Mate Selection

Evolution of Mate Selection and Demographic Trends

The evolution of mate selection can be seen throughout the history of the United States. In colonial times, a man who wished to court a woman had to ask for her father's permission, be introduced to the family, and had to have a chap-erone for all interactions. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the industrial revolution and changes in the social position of women led to the emergence of dating, as individuals arranged times and places to meet outside of the home. In the middle of the 20th century, dating became formalized with role-based scripts, and relationships generally followed an orderly progression toward marriage.

In early studies on mate selection conducted during the middle of the 20th century, the term mate selection was used to describe an individual's selection of the initial marital partner and the progress of a romantic relationship toward marriage. Most of these studies were based on the idea of a courtship continuum that began with the first meeting and advanced through dating, going steady, courtship, and engagement, progressing to marriage.

More recently, however, the term mate selection has been broadened in the research to include non-marital, romantic relationships, such as cohabiting relationships. The focus of research on mate selection has subsequently moved from relationship formation and progress toward marriage to the study of relational characteristics and phenomena in various close and romantic relationships. Although there may be many potential reasons for this shift in the focus of the research, some possibilities include a change in the meaning of marriage and three demographic trends, the delay in marital timing, the growing prevalence of cohabitation, and the increase in nonmarital fertility.

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