▁and ▁economic ▁concerns ▁still ▁occasionally ▁played ▁a ▁role ▁in ▁engag ements , ▁they ▁decre ased ▁in ▁importance . ▁M ixed ▁mar ri ages , ▁while ▁still ▁st ig mat ized , ▁were ▁more ▁common ▁in ▁California ▁due ▁to ▁the ▁diverse ▁pool ▁of ▁women ▁in ▁which ▁white ▁women ▁were ▁a ▁small ▁minor ity . ▁Women ▁also ▁found ▁it ▁easier ▁to ▁get ▁a ▁divor ce ▁in ▁California ▁than ▁elsewhere ▁as ▁the ▁jud ges ▁seemed ▁to ▁want ▁to ▁increase ▁the ▁number ▁of ▁women ▁in ▁the ▁marriage able ▁" pool ". ▁As ▁divor c ées , ▁these ▁women ▁did ▁not ▁receive ▁the ▁negative ▁public ▁scr ut iny ▁sometimes ▁evident ▁elsewhere ▁because ▁divor ce ▁was ▁often ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁new ▁Californ ian ▁culture . ▁El ig ible ▁women ▁usually ▁had ▁several ▁propos als ▁for ▁marriage ▁in ▁a ▁short ▁time . ▁ ▁Starting ▁in ▁the ▁mid - 1 8 5 0 s , ▁people ▁began ▁to ▁sett le ▁into ▁their ▁traditional ▁roles , ▁m ores ▁and ▁economic ▁classes ▁and ▁abandoned ▁non - trad itional ▁gender ▁roles . ▁Many ▁l one ▁men ▁sent ▁for ▁their ▁families ▁and ▁middle - class ▁American ▁mor ality ▁re - emer ged ▁as ▁the ▁number ▁of ▁middle - class ▁w ives ▁and ▁families ▁increased . ▁It ▁is ▁estimated ▁that ▁about ▁ 3 0 % ▁of ▁the ▁male ▁min ers ▁were ▁married ▁men ▁who ▁had ▁left ▁their ▁families ▁to ▁try ▁their ▁luck ▁in ▁California . ▁Many ▁men ▁returned ▁to ▁their ▁homes ▁but ▁many ▁others ▁transferred ▁their ▁families ▁to ▁California ▁and ▁stayed . ▁The ▁infl ux ▁of