Is it now acceptable for a woman to make a marriage proposal to a man?

yes sober and yeah i am well hung and i have million bucks and have movie star looks, but I was not flashing anything hehe...

Yes I had to hide them in different closets hehe

: ) Took the words right out of my mouth. LOL

Hey Tubby Cat; will you marry me? Make this 8Xs.

Often from 10 story buildings attached to anvils.

In response to the original quesion, I'd say "yes, if the woman either wants to marry or lose the guy." Men don't like being backed into a corner like that, so if the relationship is clearly headed towards marriage in both people's minds, sure, go ahead and ask. But if this is being done out of frustration and/or perceived lack of commitment on the guy's part, forget it.

what is that?

That's where the woman thinks the guy either can't or is unwilling to commit to a long-term (a.k.a. permanent) relationship. So, for example, if they've been "dating" for several years and the guy is fine with that but the gal wants a ring a house a picket fence and 2 kids, she decides it's either going to be with this guy or somebody else, so she'd better find out if it's this guy because tick tock the clock is ticking away. "Pop!" goes the question. Now the guy is up against the wall. He's basically been told "marry me or it's over between us because I need a husband who will give me what I want." This is the more up-front version of allowing yourself to get pregnant and hoping that the guy will do the right thing and marry you.
How's that, miranda?

still sounds like a problem with commitment or luck of strong feelings, or both....;), so at least the woman knows where she stands with the man and have enough info to move on - there is nothing wrong with that. I would only be with somebody who wants me to be happy than with somebody who is stringing me along for some time. It is easy to detect it almost right from the begining of the relationship. People either like each other or they don't. There is no in between.

LOL I agree

Agreed - my point is that sometimes this drives a woman to propose and a man to flee in terror.

than if he is in terror than he is not for her. I would never be with somebody who is afraid of me - unless I am a complete control freak, or have a very low self esteem.

wow, you summed it up very well.
Marriages sometimes change people, they suddenly feel trapped, can't do what you used to because now you have to listen to the oppinion of "your other half" and your freedom is gone.
Unless "your other half" is your best friend and supports your ideas.

It's not HER that he's afraid of - it's the whole "tied down to one person" situation that makes him soil his drawers. He could even LOVE her and still feel this way.

...and sometimes it's just the propspect of marriage that makes them feel that way. It can be a less permanent situation, too, like living together or even committing to seeing one another exclulsively. Not everyobdy wants that "one special person."

I think that most people do want that one special person (although as you say there are some who don't) but I think if you're not mature and ready for that kind of commitment, then of course it's going to scare you. That doesn't necessarily mean you are a commitment-phobe. I think a lot of guys feel ready to settle down based on their own situation-some are ready at different times than others. That's not to say that someone is immature if they are not 100% ready to settle down-that's not what I mean at all. But I think in a lot of these situations where there's a girl who is having issues with a guy who claims that he really loves her, and he just doesn't want to settle down blah blah blah, I think it's either one of two scenarios 1) she's not the one for him or 2) he's just not ready. And any girl who has seriously dated a guy who was not ready to get married (and wouldn't be for some time) knows that there can be a difference between these two. Sometimes if you're not ready, you're just not ready.

I think I said "ready" about 18 times in this post. But I think you get my point. :)

Nope. Only 8.

3) why get married, why not just live together.

alot of guys nowadays think like that and with good reason, with todays divorce rates, it can cost a man a good amount of $$$

+ cohabitation can be a very good vehicle of protection. the whole family is really never completely exposed.

Sounds like you guys have been there.

i was married. long story short my wife had an affair with her boss.
now with illinois being a no fault state, she easily could of gotten some of my property and other items if i had not protected myself.
when we got married, she came in with alot of debt. me i owned a condo, 2 cars and so on.
fast foward 3 years later when we are getting divorced, she could of gotten half of whatever the value of the condo went up, but there was one problem, on "paper" my mother owns this place, so all we were doing was paying "rent".
she got nothing.
ive seen many of guys marry women who come into the marriage with nothing plus debt.
if they stay married, they end off paying off whatever debt the wife had before even being married, if they get divorced, they now have to give the ex a piece of something they are not even entitled to.
long story short, cover your ass.

I can't think of any valid reason why it wouldn't be acceptable for a female to "pop the question"

how about the guys who come into relationships with nothing and take whatever they can get from the woman? These days it is not always the norm. for the man to be the breadwinner.

true, therefore the same shall apply: protect yourself.

I'm 29 and I've never moved in with a guy... I guess I see moving in together as the final stage before marriage. If I wanted someone just to split the bills with, I'd rather be in a share house than a financial transaction pretending to be a relationship. I know it can work well (living together) as my father and his partner have been together for 18 years without the marriage certificate, but for me, when I commit to being with someone for the rest of my life, I want the wedding band around my finger

well who wouldnt? Anyone who moves in with their partner just to split the bills is asking for trouble. I wasnt implying this in my post, only making the point that good relationships do go bad sometimes and it is not only the man who can come off badly if this should happen.

agreed

how is it asking for trouble?
if both people agree that living together would be cost effective, that can be a good thing for a relationship.

I've pondering this point myself. Marriage is a direct commitment you make to the other person - you can create a symbolic commitment that is a reflection of your trust and honor to each other. As for the legal marriage - hmmm...I sometimes wonder if that just makes people feel less accountable or motivated to keep the relationship alive because in ways I hear people make stories about how they are trapped.

Of course, I've now been divorced twice - by my own choosing, but I'd have to say that under no circumstances should a woman hunt the man down to propose to him. I think it affects how the man views her and puts her in a "control" position if he's not strong enough to hold his place with her. But then again, despite my own past, I'm a hopeless romantic so I can't imagine being the one to do the proposing. (although I have been proposed to 5 times)

agreed, but there should be other reasons for wanting to live together too.. like love and companionship