The horse and carriage is a thing of the past, but love and marriage are still with us and still closely interrelated. Most American marriages,
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first marriages uniting young people, are the result of mutual attraction and affection
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than practical considerations.
In the United States, parents do not
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marriages for their children. Teenagers usually find mates through their own academic and social
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and begin dating in high school.
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young people feel free to choose their friends from
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groups, most choose a mate of similar
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This is due in part to parental guidance. Parents cannot
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spouses (配偶) for their children, but they can usually
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choices by voicing disapproval of someone they consider unsuitable.
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, marriages between members of different groups (interclass, interfaith, and interracial marriage) are
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, probably because of greater mobility of today"s youth and the fact that they are
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by fewer prejudices than their parents. Many young people leave their hometowns to attend college, serve in the armed forces,
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pursue a career in a bigger city. Once away from home and family, they are more
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to date and marry outside their own social group.
In mobile American society, interclass marriages are neither
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nor astonishing. Interfaith marriages are
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the rise, especially between Protestants and Catholics. On the other hand, interracial marriages are still very
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It can be difficult for interracial couples to find a place to live, maintain friendships, and
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a family. Marriages between people of different national
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(but the same race and religion) have been commonplace here
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colonial times.