Even feminist men can struggle with female proposals, study suggests
Traditional views around marriage are changing. In 2021 in England and Wales, more babies were born to unmarried than married parents for the first time. And many women keep their own surname rather than changing it to their husband’s when they tie the knot. But wedding proposals are still considered a man’s job. Nevertheless, some women do choose to propose to their male partner. In our research, we investigated their experiences, exploring their choice and looking to understand why so few women take this step. We interviewed 21 women who had proposed and studied social media conversations on the topic. Of the 21 women we interviewed, the majority had a positive experience. One was rejected, and one realised her partner – who had said yes – was telling everyone that he had done the proposing. In this instance, the woman in our study proposed because her partner said he was a feminist and she thought he would appreciate her asking. But his reclaiming of the narrative exposed how uncomfortable he was with it, and the …
