Historically, in many societies, marriage was often an economic necessity for women. Women frequently had limited access to higher education, many professions, independent bank accounts, property ownership, or credit. As a result, marriage was not only about romance it was often the primary route to financial security and social acceptance.
Today women may place greater emphasis on compatibility, shared values, and emotional connection because they are less financially dependent on marriage. Men and women alike often marry later than previous generations. Both sexes are generally freer to leave relationships they find unhealthy or unsatisfying.
This means that many women today have more freedom to decide whether marriage aligns with their goals, rather than feeling obligated to marry for economic survival.
Easier? Maybe to get a wife but that didn’t necessarily make her the right wife. Both sets of my grandparents were miserably married to each other for more than fifty years living within the framework you’ve described, trapped by financial and societal constraints. Married so young that by the time they realized they were fundamentally incompatible, it was already too late.
@OlderSometimesWiser I know many older couples in that same boat. It was definitely easier for men to find a partner, but it wasn’t always the right one.
My grandparents AND parents were married miserably for their entire lives. The women had no way to leave, they couldn't even consider it so they just put up with it until they died (both before their husbands). It was even hard for them to accept that I, as a woman of a different generation and with an education, COULD have choices that didn't involve being married.
So yeah, it was easier for grandpa. He could be the biggest jerk on the planet and still not get left, and have a homecooked meal every day.
