Jane Doe in, I Wish They’d Do it Right, opposes her sons idea of cohabitation. She believes that marriage offers many benefits for her son, her son’s partner, and the child. He refuses to take vow into a legal relationship and she begins to argue with her son’s idea when finally her son’s fiancé has a child. Jane Doe states that because of her son cohabitating, he has become economically disadvantaged, causes social awkwardness, and deprives the happiness of the extended family. All families who have a child should marry because there are multiple benefits and it legitimizes a legal standing in society.
Jane Doe states that there are economic benefits that her son and her daughter-in-law are denying themselves. As college students, housing in the married-students dormitories of a university would have been an advantage considering that they would not be paying as much as a regular housing payment. Because they are not married and could not provide a marriage certificate, they were denied and forced to find another place off campus. In addition, Jane Doe’s daughter-in-laws medical insurance denied her son because they were not legally married. Doe continues on to say that other inconveniences will come their way, and they have chosen to undergo through those struggles.
Similar to Doe’s situation, a couple that I know, who have been together well over 8 years now, are not able to file joint returns because they are not married. This could be financially helpful because it helps qualify for a variety of tax credits and there is a high rate of a higher income. Their decision to stay as they are (not married) also takes away benefits, but for now, they are living in good conditions and enjoying what they have.
Doe believes that not being married causes social awkwardness because she does not know what to refer her son’s partner as. Although Doe’s word usage in her essay brings some confusion, publicly, she does not know what to call her.