Marriage is one of the oldest cultural institutions in the world. Its status has changed dramatically over the years, and only in the last few decades has it gone from being a social expectation to a simple option for most people. In the 1920s, marriage was generally considered an expectation for all young women, lest they dry up like cacti before having children. Today, marriage is generally recognized as a commitment that can satisfy some, although many choose to forgo this process. The differences between the cultural perception of marriage in the “Roaring Twenties” versus today have manifested themselves in many different ways. Marriage in the 1920s was less of an option and more of an expectation. Despite a decline in marriage rates compared to previous decades, marriage was still widely regarded as a social norm, albeit a wavering one. Couples were much more reluctant to divorce, and many saw marriage as a commitment that demonstrated their maturity and adulthood. Compared to what is probably the peak of post-World War II marriage rates in America, the 1920s saw more than two-thirds of the number of marriages. While the highest annual marriage rate in the mid-1940s peaked at 143 marriages per 1,000 single women, by the 1920s the marriage rate averaged 99 per 1,000 single women (Shiono 16). Additionally, divorce rates for women born in 1920 were quite modest by today's standards. At age 55, the chance of divorce for these women was approximately 27% (Shiono 20). Marriage today is a very different story. The controversy over marriage today is much more evident than it was almost a century ago, in the 1920s. Not only are divorce rates at 40% for young adult women (Shiono 20), but early marriage… middle of paper… S. Quinn. “National Trends in Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage.” Children and Divorce 4.1 (1994): 16-21. Print.http://futureofchildren.org/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=63&articleid=408§ionid=2781Works Cited “An Overview of Federal Rights and Protections Granted Married Couples.” Human rights campaign. Human Rights Campaign, nd Web. 12 Dec. 2013.Battista, Marni. “Has Marriage Become an Obsolete Institution?” Your Tango. Tango Media Corporation, 2013. Web. December 11, 2013. Bennett, Jessica. “The Case Against Marriage.” Newsweek. Newsweek, June 11, 2010. Web. December 11, 2013. Nauert, Rick, Ph.D. “Is Marriage Obsolete?” Psychological center. Psych Central, January 19, 2012. Web. December 12, 2013. Shiono, Patricia H., and Linda S. Quinn. “National Trends in Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage.” Children and Divorce 4.1 (1994): 16-21. Press.