Why do people take for granted I'm in a relationship or even married?

[Anonymous]

It's annoying. Everyone takes for granted I'm in a committed relationship but I'm not. A colleague even told me I should call my husband and make him pick me up from work when I was working late. People in general seem very surprised I don't have either a partner nor kids. Why are they always assuming things about me?

[Anonymous]

It's because of your age. From your mid-late 20s people start assuming you're married or in a commited long term relationship. Sometimes they really just assume it because most people this age are. Sometimes it's men saying that because they want to check if you're taken or not judging by how you reply. Sometimes people just assume even if they think it's not the case because after a certain age it is seen as rude to assume a woman is single. Some people would see it as throwing subtle shade for being an "old" unmarried woman, and all that it would imply. Like you're ugly, have something wrong with you, can't keep a man etc. Personally I'm late 20s and ugly (not saying that you must be ugly) and people either avoid talking about this subject with me or kind of awkwardly, as if they don't believe but try hard to pretend to assume I must be married.

[Anonymous]

Because of social conditioning and social constructs.

Apparently if you don’t have a partner you’re seen as “used-goods”. If you don’t have brats and a dork for a husband…. You’re seen as used-goods by the sheep 🐑 society we live in.

If you don’t ruin your vagina by birthing a snotty brat. You’re seen as unstable and 304 by sheep 🐑 society.