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AJC.com > Living > Blog > Archives > 2008 > February > 25
Monday, February 25, 2008
Single Women: Wise UP!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
So Lori Gottlieb has caused quite a buzz with her Atlantic Monthly article, entitled, Marry Him! A reader emailed the link to the article last week, and I watched the author on the Today Show.
The article basically says that if a woman wants her own children with a man, it’s perfectly fine to settle for Mr. Good Enough. She asserts that it is better to grab Mr. Good Enough in your 30s than to hope for Mr. Perfect at 40 or older.
She wrote, “After all, wouldn’t it have been wiser to settle for a higher caliber of “not Mr. Right” while my marital value was at its peak?” Marital value? Am I the only one that has never once thought about her marital value?! Does that make me naive and deluded?
The thing that stood out for me in the “case for settling” was that the author seemed to think that women my age (mid-30s) have these impossible ideals about potential mates. Is it a widely accepted notion that women want perfect men?
I have never seen an article advising, suggesting, or hinting that a man should settle. Does it mean that men don’t have to be “realistic” about their dating options? Do men settle for their mates?
What are you thoughts about the article? Do you consider settling for someone? Is it easier to date if you don’t really have standards that are high? Do you think that waiting for a deep romantic love with someone is futile?
It is so interesting to me how there is such a focus on what modern, single women decide to do with their lives. Everyone has opinions on when we should have sex, how we should select our mates, when we should marry, if or when we have children. Why does society highlight the lives of single women so much?
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