This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive.

Why Buy the Cow...Oh Wait, Women Aren't Cows, Debra Macleod

In her article titled "Don't Live With Your Boyfriend If You Want To Get Married," Debra Macleod provides her reasons for why she thinks couples should not make the cohabitation commitment before the man decides to "put a ring on it." Macleod refers to herself as a "relationship expert." She may want to reconsider that title.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

In her January 30 article in Huffington Post Living, titled "Don't Live With Your Boyfriend If You Want To Get Married," Debra Macleod provides her reasons for why she thinks couples should not make the cohabitation commitment before the man decides to "put a ring on it." Before her article begins, Macleod refers to herself as a "relationship expert." After a diatribe that is so full of bias, cliches, and sexism, she may want to reconsider that title.

Macleod uses many different situations to illustrate her point, but the main idea behind her argument is clear: that men are a bunch of apathetic, non-committed, sex-obsessed louts.

To Macleod, "living together means that a man doesn't have to pursue his girlfriend any longer." Almost as if simply existing under the same roof will suddenly and magically deprive a man of the care he has for his partner. To Macleod, "living together results in regular, no-strings sex for a man, thus removing the sexual motivation that is part of a marriage proposal." Almost as if all men care about is quick, meaningless sex, or that women don't enjoy regular sex with the person they care about so much, they decided to move in with them.

To Macleod, living together "removes much of a man's motivation to make the formal commitment of marriage within a reasonable time." Almost as if there is a specific, definitive, "reasonable" time frame that a man should be following before committing his entire life to somebody, even if all people and lives are different and may be ready at different ages and times. To Macleod, "men see [living together] as a no-obligation 'test drive.'" Almost as if women are cars, and we have to "test them all out first" before "picking" the right one. To Macleod, men are callous, unfeeling, shallow creatures that would rather hook up with the next random girl they meet on the corner than make a long-term commitment to they woman they are in a relationship with and/or living with. It is a disgusting and vile sexist stereotype.

Though her tirade is mainly directed at men -- or the pale, lousy, facade she seems to think all men embody -- Macleod, probably inadvertently, is insulting the women she's aiming to defend and/or protect. Macleod's portrait of the modern woman seems to be painted as one who is marriage-obsessed, who is desperately seeking that ring on her finger, who makes ultimatums in order to get a ring on her finger, who becomes unbearable to a man after that ring is on her finger, and who is spineless enough to not recognize when a man is treating her poorly or doesn't want to commit.

Are all women like this? Of course not. I wouldn't even go so far as to say most women are like this. Or some women. Or any woman. In my eyes, I believe the modern woman has enough strength and resolve to exit a relationship she thinks isn't worth her time. I believe the modern woman has enough patience and compassion to know if a man is or isn't ready for a deeper commitment, and work with them to resolve the issue. I believe the modern woman has enough understanding in her heart to know if her man loves her, instead of needing a piece of jewelry to remind her.

But for Macleod, the world exists in black and white. Ring or no ring. Marriage or no marriage. Macleod says "Living together is not a reliable way to predict long-term compatibility or marital success." Well, sadly, neither is marriage. Divorce rates are on the rise with the rebounding economy. Marriage is not the be-all, end-all of relationships. It is well within human capacity to love and spend your life with someone without having to get married. Living together, whether married or unmarried, will present the same tasks and challenges that it would to any couple living under the same roof, and a couple who truly love each other will meet those challenges with strength, patience, and understanding. A ring doesn't build a relationship. You do.

ALSO ON HUFFPOST:

Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick

Relationship Rules From Hollywood Couples

Close
This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.