Ethical dilemma #017

Would you stop dating someone because they do not have a university degree?

You like someone who works as a carpenter and treats you well. Your family thinks you should look for a partner with a university degree.

Related reflectionReviewing Your Expectations Can Help You Know Someone Better

What would you do in this situation?

Choose an answer before continuing.

Choose an answer before continuing.

Would you stop dating someone because they do not have a university degree?

The context

You have spent two months dating someone who works as a carpenter. You enjoy talking with them, they keep their commitments, and they have a business that supports them. You went to university and always imagined a partner who also had a degree.

When your family learns their profession, they say perhaps you should have more in common. Since then you have started having doubts, although you have found no concrete difference that prevents you from understanding each other. Today this person invites you to meet their friends. You can keep getting to know them, discuss your plans, or stop dating because they do not meet that expectation. You want to choose a relationship that works, but do not know how much your family's opinion weighs on you.

A perspective to continue

You can have preferences without assuming they all predict a good relationship. What do you need from a partner, and how do you know that characteristic guarantees it?