Societal views of women are constantly evolving, and many of the traditions we once rigidly adhered to are making way for new and exciting movements. We now see more women in CEO roles than at any other point in history, as well as an increase of ‘stay at home dads’, shared maternity leave and equal pay. But it’s not just the workplace that’s benefiting from a paradigm shift. The dynamics of relationships, marriage and family have also changed in recent years.
Whilst there are some societal models we are happy to see the backs of, there are others causing a growing conversation across social media and beyond. Should women adopt traditional romantic traditions usually led by men? More specifically, should women propose marriage to men? We explore that question in this article.
A growing trend in women proposing to men
The latest findings show a shift in the status quo when it comes to who should propose to whom. According to a large scale survey of over 1000 UK participants, more than half of women declared they’d be happy to take on the responsibility of proposing to a man. Intriguingly, 76% of surveyed men said they’d also be happy for women to propose to them, indicating that men are keener to unburden themselves of this immense responsibility and assign the logistics to their partners.
There’s no doubt about it. Organising a marriage proposal, purchasing the right ring and then keeping the entire thing hush hush until crunch time is an exciting but stressful process. It requires a lot of forward-thinking, some help from others and possibly a few fibs along the way too. And then there’s always a risk that something could go horribly wrong. What if the ring doesn’t fit? Or she doesn’t like the design? What if it rains during the proposal or she gets sick right before it’s all due to fall into place?
The great thing about spreading the responsibility and making way for a woman to be involved in the proposal is that some of these risks can be minimised.
The benefits of women proposing to men
A quick Google search will yield hundreds of results for botched proposals that range from an uncooperative weather incident to visiting a favourite park that happens to be inundated with Primary school children. Most of these incidents can be boiled down to one simple problem: a lack of planning. Now, we want to make very clear that the ability to plan well is not gender-specific. The last thing we want to do is pedal the myth that women are better planners than men. However, there is a scope of research available that suggests that whilst women may not be biologically any better at multitasking than men, they do generally have more experience than men when it comes to juggling many different tasks. Make of that what you will, but there’s some reason to believe that planning for the worst-case scenario or thinking about a situation’s many different interlinking factors comes more naturally to a female. For that reason alone, it’s worth considering a break from tradition with a proposal lead with or by the woman.
Even if the man in the relationship is good at planning, there are dozens of other reasons it makes sense for a woman to take charge of this important moment. The ring itself is a perfect example of this.
Finding the perfect engagement ring for her
A ring is meant to be as unique as the woman who wears it. It should echo each individual’s personality and taste. This means design, cut, setting, metal, etc. are all important considerations. If a woman can select her ring, this ensures she will find the perfect combination to represent herself and her relationship.
For example, perhaps she only wants ethically sourced diamonds (which is something Bespoke Diamonds is passionate about) or has had the perfect design in mind and wants to create something truly unique. Choosing a ring is much more than a simple choice. There are options for matching promise rings, a wedding band set, and customisations that are all important decisions to be made. In addition to preference, the woman also knows logistical information like ring size, metal sensitivities, and what other friends like or dislike about their own rings. It only makes sense for the woman to be heavily involved in the selection process.
A lot of women also have opinions about rings for men. Some prefer a simple wedding band, but it’s becoming more and more common for men to have their own engagement ring, too!
Should men wear engagement rings?
Engagement rings are meant to be an expression of love and a promise, rather than merely being part of the process. For women, wearing an engagement ring is an expectation, but as society continues to encourage equality and question gender norms, more and more men are using the engagement ring as a symbol for their love and commitment too. One of the most prominent examples of a man wearing an engagement ring is Ed Sheeran. When the famous singer/songwriter proposed to his girlfriend, Cherry Seaborn, he confirmed the announcement while donning his own promise ring. When asked about it by ITV’s Lorraine, he said he “…never saw why men didn’t wear engagement rings. It’s the same commitment…” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves! Engagement rings, like relationships, are evolving which is why Bespoke Diamonds offers a wide array of men’s rings and professional designers who can customize a matching set for you and your fiancé.