Courtship
Period of couple familiarization before marriage or committed relationship.
Courtship is the period during which some couples become familiar with each other prior to a possible marriage or committed relationship. It traditionally may begin after a betrothal and conclude with the celebration of marriage, and can be informal and private or a formal arrangement with family approval. As a social practice, courtship is a relatively recent phenomenon, emerging only within the last few centuries, and is linked with institutions such as marriage and the family, which have changed rapidly due to advances in technology and medicine.
- field
- Sociology, Anthropology
- known_for
- Period of couple familiarization before marriage or committed relationship
- related_institutions
- Marriage, Family
- earliest_recorded_emergence
- Within the last few centuries
- typical_duration_UK
- 2 years 11 months (first meeting to proposal); 2 years 3 months (proposal to wedding)
Lore & Background
Historically, marriages in most societies were arranged by parents and older relatives with goals of legacy, economic stability, and political alliances, leaving little need for a courtship period. During much of recorded history and into the Middle Ages in Europe, marriages were seen as business arrangements, with romance occurring outside marriage discreetly. The 12th-century book The Art of Courtly Love advised that 'True love can have no place between husband and wife,' and clandestine meetings outside marriage are considered precursors to modern courtship.
Reader's Guide
Courtship's significance lies in its evolution from a largely absent practice in arranged-marriage societies to a central social ritual in many modern cultures. In the 20th century, courtship became sometimes seen as a precursor to marriage or as an end-in-itself, akin to friendship, and occurred at various life stages as divorce became more common. Rapidly developing technology—telephone, Internet, text messaging, and cars—expanded courtship possibilities, while birth control and safer abortion reduced pressure to marry for sexual reasons. Today, courtship continues to evolve with online courtship, and the institution of marriage is changing widely, with pair bonds formed without intention of reproduction and same-sex and transgender couples increasingly recognized. However, courtship varies considerably by nation, custom, religious upbringing, technology, and social class, and many countries still practice arranged marriages, request dowries, and forbid same-sex pairings.
Did You Know?
- The 12th-century book The Art of Courtly Love advised that 'True love can have no place between husband and wife'.
- In the United Kingdom, a poll found the average duration between first meeting and accepted proposal of marriage is 2 years and 11 months.
- In Japan, a type of courtship called Omiai involves parents hiring a matchmaker to provide pictures and résumés of potential mates.
- Neurobiologist Robert Sapolsky placed humans in the middle of a reproductive spectrum between tournament species and pair bond arrangements.
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