not sure what country but i think it started with arranged marraiges?

Courtship in some form has always existed. It also exists by animals. "Dating" is relatively new. "Dating is a relatively new concept. It has been so ingrained into our society that we think it is something that has existed forever. However, as this page will show, dating is an invention of the 20th century." "Courtship from 1920-1945 By 1920, the centerpiece of courtship in America was in place -- Dating. It was informal, unchaperoned, male- female interaction with no specific commitment. The rules were not established by the community, but the peer- group. The rise of the dating culture was seen as an outgrowth of both the creation of an adolescence stage of the human life cycle (which had not created as a distinct stage to this point) and the emergence of the city culture. Some have also seen this rise as coming from the emancipation of women ownership of cars, and emergence of motion pictures, all of which decreased the community control on the young couple. Regardless, the cause, dating was a fact of American culture. Dating also added something new to the courtship system, the need for money. Instead of spending time in the home, dating was "going out." Going out meant spending money. Although courtship was always tied to finances (whether the young man could support a wife and family), now this new requirement made access to money directly contingent on access to women. Dating also changed the balance of power in the courting relationship. When centered in the home, women had the power. Now that dating took the relationship outside the sphere of the home, the balance of power shifted to the man. "Rating and dating" is a term that emerged in this time. A study was done at Penn State University that discovered that dating was more based on competition than on love. The men who could afford the nice things of life had a better shot than those who could not afford those things. It was also seen that this 'rating and dating' system moved beyond the university campus to the high school campus. The most popular activities on dates during this time were dancing and movies. In the 1800's dances were primarily a group event. However, in the 1920's, this focus changed to a couple oriented event. Dancing allowed a young man and woman the excitement of physical closeness without the dangers of sex. Another major influence on dating was the automobile which allowed the couple a great deal of privacy and intimacy. As such, the practice of petting spread. It was noted that "petting parties" became common in the high schools of the 1920's. Is has been noted that dating and courtship for marriage were split during this time. Dating became a vehicle for 'getting to know' someone before settling into an exclusive pairing. Dating and courtship had different objectives. Dating focused on success and increasing one's popularity, while courtship focused on finding a mate. The roles of men and women from the 19th century continued. Men were presumed to want sex, women were expected to control this and say no. Sexual expression was liberalizing however, and relations between the sexes were characterized by greater frankness. The 1920s represented a period of sexual and social revolution unmatched till the 1960's. Premarital intercourse was on the rise. This was especially so with the additional pressure dating and money bore on the woman. The man spent money and expected something in return. Even so, most women who engaged in premarital sex did so only with the man they were going to marry. Virginity, while still desirable in a bride, was no longer a requirement. The Depression and World War II somewhat disrupted the 'rating and dating' system. Courtship activities were literally placed on hold for college-age youth, but younger youth still continued these social patterns. The changes in the world at large had a profound impact on courtship after World War II." Source and further information: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/5894/datinghistory.html Further information: - "Dating, Mating and Relating: Dating and Courtship in Modern Society": http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/reflections/FinalArticles/DatingMatingandRelating.D.html - "The History of Dating": http://www.verticalthought.org/vt/vt02/historydating.htm - "Finding true love: A look at the history of dating": http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6967668/ - "a-brief-history-of-dating": http://totalkornottotalk.wordpress.com/2007/03/02/a-brief-history-of-dating/ - "What exactly is Post Modern Dating? Let's take a look back at history": http://postmoderndating.com/content/blogsection/9/44/ - "The History Of Dating": http://www.50connect.co.uk/home_and_family/relationships/relationships_archives/the_history_of_dating http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dating_(activity%29