Should boyfriends get 2-year deadline?

Jessica Simpson was recently quoted as saying that she gives boyfriends 2 years before she expects them to pop the question and ask for her hand in marriage. If they don’t, she dumps them.

Is this a reasonable expectation?

In an age where people don’t really know much about each other because we’re all so busy being social online rather than in real life, how much does one person really know the other after 2 years?

Do men know enough to know whether or not they want to marry their girlfriend after 2 years? I headed to the streets to find out what guys thought of this philosophy.

Do you think a man knows if he wants to marry his girl after 2 years?

86% of 168 men surveyed agreed that men definitely know if they want to marry the girl they’re with after only 2 years together.

Here are some of the more interesting responses that I got:

Chuck, 33 – “Yes, men definitely know almost right away if the girl they’re dating is marriage material for them. Even though we might try to hold off on getting married because of the potential financial burdens that come with it, men definitely know if they want a woman to be theirs after 2 years’ time.”

Joshua, 24 – “Hell, no! In a time where we have the luxury of living together before making such a major commitment how could any woman expect a man to know if he wants to spend his life with her after only 2 years together? What’s the rush? We no longer live in a time when men die at 44 and women die during childbirth, so committing to someone for the next 60 years is a choice I’m going to take my time making.”

Eric, 49 – “I think men who are older would say yes for certain. I am mature and have enough experience to know that, when I’m with a woman, she is the one I want to be with forever. I’ve already found 2 women whom I felt that way about, but unfortunately they lost interest too soon.”

Should a woman tell you about the 2-year deadline right away?

74% of 168 men surveyed believed that a woman should tell them right away if this is what she expects.

Ian, 31 – It wouldn’t be fair for me to fall in love with a woman and enjoy spending my time with her only to discover that at the 2-year mark, if I don’t drop to one knee, she’s gone. That’s foolish and irresponsible. Why must there be a deadline for love? It’s ridiculous. I love you, I’m with you, so why would you leave me for a guy who may or may not treat you so well?”

Jason, 26 – “If you think about it, most guys don’t even want to think about marriage for the first year of a relationship and there really is no ‘good time’ for a woman to bring it up, so at the 2-year mark, she shouldn’t spring an ultimatum on him; rather she should just tell him that they are heading in two different directions and be on her way. Because telling him that he either asks her to marry him or she walks is kind of stupid. But no, women shouldn’t tell guys off the bat… or ever.”

Rick, 50 – “Oh yes, definitely. I never plan on marrying again so I would prefer that a woman tell me so that I can bid her a nice life and be on my way. Just as a woman wants to know my intentions, I also want to know hers.”

Do you think it’s fair for women to place a deadline on a marriage proposal?

89% of 168 men surveyed believe that it’s unfair to put a deadline on a relationship.

Ronald, 37 – “It’s ridiculous. Why is being married going to make a woman so happy? What if she’s in a great relationship with a guy who loves her but just doesn’t see the need to ‘seal the deal’? It’s pretty stupid for a woman to do that.”

Dennis, 28 – “I kind of understand. I mean, we have millions and millions of sperm to go around for years to come, but women only have a certain amount of time with which to have kids and most want to do it traditionally, so when they find a man they love, they want to take things to the next level.”

Charles, 42 – “It doesn’t really make sense. How would a woman feel if men put in place a schedule for women to perform oral sex on them twice a week for 2 years? How would that make them feel? To put a deadline on a relationship is like setting off a time bomb. If the guy knows the pressure’s there, he’s not going to take to well to it. If he doesn’t and only she does, she’s starting to become impossible as the looming 2-year deadline looms. It’s a no-win situation.”

Boyfriends get 2-year deadline

So would you give your boyfriend a 2-year deadline, at which point you would dump him for not proposing marriage? I think a lot of women may think they would’ve in hindsight, but speaking from experience, I doubt it very much.