Trends are made by aggregation of individuals. If you want to talk about history, you need to address arranged marriages as the norm for centuries. Arranged marriage was decided for women by the men in the family, usually the father. That is where the custom of asking for a hand in marriage. The women might literally hate the man and still be forced to marry. And men many times decided who to marry based on a dowry or social status. So talking about history might not give you the answers you seek.
Now, lets talk about "larger societal scale". If you look at what girls and women like, you might find men like Titanic (beautiful young DiCaprio playing a poor but romantic artist, so not the Typical masculine blablabla. He was more a Larry than whatever), then you have the vampires of Twilight (which also favoured beautiful men rather than strong bad boys) and then you have K-pop bands beautiful, know how to dance.
Maybe you need to understand that I'm focusing on a larger trend: women looking at several traits at the same time instead of a unidimensional idea of "nice guy/bad boy". That is the larger trend. Women with different tastes choosing acording those tastes instead of being forced to marry by need like old times.
It is false that there are no rules for courtship. There are rules. Inf act there are different sets of rules for conservative people, for progressives and for different ages. The problem people like her or you have is that you are unable to look at the specific girl/woman in front of you and say "umm, she looks as a feminist that likes books" and court based on that. You pretend that the old rules, created to impress fathers work as well with the daughters now as they worked before. The new rules are simple and intuitive and many young people know them. Some are as simple as "not insult the other people2 (but some PUAs have decided that negging is better so they insult the woman they like and not surprisingly it goes bad). Other rules are about where it is not threatening to approach and where such approach would be welcome. And again, many men and women do know which places are this. There is also rules about how you have to behave at tinder and other dating apps. But if you insist on sending Dick pics for whatever reason, no wonder you fail. Sure, it might give the man a rush and maybe make him feel powerful, but he might end blocked. It is not that there are no rules, it is that men doesn't like the rules and pretend to not follow them and still be succesful.
Let me explain something that for me is obvious, rules are constantly changing because people change. But people constantly adapt if they want to. The problem men face is not about "not knowing the rules", is about not being the only ones who make them. Now the fathers doesn't decide for the women and women learn about tricks and manipulations from men. But that is not new, it always have been like this. After all, Ginevra married Arthur because their parents said so, but cheated with Lancelot because she liked him better (yes, is myth, but noble women having poets and musicians to entertain them and having afair is known).
- There has always been men who failed. It is not new. Before the men who failed where the men that the fathers didn't liked. Usually poor men. There are also women who are left out. And many men who fail now, do so because they rather be liked by other men who cheer on them for sending dick pics than have a date. This is an example, but there are plenty of behaviour that show the men do know the rules, they just don't like to follow them.
- Women take their pick based on their preferences. Some would be tricked, then they would learn or not. And some would pick well. But at least now they get to pick instead of getting stuck with whatever their father choose. And if they pick wrong, they can break up or divorce. Same for men. But let me tell you something, many women do pick right. Sure, those guys are insulted by other men and got called beta, unmaly, estrogen laden men... Whatever. But those men exist and aren't boring. By the way, some women also play the algorythms.
- Marriages are down because those aren't as important as before and women don't want to marry as much as before. Since they can work, they no longer need the legal protection of marriage. No big deal.
- Women tend to marry someone from their social circle with similar social status. Since there is a wage gap, it is easy that men earn a little more. Once children are born, women are usually the ones taking the hit in their career. But that doesn't mean hypergamy was the reason the men usually makes more. You confuse result of dynamics with preferences. Many women would be happy with house husband that are really supportive and doesn't sulk because that. But that is difficult to find (and most couples need tow incomes).
- Social media and dating apps make easy to meet people. Women doesn't have an inflates sense of what type of guy they can get, they prefer being alone than with someone they don't like. And since men don't like "sluts", they reject a lot. Women do know the types of guys they can settle with, but many times we don't like them. And we choose single rather than settling. Men aren't competing with 666 men, they are competing with being single.
- People need money to live, of course they care about having careers.
- So basically women need to suck it up and marry and have many children to support old people that considered inferior to men... umm, maybe old people need to pay for caretakers? Or maybe men need to step up and become caregivers? The planet can sustain a constantly growing population, so lower child rates are not the problem you think it is IF you change the way economy is structured. It is not women problem to mantain profits for companies. Or to care for old people while men live their lives.
- Your comment on child support show why it is better that birth rates are low. Caring for a children is expensive. Sending the child to a good school and offering a good live for them is expensive. And the work to care for them is quite undervalued (you are assuming that is free and that women should just do it).
So the trends are showing that. Women and men like the author and you don't value young women. But those women value themselves and prefer to be single than accepting your model. You haven't adapted, so you remain single.
The previous generations you talk about, didn't have rights for women and forced them to marry as one of the few ways to survive since they didn't have their own income. Single women strugle to survive. The previous men have it easy because of that, but women had it worse. Now men still have it easy, but they need to accept that they aren't the only ones making the courtship rules anymore.
By the way, many people enjoy being single. And some are polyamory. Or in gay couples. Change is normal, if you want dates, adapt. Other people have already done that.
