Reemergence of the Youth Culture.

High-School Dating.

High-school attendance rose dramatically after the war, and student culture defined dating rituals for the great majority of teenagers. High-school cliques regulated dating by defining the proper choice of partners and proper behavior on dates. The high-school social order differed by gender: boys who were star athletes were most admired, while a girl's prestige was measured by her popularity with boys. With adolescents heading eagerly toward marriage at younger ages, dating was a delicate dance orchestrated by the girl. A girl tried to attract boys subtly. Her cardinal rule was never to let a boy know she was chasing him, but to let him think he had "caught" her. Membership in a clique of popular teenagers enhanced a girl's value on the dating market, since nothing impressed boys more than a girl who was...