Love Conquers Class Constraints

In the 17th and 18th centuries, a shift began to occur where love started to play a significant role in marriage, exemplified by Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice.' This period marked the emergence of the concept of love matches, especially among men, who faced fewer constraints regarding social class when choosing a partner. Men could pursue romantic relationships with women of lower social standing due to their ability to earn wages, while women remained bound by societal expectations to marry according to their family's wishes and financial stability. As a result, men were often more romantic in courtship than women, leading to a transformative view of marriage that gained traction in the United States by the late 19th century.