Question: Why did Mary's parents have an arranged marriage? If her father is around the same age as the actor who plays him, then he was born in the 1930s. Probably got married in the '50s. Were arranged marriages still common in Italian families?
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Answer: In the early-to-mid-20th century, arranged marriages were not uncommon in immigrant families. Ethnic groups tended to prefer matrimony within their own culture to preserve religious beliefs, old traditions, and way of life, especially as immigrants became increasingly dispersed and the American population grew more blended through inter-marriages. While a family could not legally force their children to marry, they could exert tremendous pressure to do so. Also, people did not always wed for love but for more practical reasons and relied on families to help arrange a suitable match. For women, it was often about finding a good provider, raise a family, and having a certain social status. Men preferred an attractive woman from a suitable family, who would be a good homemaker, provide children, and support them in their careers.
raywest ★