About Sales Director
Jenn Price does not proclaim to be an expert on dating…but her years of practice (and willingness to share stories) will certainly get people talking. Join in the dialogue each week as Jenn tackles matters of the heart.
In North American culture, wedding rings are a symbol of commitment and are—most often—worn proudly on the left hand.
Allow me to preface the content you’re about to read. This article is written from a female’s perspective with married men as the subject. This is not to say married women are exempt.
Here’s the deal: single women over a certain age look at a man’s ring finger. If he’s not wearing a ring, she'll assume he’s not married. If a conversation ignites, it’s respectful for a married or committed man to casually mention his wife (or girlfriend). Once he does, the boundaries are set. From there, all parties know the facts and can make educated decisions. (No single girl wants to go around asking every attractive guy she meets if he’s in a committed relationship.)
Recently, I witnessed a situation at the Thompson Hotel in Toronto that made my eyes roll. While studying the interaction between groups of people (one of my favourite pastimes), my focus turned to one particular group of men and women. I overheard one of the girls say, “You’re married, too?! Where’s your ring?”. The man replied, “Oh, I was....golfing earlier”. She left shortly after.
At least he ended up telling her, even if it just slipped out. I’m sure she would have rather found out he was married before she wasted a few hours with him. There were plenty of eligible bachelors that she could have been getting to know all afternoon.
I once had a date with a man that told me he was newly divorced (and thus, without a ring). While a new divorcée was never my thing, I agreed to have a drink with him (after all, dating is a dress rehearsal for the main act). Over a glass of wine, he disclosed that he was just separated. My intuition kicked in, and I deduced that he was probably still living with his wife (and maybe they weren’t even en route to a divorce at all!). Needless to say, I didn’t end up picking up the phone when he called again.
Commitment is a choice, and so is cheating. While couples define their own rules, there are certain courteous codes of conduct that committed people owe to single people (not to mention their partner). When secrets are kept or valuable information isn’t disclosed up front, it can really mess things up.
Committed? How do you let people know you're off the market?
Single? Have you ever been fooled by someone who was married or in a relationship?