My thoughts on obtaining an MRS.

In CASE you didn’t have the pleasure of reading this little nugget of a post, in which a sorority girl from UGA named Amber Estes pitifully stabs at satire and states the most important thing a southern lady can do to secure a fianancially bright future-Please take a look. It is well worth a read,  but not worth a chuckle.

In the article the author states  one of the most important to-do’s in college for a female is peg down a youth (preferably a fraternity man) who will want to marry you upon graduation and provide you and your future children with a big house and country club membership. Pardon me while I go vom.

I believe she may in fact have written this to inspire controversy and debate amongst her peers, probably pissed at one of her DG sister’s for shamelessly husband hunting while poor, serious-journalist Amber sits at her desk trying to become a success in her own right. However, because it is not a clear attempt at sarcasm, articles like this give women in general a bad name and reinforce an ugly southern stereotype that all “belles” want to do is marry young and be housewives. I know people hold this stereotype, because I was a young woman who lived in New York City and had a hard time getting people to take me seriously. Even though it is a joke, the truth lies somewhere within the lines of this article and it is sad.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with wanting to marry a wealthy man (yeah– I said it!). Especially in these woeful economic times it can be hard not to want to find a man of some means (or hell, even a decent healthcare policy I can piggyback on….) but my main gripe with this article is that she jokes an education for a young woman is merely a means to an end—the MRS degree. Sure! I want to be saddled with 20,000+ dollars in debt just so that I can find a gentleman with a higher earning potential for a husband. That sounds like a GREAT return on investment.

For funsies let us put a dollar value on a housewife’s worth–the average American salary is what? 42,000.00?

So in a one income family-after taxes it comes out to- 31,500

Divide that by 2- (since you are not working)-15,750 and then by twelve months in a year =1312.50 thats how much you are technically entitled to.

It will take you roughly twenty years to pay off your MRS if we go by these numbers. I’m painting with a broad brush here because obviously workers will earn more as their career progresses, but you get the point that I am making. Additionally, what if that high earning husband has student loan debt too?  Unfortunately in this economy and with the statistics on student loan debt and underemployment-very few of our generation are actually going to be able to be a part of a one-income family…by choice. That’s reality. What else is reality? Most marriages these days rarely last twenty years, so in theory you will likely never see the return on that “investment” you made to simply find a husband. Young ladies, your energy would be better spent furthering your own career because chances are the man of your dreams probably won’t be able to support your boozy, country-clubbin’ ways.

At least not until after his hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical/law/graduate school debt are paid. Amiright?

Yeah, it’s satire but come on!. I have interfaced with girls like this in my short lifetime. We should spend less time on self depricating humor and more time empowering one another. I hope if you have a vagina (yeah, I said it!) and you are reading this you realize that it is OK to want to be ambitious and to attain wealth and your own kind of success. Having worked in finance in NYC around guys who made hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars per year, I will say that they only want successful women themselves. Having a college degree is no longer a special privilege–many of them want equals; doctors, lawyers, authors. You should strive to acheive not only because of your desire, but also to find a mate worthy of you.

And for Amber Estes– I get what you were trying to attempt with this article, but unless the satire comes across as pitch perfect…. it’s usually just offensive.

Just sayin’.

What are your thoughts?