Quote:
Originally posted by sugar and spice
That said, I know a handful of people who are living together. I do think that in areas of the country where traditional morals are less of an issue and everybody's not all up in your business judging you, people aren't in such a rush to get married when they know they can just move in together and it'll be less of a problem if/when (usually WHEN) the marriage ends.
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It's funny...where I grew up, most of the girls, regardless of socioeconomic background, are married by the time they're 24--if they stick around the South. Those of us who left, either for or after college, aren't. My parents and family members aren't the ones hounding me about getting married; in fact, they want me to establish my career and become a little more financially independent before getting married. It's the Southern Belle friends of the family who ask every time I come home. I'm like, "I'm still in grad school! I see the difficulties my married classmates have juggling family and 19-hour semesters! MUNCHKIN IS NOT GETTING MARRIED BEFORE SHE HAS A JOB!" Wait till I tell 'em that, when I do get married, my last name is staying the same!
Very few of my college friends are even in serious relationships; actually, there were more post-graduation breakups that engagements. I know a
handful of people who got married after college--but they were the ones who dated their HS sweetheart all through college, or they had religious reasons to marry young, or their husbands were considerably older.
So...what is it about Southern "culture" that encourages marriage before financial stability and life experience?