[originaltext] In societies in which individuals choose their own partners,

In societies in which individuals choose their own partners, young people typically dote before marriage. Dating is the process of spending time with future partners to become familiar with each other. Dates may take place in groups or between just two persons. When doting becomes more serious it may be called as engagement. Couples usually spend some period of time engaged before they marry. A woman who is engaged is known as the man’s fiancee, and the man is known as the woman’s fiance. Men will give an engagement ring to their fiancee as a symbol of the agreement to marry.
    In the past, dating and engagement were special stages in the selection of a future husband or wife. Each stage represented an increasing level of promise and closeness. Although this remains true to some degree, since the 1960s these stages have tended to mix with one another.
    In general, people tend to dote and many people with whom they have characteristics in common. Characteristics that couples tend to share include race, religion, economic status, age, and the social status of their parents.
    In the United States, marital similarity has increased for some aspects and decreased for others in recent years. People seek partners who are from similar background. For example, an individual is more likely to many someone who has a similar mount of education. At the same time, Americans are less likely to require that the partners they want to marry have similar religion or social class. However, they still tend to marry someone of the same race. For instance, marriages between African Americans and whites make up less than 1 percent of all marriages in the United States.