by Kaius

One thing that is immediately clear from such working-class writing is the fact that most ordinary people were not leading celibate lives in the years before marriage. Although middle- and upper-class families supervised their children’s courtships closely, the goings-on of young couples who worked for a living were almost wholly unsupervised. Not only did they initiate their own relationships they also enjoyed considerable latitude when it came to spending time together in the hours after work.