How Senior Dating Has Changed Since the 70s

How has senior dating changed since the 1970s? To answer this, let's take a trip down memory lane, and examine the trends of the 1970s.

The No-Fault Law

The 70s were tumultuous times for relationships. In 1969, the Governor of California, Ronald Regan, signed into law the no-fault law. The law made filing divorces easier, by allowing any spouse to terminate the marriage for any reason and no reason at all. According to the law, it was not necessary to find fault or innocence for a person to end the marriage.

During the 70s, other states followed suit, and the laws on divorce became lenient across the country. What followed was a spike in the number of divorces. The percentage of divorces from 1960 to 1980 double from 9.2 divorces per 1,000 women to 22.6 divorces per 1000 women.

Gender Rights

Women had less freedom than they enjoy nowadays. To obtain a credit card, the woman's husband or father, had to act as the primary. But, this changed in 1974, after the Senate passed the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.

It was also the age of sexual revolution, labeled the Swinging Seventies. Women had sexual freedom due to improved birth control and the legalization of abortions.

Dating Among Seniors 1970s

The social scene back in the 70s was one without many single seniors. Divorce rates were low, and the importance of preserving the traditional household was stressed. Women had less economic empowerment and relied on their husbands in many aspects. Therefore, they could endure troubled marriages.

To connect with other singles; seniors would have to rely on referrals, meetups, or accidentally bumping into a romantic prospect. You could say that funerals were ideal places for picking up the ladies.

Another way to find romantic partners was through the classifieds in newspapers. Men could place personal ads, expressing who they were, what they had to offer and details of the ideal partner they were looking for. They also included their contact information for interested ladies to find them.

Modern Dating Among Singles in the 21st Century

Senior Dating has undergone a revolution since the 70s and beyond. Finding a mate in your sunset years only requires a few minutes of your time, an internet connection, and a computer.

In this modern time, age does not matter. Back in the 70s, dating your age was the expected mode of conduct and sugar daddy relationships of today were taboos. Presently, men past the age of 50, have the option of dating someone 20-30 years less their age, without any eyebrows raised.

There are many elderly singles compared, thanks to the improved medical care. In the US males can expect to live to 76.4 and 81.2 for females. Back in 1970, the life expectancy for men was 67.1 years, and 74.7 years for women. The population was at 205.1 million compared to 323.1 million in 2016.

Finally

The no-fault registration of the 70s has a bearing on current divorce rates in the US, with 18 million being the number of unmarried U.S. residents 65 and older in 2014. There are other factors to blame such as the death of a spouse, but finding love nowadays is way easier.