Why do only the women wear engagement rings?

Early handfastings actually had a ring for each person. I'm not sure when that changed though.

I agree - I guess an engagement ring means a woman is "taken" - a man should have one too. What should it look like?

Well lets see. The guy buys the girl a ring to make his claim so to speak so that everyone knows that girl is taken. I see no reason why the girl can not buy a ring for the man. The problem I see is that most women have chosen not to buy them a ring but buy them something else like a watch. Also, of course, jewelers don't make engagement rings for men. Maybe you can start a new trend. lol!

I do agree that both should wear rings.I think it has been that way before time.Now it just stayed that way.I do feel that should change.

i thought the reason is that many a Man are used to their old friends or secret pal. which is they see them with such ring will quickly know that they have got engaged. i think if you are so straight forward with your wife, you should not be shy to put on your identification number which is the wedding ring.

It's interesting cos teenagers wear silver "commitment rings" these days. and both parties wear them even though they are neither engaged nor married. I think women wear engagement rings cos the guy has to produce a token when he asks. And the girl's happy duty is to accept (or decline if the ring or the boy isn't the right one). She doesn't have to get him anything for the same reason she doesn't ask him to marry her. however, in this age of equality and women sometimes earning more than the men, I've heard of women who feel bad receiving a ring that is many times her fiance's salary, so she decided to buy him a very expensive watch in return.

Hm. I am in Germany. Here one gets a set of wedding rings, two golden, no diamond. And at the engagement one wears the ring on the left hand and when one gets married one changes the ring to the right side. So both partners wear a ring. Be honest, many guys refuse to wear it and have it in a drawer "as it hinders them at work", whatever work might be. ;-) Well, if it was not the right fiancé the American woman has a diamond, a girls best friend ;-) and the German one a small golden ring. Which is better?

Perhaps you should tell your S/O to tell you when he will proposed marriage to you so that you will be able to prepare the ring that you'll give to him, hehe