Stop Pressuring Women to Marry (There Aren't Many Good Men Anyway!)
My mother was a Betty Friedan loving feminist, raising me to believe that not only were women AS good as men, they were probably BETTER. It's a life-lesson that's saved me from dating too many losers, too many lousy lovers, and too many people who simply weren't worth it. I was as shocked as she was that she was actually -- and still is -- married, as she's the sort of woman who doesn't need a man.
Which meant that I was as surprised as the next person when I found myself waltzing up the aisle in a puffy white dress back in 2005. I'd never been the sort to fantasize about my future wedding or future husband. In fact, I'd spent that time fantasizing about how I was going to conquer the world or what I'd name my robot monkey butler.
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Recently, I came across several articles recently that echoed those lessons my mother imparted upon me: women are settling less and achieving more.
Since the downturn of the economy in 2007, men are increasingly jobless. The pool of men you'd actually want to marry has gone from a large, cavernous ocean to a puddle in a parking lot. The amount of male deadbeats are rising as the number of playboys are growing, leaving we women to decide, is marriage actually WORTH it?
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After all, women hold 51.4 percent of all professional and managerial positions (neatly doubled since 1980) and they earn 60 percent of all bachelor's and master's degrees. Being a single woman is no longer seen as a death sentence, and frankly, many prefer to live their lives alone. We have, as Gloria Steinem once said, "become the men we wanted to marry."
What does this mean for marriage? I certainly don't think marriage is a dying institution. I think it's simply time for society to reexamine marriage as the apex of existence.
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Diamonds may still be a girl's best friend, but I've learned how much sweeter they look when I've bought them myself.
My husband would agree.
Do you think society puts too much pressure on women to marry?
Image via Aunt Becky
Written by Aunt Becky on CafeMom's blog, The Stir.
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