I don't get the desire to get engaged.

[Brightyellowspyrograph]

Maybe I am just cranky and old, but in this day and age with women having careers, being independent, raising children single-handedly, having equal rights ( almost ) in employment yada yada yada why do women go all gushy over an engagement ring?
We don't have to be passed on from fathers to our husbands like chattels as we once did. We mostly live with our partners before we get married and already have a partnership so why do we react like this man is going to carry us off into the sunset and save us from the shame of spinsterhood?
It's anachronistic for independent women earning their own living, with important job roles and responsibilities; to be desperately yearning for some man to put a ring on them to show possession.
I don't get it.
And yes I have been "engaged" (x3) and it is pretty meaningless. Being married wasn't all that either.
A good strong relationship is a fantastic thing. The support and love of another person that lasts is truly wonderful, don't get me wrong. But do we need this old fashioned rubbish?

You’re entitled to your opinion, but tbh you sound a bit bitter. You can decide things are “meaningless” if you want, but you have to accept they might be meaningful to others. The thing about meaning is that few things inherently have it, we mostly decide where to place it based on our values.

You don’t “think” it has any legal standing? It doesn’t.

Being engaged three times explains it all, sorry OP 😂

Marriage I understand (I think it's quite lovely/or at the very least a protective legal contract) but engagement and all that faff has always been about status and nothing more. This ring, those photos, that romantic story: it's harmless overall but more for show.