This excerpt from Lazarsfeld & Stouffer (1937) investigates how the Great Depression affected marriage patterns, intermarriage, sexual norms, and family-related behaviors. Drawing on statistical series, state marriage certificates, census data, diocesan records, and health reports, the authors document a marked decline in marriage rates during the Depression years, followed by a sharp rebound in the recovery period. They argue that marriage decisions were shaped not only by immediate economic hardship but also by altered expectations of social mobility and occupational security. Analyses suggest differential declines across occupational and regional groups, with the most pronounced effects among those whose advancement prospects and job stability were both undermined. This chapter further explores shifts in marriage legislation, cross-border “runaway” marriages, religious and ethnic intermarriage (especially among Catholics and Italian Americans), and the relative frequency of civil versus religious ceremonies. Evidence indicates that the Depression widened gender asymmetries in interfaith marriage and accelerated interethnic unions in some immigrant communities. Turning to sexual mores, the authors consider whether economic strain encouraged premarital cohabitation, increased “forced” marriages tied to pregnancy, and altered patterns of prostitution, juvenile sex delinquency, and related moral regulation. By situating empirical statistics within broader sociocultural dynamics, the study highlights how economic crises disrupt family formation and reshape prevailing norms of sexuality and marriage. It also underlines methodological challenges of studying social change in times of upheaval, including limited and inconsistent data sources. Ultimately, the authors conclude that the Depression exerted both temporary and possibly lasting pressures on the structure of marriage and sexual conduct in the United States.