Give and Take with a Capital G & T - Life stories of 20th century marriage

How much has marriage changed since the mid-20th century? These fascinating interviews of women (and some men) of over 75, many of whom were married in World War 2, cover both heartening stories of long marriages with ups and downs and horror stories as well.

One woman stood up in court and admitted adultery but it was her husband who had gone off with someone else. She wanted to protect his career in the army. Divorce was very difficult for a woman - she could lose her children and be left penniless. It was also frowned upon, whoever was at fault, and some women found that they were shunned by society. One was told 'We can't possibly babysit for you, you're divorced’.

Many felt that they were happier in their day when roles were more defined and the man tended to be the breadwinner and the one in charge, but the women wouldn’t turn the clock back on equality. Almost all felt that equality for women was ‘only right’, ‘deserved’ and ‘a good thing’. And almost without exception they were scathing about relationships today – ‘People get fed up with each other after five minutes and they’re off!’.
They all felt that the remedy for a good marriage was ‘give and take’.