Sex
and
marriage
Since the dawn of man, sex has been an integral part of life, and perhaps the most obvious sign that two people are participating in a sexually monogamous relationship is marriage. Marriage has changed in a myriad of ways since the fifties, and with the evolution of marriage, the nature of sexual relationships have also been altered.
Morality
In the 1950's, during the heat of McCarthyism and the false image of the perfect American family, the societal atmosphere seemed to be calm and very conservative, while members of the current Millennial generation seem to be slipping into rampant immorality. After all, one of the popular debates of the 1950's and 1960's was whether or not it was socially acceptable to kiss on the first date (Smith). If one was too ambitious to kiss their date, it may implicate that someone was over-zealous in their sexuality (Smith). Sexuality was extremely confined to the bedroom in the society of the 1950's, and those who stepped out of line by conceiving a child outside wedlock faced public condemnation and ridicule (Patterson).
"Dating do's and don'ts"
Premarital Sex
Although premarital sex and those who conceived illegitimate children were publicly condemned in the 1950's, one must realize that the society of this time period deceitfully conveyed a false image of what the average American was expected to accomplish with their life. In reality, there was no true difference in the values of the 1950's, at least in regards to sex, and the values of today (Patterson). The only difference was the circumstances that the members of each generation were placed in, and while members of the Millennial generation face no restrictions on their behaviors, those who lived in the 1950's were confronted with the unrelenting ideals of McCarthyism (Patterson). According to a relatively new study, more than 9 out of 10 Americans have indulged in premarital sex, and very similar high rates extend even to women who were born in the 1940's (Conroy). It seems that in the secrecy of the 1950's, a high percentage of teenagers had sex outside of marriage (Patterson). Of the Americans born in the 1940's, nearly 88 percent partook in premarital sex by age 44, and women were just as likely to have premarital sex as men were (Conroy). Comparatively, 95 percent of Americans of the Millennial generation admit to having sex outside marriage by 44 years of age (Conroy). This means that since the 1950's, the rate of incidence of premarital sex has only risen 7 percent! This fairly consistent trend shows that premarital sex is very common not only in the Millennial generation, but also in generations past. However, Millennials are waiting longer to marry, and are thus sexually active as a single for a longer period of time (Conroy).
Pregnancy Outside Marriage
As demonstrated above, the sexual habits of young Americans who lived during the 1950's are extremely similar to the sexual practices of those living in the 21st century, however, in the early sixties, only 6 percent of babies born in the US were born to unwed parents, while in more recent times, more than 30 percent of the newborn babies in the US were born to unmarried parents (Smith). This statistical disparity is the direct cause of what are referred to as "shotgun weddings". In the 1950's many young women were impregnated outside of marriage, just as many are in the 21st century, however, in the fifties, the marriage between the two was not only expected, but demanded (Patterson). "Shotgun weddings" were called this because in many cases, the father-to-be had no intention to marry, and members of the pregnant woman's family would force him into marriage at the end of a gun barrel (Patterson). However, this type of coercion was not always necessary. Many young couples who had conceived outside of marriage would marry before their family and friends could notice the pregnancy (Patterson).
Cultural Implications
Sex and marriage are two foundational building blocks for modern American society. Tampering with or altering these age old components of our society would certainly bring about cultural change both in the lives of the parents and children. A classic example of how drastic change can be when sex and marriage norms are altered is in single parenting. In the 1950's not many single women were left alone with a child after a pregnancy outside wedlock. At this time, the social norm was for a man to stay with the woman he impregnated, and more specifically, he was expected to marry that woman immediately. In the 21st century, however, this expectation is not nearly as strong as it once was. Many mothers are simple left to care for the child alone, and this change has brought about more child support payment laws to compensate.