The Wedding Ring - Commitment or Ownership?

It all starts with the engagement ring. Most women dream of getting married from age four. They dress up as brides and await their prince to come and sweep them off their feet. 

But, what does the engagement and wedding bands really signify? Some consider it to be a symbol of, not everlasting love, but of ownership or dominance. 
According to one feminist blogger, "In Western culture, the sole focus is on women only wearing this ring and the importance to wear it at all times showing everyone that they are in a state of celebration (and are no longer single). With this coming to mind, the concept of engagement rings symbolism property of ownership to their male counterparts, losing the main focus and reason for the couples planned matrimony."
In most cases, it's safe to say that when a woman gets engaged, they are in a state of celebration, not of "not being single anymore," but of being promised to spend her life with the person she loves. 

The concept of the rings tied to matrimony could be traced back as far as ancient Egypt. The circular shape of the ring is said to symbolize eternity and the hole at the top a gateway. In essence, the rings signify the man giving his eternal and never-ending love to the woman of his choice. (No mention of the man wearing a ring as well, sorry.)

The reason some people may get up-in-arms about wedding rings and ownership is that there are some men who insist on their spouses wearing both an engagement ring and a wedding band, but don't wear one themselves. 

There could be a lot of factors to why these men (and women) feel that way. It could be anything from cultural to personal preference. Men tend to not wear a ring in order to hold on to a feeling of freedom that they feel they are somehow losing by getting married. 

Psychologist Gladeana McMahon says, "A lot of men may not want to feel that they are 'owned', or look like anyone's possession, and may feel this is the message given out by a wedding ring." 

Marriage is a personal matter. The only two people that it involves are the two people getting married. Truthfully, other people simply don't matter. Weddings tend to be a reflection of not only who these two people are as individuals, but a symbol of who they are as a couple. 

A resent study showed that people who marry tend to be happier and less stressed, especially when it comes to a highly stressful time in their lives, like a midlife crisis. 

The New York Times stated, "People have the capacity to increase their happiness levels and avoid falling deep into midlife crisis by finding support in long-term relationships." 

That being said, when it comes to wedding rings it boils down to personal preference and the circumstances of the couple. Some couples don't use engagement rings at all. Some use a bracelet or promise ring to propose and then pick out wedding bands together. A lot of couples don't use a wedding band at all, just leaving the engagement ring. 

All of these symbolize love. All of these symbolize the agreement between two people who want to spend the rest of their lives with the one person on earth they feel is meant for them.