The Institute for Family Studies(@FamStudies):It was not so long ago that Americans generally agreed about the pace, direction, and progression of courtship, writes @dcoxpolls You meet someone through mutual friends, family, or at work, you spend time together, begin formally dating, and then enter into a relationship on the way to a more permanent commitment, which was most often marriage. Not too long after came kids. The purpose of dating was to find a single person with whom to build a family. However imperfectly a couple might come together, the relational goals of marriage and family formation helped establish clear parameters. Increasingly, these goals are being called into question.

The Institute for Family Studies@FamStudies

2026.10.26 12:01

It was not so long ago that Americans generally agreed about the pace, direction, and progression of courtship, writes @dcoxpolls You meet someone through mutual friends, family, or at work, you spend time together, begin formally dating, and then enter into a relationship on the way to a more permanent commitment, which was most often marriage. Not too long after came kids. The purpose of dating was to find a single person with whom to build a family. However imperfectly a couple might come together, the relational goals of marriage and family formation helped establish clear parameters. Increasingly, these goals are being called into question.