Most families now aren't worried about their girls being thrown on the street because there is no son.

And most families aren't obsessed with getting their daughters married in the age of 16

I don't think of their life stories or the events as very modern. This was written and set back in a time before women could have careers, and marrying well was their only chance of survival. But I do think that the individual characters' personalities are those we can still relate to today. The lifestyle is dated but the characters are timeless!