I think a big part of relationship failure is a lack of sharing in todays world.

When my father came home from WW11, my folks had virtually nothing, but their clothes & a few pots & plates. At 34 & 37 they started life with a 5 year old kid & sweet stuff all.

It wasn't a matter of going shopping for furniture, if dad didn't make it we didn't have it. Mum made clothes, sheets, pillowslips, curtains & all the things you could not get in shops, & we couldn't have afforded if you could.

They bought an old broken down lounge. With no idea of what they were doing they repaired it, & recovered it. It took a few weeks. The old Singer treadle sewing machine struggled, & you couldn't buy the right clouts/nails, but they were so proud of the thing when done.

Dad built the house, with me now 10 supposedly helping. It was a small pretty crummy house, with a hose running from the laundry copper to the bath. Bath heaters were expensive, when they were occasionally available. Lots wasn't available. It took 2 years for us to get to the top of the list & actually get a couple of small rainwater tanks. Until then it was well water or none.

All this shared struggle was the cement that bound them together. That struggle may have destroyed relationships for weaker people, but I think mostly it was a good thing.

Feminism didn't have much place in that world, it was mostly couples together against the world, rather than each other. Any success was a win for the couple, not him or her. We may have more money today, but I think we were richer back then.

Hasbeen,
Before the 1970's about 30% of homes were self built by people with no qualifications, now it's pretty much impossible unless you can do the work yourself and pay registered people to sign it off.
Given the modern construction methods you'd think it'd be easier not harder to self build, I mean you can get all your frames and trusses pre made, cladding, lining,insulating, plumbing and roofing are all easy and if you're keen the electrics and the concreting can be done once you get the hang of it.

pay registered people to sign it off.
Jay of melbourne,
You've identified one problem already.

Hasbeen I too can remember this days, although the house my dad built was built when I was two, so I domt really remember that, except for what I've been told, or shown on old photos.

The other huge difference is that while my brother and sisters plate may not have matched mine, nobody cared, as my parents would after say, were not teying to keep up with the Jones's.

Trouble is, these days so many young ones want to be the Jones's.

There is, and always will be a yawning chasm between feminine and feminist.

Door ceremonies...hmmm was always brought up that because ladies (not those "wimmin" things mind you) had stuff in their arms e.g. like kids/washing/bags of shopping etc... you opened the car door, the house door, the shop door (before auto doors) wherever you may have been, for that person.

One time a few years ago I opened a door for a woman in a shop to be answered by the comment "How quaint..." as she slimed past me.
To which I answered..."Sorry I thought I had opened the door for a lady...seems I was mistaken...!"