Dating has always been transactional. They just reached the end goal (marriage) much faster than modern times. Dudes would bring their biggest cows to their potential in-laws to prove they can take care of their daughters. Those meaty animals are the equivalent of a modern man earning a six figure salary or more.

I saw a docuseries about the Amish. When they discussed what would look like, they showed a teenage boy who invited a girl to ride in his decorated horse carriage. That’s the equivalent of a modern guy picking up his date in a fancy sports car. The Amish boy just did the 18th century version of showing off lol.

Nowadays people date for a good time (sex on the first/second/third date), not a long time (marriage). And nowadays, parents are less involved in their children’s dating lives. Parents usually don’t get the introduction until months (sometimes years) after the boyfriend/girlfriend title has been established.