Marriage in the 1950s and 60s | From wedding vows to happily ever after?
CHANNEL | BBC 2
FIRST BROADCAST | 16 September 1964
DURATION | 39 minutes 37 seconds
FIRSTBROADCAST
1964
A variety of couples throughout the country describe the modern landscape of married life in Britain with informed comment from a psychologist, a sociologist and a research psychiatrist. Explore the brave new suburban world of Pat and Dickie, who are living on a freshly built estate in Berkshire with its detached houses, social dislocation and house-bound wives club, and contrast this with Walter Fife's description of family life in the tenements of the Gorbals.
Which qualities helped to make an 'ideal' 1950s wife?
A 'day in the life' of three married couples.
Will changing the divorce law make Britain more 'divorce minded'?

The social changes affecting marriage in post-war UK life.
The good, the bad and the purpose of marriage in the 1960s.
Is marriage out of date or does it still have relevance in modern society?
The movers and shakers of 1965 on women and marriage.
Why are modern couples rejecting traditional values?
How children have altered the lives of young married couples.
Some of the reasons for the breakdown of marriage are explored.
Life after divorce in the 1960s.
An invitation to the wedding of Norma and Barry - and Diana and Tim.
Why are white shirts and shiny floors the sign of a good woman?
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