Who here is old enough to remember when men saw it as honorable to propose only when they knew they could support a household that included the young children that were likely to follow?
And honorable women of course would prepare to live modestly, if need be, for a husband they loved and committed to.
The expectation was that even men with little education could and would work themselves up from minimum wage work by being conscientious and reliable employees.
Those were the “good old days”, and compared to what is ahead, these are the good old days.