eloping had made a woman’s ‘fallback’ position in marriage weak, as economists might put it, relative to men. The police were scary, friends were far away and had their own problems. Living alone presented risks to their safety in both small towns and large cities. Regardless of their economic circumstances, moving away from husbands and in-laws created shame, turned women into pariahs. Beyond the economics of elopement, there are emotions. Parting from parents in an acrimonious fashion was considered too painful.
