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Through the Years

From looking back on the last 50 years of Can This Marriage Be Saved? columns, it's clear that while the specifics of the story change from month to month, the underlying issues that can shake the foundation of a marriage -- be it in 1953 or 2003 -- remain fundamentally the same. Still, the temper of the times has affected the way marriage has evolved over the last five decades. Here's a quick look back:

The '50s

Back in the love-honor-and-obey 50s, spouses largely shared the same view of marriage. Most wives stayed at home; their husbands were the undisputed breadwinners -- and the fact that they controlled the purse-strings meant that they wielded most of the decision-making power in the family, too.