ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides the primary evidence on the degree of constancy or change in dating and mating in urban America. It shows many of these same dating and mate choice experiences in a different way. The book provides one important remaining issue about the process of mate choice and how that process has changed over time: an examination of who married whom, in terms of things such as class origin, educational levels, race, religion, and national origin. It introduces material on the actual marriage experiences and marriage relationships of the women we interviewed. The book examines the fates of all of the first marriages of women in the Detroit study. It presents a report on the results of a survey of mate choice and marriage experiences of women in the greater Detroit area.
