Gender and Dating Relationships

The article written by Andy has opened a different sector of my mind in regards to thinking about marriage and proposal. When I see proposals, I always think they’re sweet and look at the woman’s reaction. Never have I seen a woman propose to a man, or a woman fail to be completely and utterly surprised. Now that I think about it rationally… why haven’t I seen that? I half expect my future husband to propose in some fanciful way and sweep me off my feet, but why shouldn’t I propose to him? I think that article gives me a different and underestimated view of Americans who want to break free from the traditional aspect of marriage and dating. New women independence should give women the confidence to propose to her significant other. In regards to the reader’s question, I especially haven’t thought about the man’s expectations. I think that men are nervous before the proposal and quite conflicted on how to propose. He doesn’t know if she’ll say yes, if the ring is big enough or flashy enough, if the proposal is at the right time. I think men have more expectations on the after marriage life than women do. Expecting wives to stay home and have children while they work is one of the many stereotypes given to married women. Women, on the other hand, have more expectations on the pre-marriage life, such as the proposal and dating. I think that these two points of view have no correlation to my family experience or the love stories we shared on Friday, unfortunately. It would be awesome if one of our moms proposed to one of the dads instead of vice-versa. Maybe my generation will break through that tired tradition and switch it up a little bit.