The typical “American dream” involves getting married and having children and no one wants to achieve the American dream more than people from the South.
According to the US Census, the marriage age for women in New York City is 29 (30 for men) and the marriage age for women in Washington DC is 30 (31 for men). However, according to LiveScience, the marriage age for women in Texas is 25. Southern girls are typically raised with the Christian religion, and that they should get married and start a family. But do all Southern women, or Southern belles, feel “the pressure to get married?”
The idea of being a Southern belle comes from the old south when women got married, had kids, and did all the cooking and cleaning. Basically, a Southern belle is very similar to a housewife. “That doesn’t apply to every type of family, so that idea should be left in the past,” said sophomore psychology major Franchesca Ross.
With the changing times, there are many different types of family dynamics. There are one parent, LGBTQ+ parent, divorced parents, stepparent and even grandparent households. With all these different types of families, why is there still pressure among Southern women to get married?
Another reason why the pressure for Southern women exists is because of the stereotypes that surround women from the South. As quoted by Sheryl St. Germain from Huffpost, “stereotypes that take hold in the popular imagination are difficult to root out, often because, in this case, there are some southern women who play to the stereotype.”
Southern belles are often imagined as delicate, frail women who need a man to protect them. Because of this, southern belles are pressured to get married. However, not all women from the south are like this. Especially since times have changed since “Gone with the Wind,” women nowadays are extremely independent.
Women know how to change oil in a car and fix furniture, tasks that were usually reserved for the husband. Most women nowadays also go to college and have big plans for a future, in terms of a career.
Ross also said, “personally, I don’t feel the pressure to get married, but getting married and having children is something I’ve always wanted to do.” Some Southern women may also feel the pressure to get married from the relationships and love stories described in country music. Country singers like Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean sing songs about meeting a beautiful woman, falling in love with her and spending the rest of their lives together.
Some women from the South have felt a pressure to get married because of the Old South idea of a southern belle and classic family dynamic. However, times have changed and there is no typical family dynamic anymore. It’s possible that women as well as men still feel pressure to get married.
Photo by Olivia Esselman
