to
person, environment to environment. The way a relationship is perceived today has many factors
as to why it is different than the way it was perceived in the past. The creation of certain
inventions such as birth control pills and the improvement in the condom led to a more relaxed
relationship ideal. Another important factor on the evolution of the perception of relationships is
peoples perception. In the current period of time, there are several societies where relationships
are seen as useless and diminishing. The most important question to ask here is why is the
change of relationship so significant? This question is followed by supplemental questions such
as, what changed with relationships? How did these changes occur?
Relationships were completely different before the 1920s. The 1920s was a significant
time where the perception of relationships strongly changed. Before that however relationships
were very set in stone. As stated in Paula S. Fass Sex and Youth in the Jazz Age, Students
of modern sexual behavior have quite correctly described the twenties as a turning point, (Fass).
Relationship views pre 1920s were very strict. Before the 1920s, couples have gotten together
for the primary purpose of marriage and reproduction. A relationship was a very formal event
before the 1920s there was nothing casual about it just like it is today. There was a high
probability that if a couple was formed they would most likely get married. Now fast forward
into the 1920s. The youth generation completely changes the way that relationships, sex, and
dating are viewed.
The College youth of the 1920s redefined the relationship between men and women
(Fass). The idea of how relationships were created and how they were managed were completely
revamped. The idea of flirting was also new and widely enjoyed. There are three very distinct
ways that relationships were changed in the 1920s. One, the idea of dating was introduced into
the minds of the youth. Dating was now a sort of stepping stone into a relationship. College kids
would go out on dates with other students to get more intimate. Dating was a new in the ritual
of sexual interaction (Fass). Fass perfectly explains what dating meant and why it was so
favored by college students. She states that dating permitted a paired relationship without
implying a commitment to marriage and encouraged experimental relations with numerous
partners (Fass) something that could not have been done pre-1920s.
Another freedom that the youth of the 1920s explored was fashion. In the blink of an eye
the lengths of skirts changed from ending at the ankle to now ending at the knee. Form revealing
silhouettes accompanied by short skirts were greatly popular. This revolution in womens
fashion helped women become more independent. Women could feel less encumbered and
freer (Fass). Fashion was accompanied by the use of cosmetics. Cosmetics were used to
increase attractiveness, but they were more than that-they were provocative (Fass) cosmetics
helped create sexual appeal to impress males. With all the increase of sexual appeal, intimacy
between couples increased. There was the demonstration of petting or in our terms making out.
Although this new evolution of relationship was widely popular there were some people who
disapproved of this new change.
A primary account of a woman who was brought up to believe that petting, smoking,
and drinking are wrong (Blanchard) was an example of someone who did not understand why
the generation had changed. She still believed in the old ways where when a man and woman got
together they would be soul mates. She also states that all of her friends pet, smoke, and drink
but she does not. This greatly affects her popularity as none of the boys (Blanchard) liked her.
The practice of pre marital sex greatly increases in the 1920s. Before, people would only
have sex when they felt they were with the person they were probably going to marry. The
creation/improvement of the condom helped people of the 1920s practice pre-marital sex
without the high risk of pregnancy. While the eventual creation of the birth control further
decreased the chances of having a pre-marital pregnancy.
The next most significant change in perception of relationships occurs in the late 1990s
and early 2000s. At this point in time relationships are very common and are defined as a way to
hopefully find the correct partner; however, relationships were beginning to be taken from a
different point of view. As society began to fall into a situation where living condition were very
important people began to put off relationships until everything was settled. People began to care
about their career and their future more than finding the perfect love as soon as possible. As
stated in Frank D. Finchams book Romantic Relationships in Emerging Adulthood, two women
in their twenties, edited a collection of essays by their age-peers reflecting on growing up at the
turn of the millennium (Fincham). What they found was very interesting and revolutionary.
They stated that society now has the freedom and purpose to create and redefine ourselves,
figuring out who we want to be takes a long time (Fincham). In other words people were putting
off relationships to discover their own identity. Apparently at the turn of the century getting
married during our early twenties (Fincham) was less common. There were many reasons that
accompanied the fact that relationships were being put off for individual progress such as the
wanting to pursue a higher education or stabilization of a job. Observers have attributed some of
these societal changes particularly the delays in marriage and childbearing to increased
participation in higher education and the pursuit of high paying, information-age jobs
(Fincham). Finchams book also takes a good look at the contrast between relationships of earlier
times against relationship of the new century. Young people of the 1950s are described as
people who were eager to enter adulthood and settle down achieving the stability of
marriage, home, and children seemed like a great accomplishment to them (Fincham). This
shows that the mindset of the young people during the 1950s was focused on creating a family
and settling down. In contrast, Fincham goes on to state that recent generations have no such
motivation, preferring instead to retain their lifestyles of independence and spontaneity for
longer amounts of time (Fincham). In the current society there is the greater want or need for a
significant future. People want a better life and believe that without higher education or a high
paying job they wont get that better life. Thus they focus their time and effort on creating a
stable future before finding a suitable partner. A prime example in todays society of a
population that is focusing solely on creating a better life is the society in Japan. In present time
Japan has a negative population, instead of growing their population is decreasing. The number
of old people outnumbers the number of the new younger generation. The number of single
people has reached a record high. A survey in 2011 found that 61% of unmarried men and 49%
of women aged 18-34 were not in any kind of romantic relationship (Haworth). It has been
documented that these people are putting off their love lives to pursue their careers or education.
They believe that it is a waste of time, that it is too troublesome. Women especially believe
that it is a large waste of time putting effort into a relationship. The status of a relationship has
completely been changed compared to the way they were viewed 100+ years ago.
The change in how relationships are viewed has taken a somewhat 180 degree turn.
During the 1920s the pursuit of a relationship was exciting and new. People were going out and
exploring the new idea that pre-marital relationships could be established. This was established
through inventions such as the condom but also through a change of mindset by the youth
generation at that time. As time passed the idea of settling down with a family was the primary
goal of being in a relationship no matter how young or old. Then the turn of the century comes
and the perception of a relationship takes a complete 180 degree turn. Now the primary goal of
people is to establish a stable future then find the perfect partner. People are pursuing higher
education and high paying jobs rather than looking for a relationship. As time progresses, there
are situations in society, like Japan, where population is decreasing due to the very low birth rate.
The mindset of people in Japan is the sole focus on a future without relationships because they
hinder potential. It is safe to say that the perception of relationships has been altered. People still
do want to settle down and create a family however that is not considered priority number 1.












Works Cited
Cobbs, Hoffman Elizabeth, Edward J. Blum, and Jon Gjerde. Major Problems in American History:
Documents and Essays / Edited by Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman, Edward J. Blum, Jon
Gjerde. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.

Fincham, Frank D., and Ming Cui. Romantic Relationships in Emerging Adulthood. Cambridge [U.K.:
Cambridge UP, 2011. Print.

Haworth, Abigail. "Why Have Young People in Japan Stopped Having Sex?" The Guardian. N.p., 19
Oct. 2013. Web. 01 Nov. 2013.