Throughout the era of postwar communist modernization, family life remained one of the most valuable values in Bulgarian society. In a 1977 survey, 96 % of women responded that "one can live a full life only if one has a family." From the beginning of the 20th century until the 1970s, the marriage rate in Bulgaria was stable at close to 10.1 % per year. The rate was slightly higher just after the two world wars. The rate fell beginning in 1980, reaching 7.2 % in 1990. Slightly more couples married in the cities than in the villages, a natural development considering the ageing of the village population. Most women married between the ages of 18 and 24, most men between 20 and 25. Village men and less educated city men typically married before they were 19. The first men to marry often were those who had completed their military service, did not plan further education, and could support themselves financially. Those who continued their education often delayed marriage until their late 20. In choosing their life partner, the less educated and those from more orthodox regions of Bulgaria sought qualities most highly valued in orthodox society: love of hard work, modesty, and good character. Among the educated classes, values such as personal respect, commonality of interests, and education were more often predominant in the choice of a life partner.

In their social planning, Bulgarian legislators usually viewed their nation's women mainly as mothers, not as workers. Besides the laws passed in an effort to increase the nation's birth rate, legislators passed laws giving certain privileges to women in the workplace, often keeping their reproductive capability in mind. Women were prohibited by law from doing heavy work or work which would adversely affect their health or their capacities as mothers. The list of prohibited jobs changed constantly, and women sought such jobs because they generally offered better pay and benefits.