What does "social status" in marriage mean?

[viridus]

Someone mentioned this in the relationships topic. I asked what they meant, and kind of got told off by two people for asking.
I think it was mentioned as being something a woman lost after divorcing.

I get the impression some women feel they gain social status by being married, you often read on the threads about the titles Miss/Mrs/Ms people saying that they couldn't wait to be able to be called Mrs, that they like using it because they are proud to be married and want the world to know that etc. So conversely, maybe they feel they lose status if they divorce. I might be completely wrong though, they might just hate Ms and feel that Miss is inappropriate for a married woman, or just feel that if they are taking their husband's name that using Mrs is the logical title to go with it. Social status is a very inexact concept really.

YY a divorced man is newly eligible, a divorced woman is used goods

I got the impression it is also affected by who has the kids?

This discussion reminds me of the smug married people in brigette jones - "when you going to get sprogged up" "scaring away those men" etc whereas guys can be batchelors/players for life

I got the impression it is also affected by who has the kids? - to some extent but as I mentioned earlier men who get 'left with the kids' tend to elicit sympathy and people help them out where as women who have been careless enough to lose their partner don't help, at least to the same degree.

I'm somewhat younger than you, Lass, and one of my grandmothers had to give up work on getting married.

Yes, yes, yes! That's what I mean, the kind of "smug" attitude, very appropriate word for it. I didn't think this would exist in 2015.
I did feel that I was being sent to the naughty step for asking about it!!
It is an inexact concept. Very Jane Austen, and Bridget Jones, but still may be lurking about with some people.

With what WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes is there still that societal conditioning with women into thinking they are not complete without a partner?

Does this then have repercussions in why women tolerate bad relationships?

There is, still, a general perception that women who do not have an obvious male owner are wierd and dangerous. This is because YES WE ARE. We give other women Ideas ie that there is life outside servicing a man and eating shit 'working at the relationship. Even if we are single mothers, once the children are asleep we have time to think.

So the general cultural pressure of the patriacrchy has to convey the message as strongly as possible that a woman without A Man In Her life is to be pitied, feared or despised. Because if all women knew the truth: single life is wonderful, and only worth giving up for a really wonderful partner, then a lot more men would have to cook their own meals, launder their own skiddy pants and maybe even suck their own dicks rather than being able to capture and own a woman who has been convinced that she is too old to be 'choosy'.

In your example, OP, maybe there was something of 'I used to be a high court judge's wife (or whatever) and now I'm not '? Ie social status through association with a particular husband?

I think there is a prejudice against single women. I noticed it specially when my child was at primary school.

I think that other women who "have a man", view others who don't live with a man as a women to have a pop at. I and child were very glad to get away from that place. Many of the mothers were abusive bullies.

I don't think there is much of a difference between men and women tbh.

If anything, I think society (or some sad people) judge single/divorced men of a certain age harsher than they do women.
I think men are more accepting ( possibly less chooses!) of a single woman with children than vice versa.

Yes some weirdos may think married women are superior but I tend not to mix with those bigots.

What annoys me more are the married women who think my life is the same as theirs. By that I mean a work colleague was asking why I'm applying for other jobs, I told her I need more money. She replied that she is in the same boat. Er no you aren't. You have a dh who works full time and your dc now support themselves. She has never been in the same position as me as a single mother without any support from her ex.

I also agree with solid.