I would say that since becoming pregnant I have noticed the
demands and pressures placed on people more by ‘society’ but to be honest I
noticed them before this and always thought it backward thinking and not
progressive. Having talked to a number
of different women about this, friends and acquaintance I am not too sure where
this is coming from.
It would seem in this day and age that there are still
pressures put on people by ‘society’.
Who are society and why are they putting in place these pressures? You may be wondering what pressures I am on
about. Well…
You Must Go To
University
This seems to be the first one people come across. Yes going to university is all well and good
in one respect. However, there is a lot
to be said for not going to university.
You can make money straight away; you can enrol on an apprenticeship and
even learn a trade. These are all still
viable ways to start your career and sometimes the better option. Wouldn’t it be better not to go to university
if the other route is more viable and successful in getting you to where you
want to be? Think of all the money you
would save on tuitions fees etc. as well.
You must have a
boyfriend/girlfriend
There is nothing wrong with you if you decide that actually
there is nobody you would rather spend time with than yourself. It doesn’t make you any less of a person and
it doesn’t make you selfish either. The
number of people who are scared to be on their own is ridiculous. Surely it’s better to be on your own than in
a relationship where you are either just settling or are unhappy? I have always gone by the philosophy of not
settling; I feel I am worth more than that and so is other people.
You must get married
Really? Still? Oh yes, apparently so. I don’t’ understand this one when more and
more people are not religious in any kind but to be secure they have to get
married. I truly think there are bigger
commitments you can make to each other than heading down this route. I am not saying I am against marriage if this
is what you want but it seems to be on the ‘society’ checklist, in perfect
worlds. Not only this but they seem to
be more and more a status symbol rather than the couple celebrating their love
for each other. Of course some people
want the big white wedding, all singing and all dancing. To be honest I can think of better things to
spend my hard earned money on than one day of my life. Yes, you can do it and not spend that much
money on it, which I think, is the ideal.
Children
Everyone wants children.
Wrong!! There is nothing wrong
with someone if they choose they don’t want children, parenting is not for
everyone and people shouldn’t feel pressured if they decide having children
isn’t for them. It annoys me most that
people assume that if you’re married you must want children, and if you haven’t
had any then there must be something wrong medically. Also, on the flip side of this I am finding
because Mr Bus and I aren’t married but are expecting our first child that it
must have been an accident and not planned.
To be honest it is nobody’s business but your own but ‘society’ is there
judging. I have to say that before
meeting Mr Bus I knew I wanted children, but wasn’t particularly in a hurry,
then my hormonal clock kicked in when I was about 30. When I then did meet Mr Bus I knew he was so
right for me that if he didn’t want children then he would be enough for me and
we would still be really happy. Thankfully
we are both on the same page and both want children.
You must own your own
home
Now, Britain seems to be the only country obsessed with
owning their own property. The rest of
the world is happy to be renting their homes.
Why is there such a pressure on us as Brits to own our own homes? Why is ‘Society’ putting this pressure on
us? It’s bad enough in the current
economic climate that people starting out can’t get a mortgage to own their own
home regardless if they have a sufficient deposit and credit rating with a good
job to boot. There are on the other side
a lot of benefits to renting a property instead. You don’t have to pay out for expensive
repairs, you aren’t tied down for goodness knows how many years paying back a
huge loan and it’s easy for you to move locations if you fancy. Another big plus is when you are too old to
look after yourself and you have to be put into care your house doesn’t have to
be sold off to pay for this and the government just take it back off you.
Living up to ‘Society’ and the pressures that come with it
is exhausting. I say do what feels best
and right for you and you alone. I also
think that to reduce the stress of this I think to myself ‘am I bothered? No,
then why am I worrying about it, forget it.’
It’s your life and you are the one who has to live it. A wise friend once quoted to me ‘Comparison
is the death of Joy’ and I truly believe this and whenever ‘Society’ pressures
are getting me down I remember this and I am a lot happier for it.
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