Last week, we were introduced to the New York Post’s Senior Reporter, Stephanie Smith, who made a deal with her boyfriend to make 300 sandwiches in order to receive an engagement ring from him. What seemed to be an inside joke and fun challenge between partners, the public deemed as a desperate attempt to be a Mrs., and went as far as to call her boyfriend Eric Shulte, chauvinistic.
Well, American society better get used to the changes romantic relationships are enduring these days. New York Magazine reports via The Knot’s Facebook page that more heterosexual couples are splitting the cost of an engagement ring. The Knot’s survey stated that the women who have helped out on paying for the ring either paid the deposit on it, or paid for half of its total cost. Women who have done so stated their partner was less financially stable than them, or made less.
The Today Show asked their online viewers how they felt about this topic. Those who were traditionalists (56%) stated that struggling finances were not a good enough reason for a woman to pay for her own engagement ring. Although this modern twist on engagements is being frowned upon, there are a growing number of American women who are the breadwinners in their relationships and don’t mind helping out.
Personally, I don’t think it’s a problem for women to pay for half of their engagement ring–if they want to. Also, if you are precise like me about every detail in your life, you might want to have a say in what ring you would like to wear for the rest of your life (hopefully…) and/or how it should be designed. Though some say your partner should know your style like the back of his hand, he might choose something that does not fit your style. I believe women who do offer to help pay for their own engagement ring are making a statement. They are sure about their relationship, and sure about the man they are committing to. Women who do not pay for their engagement ring can still be sure and confident about the person they’re marrying, but there is a difference when your own finances are involved in building a relationship with someone for a lifetime. Also, I imagine going dutch on an engagement ring will prepare couples for working together to secure other finances and things in their relationship, including purchasing their first home together, figuring out which bills will be paid by who, and what parenting styles will work best for their children.
Ladies, would you help pay for your engagement ring? Men, would you allow your future wife to pay, regardless of your financial standing?
