Does Marriage The Next Step Following Graduation?
| by Alena Fox | January 29, 2008
Ever since I've found myself getting older and closer to the "real world," I've noticed my group of unmarried friends diminishing. Don't get me wrong - I love a good bachelorette party just as much as the next gal and I fully believe in the sacrament of marriage; however, I don't quite understand the pressure to get married right out of college.
I was recently at a family Christmas party and after the standard questions of "What are you studying in school?" followed by the inevitable "What are you going to do with that major?" and my personal favorite, "So then, what exactly do you want to do when you graduate in May?"
I was asked a question that caused me to literally spit out my drink. My older cousin looked at me in all seriousness and asked, "So when are you getting married?" I replied just as any shocked 22-year-old would - I stared
at him, laughed and quickly walked away, trying not to make eye contact with anyone as I found the nearest exit.
I could see this question being asked if it were 20 years ago, but now, in 2008, is marriage really the next step following graduation from college? Look at how far women's rights have come since then. When my mother was my age, she had three career options: nurse, teacher or homemaker; however, despite those "options," as they called them back then, if a woman wasn't married straight out of school, she was considered a social deviant.
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I thought we had moved forward from that point in time? I was under the impression that women today didn't need to get married right out of school and that building a career and really putting your education to good use was societal norm. I suppose I am mistaken though.
Look how much equality within our society has changed; while the playing field isn't necessarily equal for men and women, it is closer than ever before. So why now, is it OK for men to stay single up until their 30s, to devote time and energy to their careers, but women aren't granted that same right and privilege? Why is it acceptable for men and women to have the same degrees and honors, but the concept of marriage and the societal norms associated with it is still decades behind?
I was recently at a family Christmas party and after the standard questions of "What are you studying in school?" followed by the inevitable "What are you going to do with that major?" and my personal favorite, "So then, what exactly do you want to do when you graduate in May?"
I was asked a question that caused me to literally spit out my drink. My older cousin looked at me in all seriousness and asked, "So when are you getting married?" I replied just as any shocked 22-year-old would - I stared
at him, laughed and quickly walked away, trying not to make eye contact with anyone as I found the nearest exit.
I could see this question being asked if it were 20 years ago, but now, in 2008, is marriage really the next step following graduation from college? Look at how far women's rights have come since then. When my mother was my age, she had three career options: nurse, teacher or homemaker; however, despite those "options," as they called them back then, if a woman wasn't married straight out of school, she was considered a social deviant.
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I thought we had moved forward from that point in time? I was under the impression that women today didn't need to get married right out of school and that building a career and really putting your education to good use was societal norm. I suppose I am mistaken though.
Look how much equality within our society has changed; while the playing field isn't necessarily equal for men and women, it is closer than ever before. So why now, is it OK for men to stay single up until their 30s, to devote time and energy to their careers, but women aren't granted that same right and privilege? Why is it acceptable for men and women to have the same degrees and honors, but the concept of marriage and the societal norms associated with it is still decades behind?
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