Dating mating and marriage

Forbidding experimental and serial courtship and sanctioning only arranged matches is partly a means of guarding the chastity of young people and partly a matter of furthering family interests, which, in such cultures, may be considered more important than individual romantic preferences.Throughout history, courtship has often included traditions such as exchanging valentines, written correspondence (which was facilitated by the creation of the postal service in the nineteenth century), and similar communication-based courting.Courtship is used by a number of theorists to explain gendering processes and sexual identity.Scientific research into courtship began in the 1980s after which time academic researchers started to generate theories about modern dating practices and norms.Traditionally, in the case of a formal engagement, it has been perceived that it is the role of a male to actively "court" or "woo" a female, thus encouraging her to understand him and her receptiveness to a marriage proposal.The average duration of courtship varies considerably throughout the world.

Courtship always has marriage as its direct goal...Furthermore, there is vast individual variation between couples.Courtship may be completely omitted, as in cases of some arranged marriages where the couple do not meet before the wedding.It is complex in that it involves stages, and it is considered normal for courtship to last a year or longer.It is common to see the male showing off by sending love letters and love poems, singing romantic songs, and buying gifts for the female.

Before entering marriage, a lot of Australian couples like to live with each other to get an idea of what married life would be like.