How come all (or the majority, if not all) women wear their wedding rings but for men it seems to be optional?

My uncle didn’t wear one because a) he hated jewelry and b) he’s a dentist and the hassle of having to put it on and take it off several times a day without loosing it was really a pain. My aunt didn’t care because she figured that if he cheated or not wasn’t really dependent on if he was wearing a ring or not.

On the other hand, women are told from very young ages that the ring is Very Important. Receiving a ring will be a momentous occasion for us, and we will be proud to show it off, making all our girlfriends jealous. There’s an entire culture around The Ring for women, whereas for men it’s just kinda there, like q-tips and dishwasher detergent.

Rings can be a hazard in many lines of work and even at home many a finger has been lost due to rings getting caught on things.

I never needed it, and I never cheated, not even once.

This is just an observation and not meant as anything else. The men in my office all wore their wedding bands except one and he was known to cheat on his wife. I do not think the other men in my office cheated, just by observing how they talked about their wives and treated their wives and the amount of time they spent with their family.

http://nymag.com/nymetro/nightlife/sex/columns/mating/10582/

It’s a holdover from earlier sexist times when wives were considered property and husbands – not so much.

I didn’t wear a wedding ring for many years while my husband did.

I feel positively naked without mine. Not wearing them right now actually, caught my hand between the dryer and the worksurface yesterday afternoon while cleaning and now have a very bruised finger. ouchie. Rings will be back on before I go back to work though.

I have always wore mine but my wife seldom wears hers. She has a couple of them and wears them on occasion but this doesn’t bother me. As was stated if someone is going to cheat then they will a ring won’t make the difference.

I don’t consider it optional. I wish it was. My finger is getting too fat to take it on and off easily, and I have to take it off whenever I drum.

For some men, it’s because of their profession. For others, I think it’s just a matter of personal preference. I don’t necessarily think it means a guy is more likely to cheat.

My husband wears his and even insisted on wearing it overseas. I thought for sure he’d want to leave it in case anything happened, but he didn’t. I know a lot of soldiers that leave their wedding bands at home during deployments so that their rings don’t get messed up while gone. I also know some that have 2 rings, a cheap one for deployments, and a nice one for when they are home though, so it really just depends on the guy.

For me, I’m suppose to take my diamond off every time I put on gloves at work because it can rip the gloves. Most of the time, I take it off for the whole day and put it on as soon as I’m done work. I always have my band on though. If I have to take it off later in this pregnancy, I will wear it around my neck until I can put it on my finger again. I just feel naked without my rings on and I hate going without them.

I also have a ring on my right hand for the deployment. It is a bow. My husband did not want me putting a bow up outside because he didn’t want me marked as being alone, so he bought me the bow ring instead. He put it on me the day he left and I’ve had it on ever since. He’ll be the one to take it off when he gets home.

I like what the rings symbolize and I can’t imagine not having them.

Rings were not permitted in the lab and work areas. It was a pain to take it on and off and I figured I’d loose it. The office was 90–95% male anyway. No one cared.

I’m a guy and I don’t do jewelry and my wife is OK with that. I told her that I would use my Grandfather’s ring for our wedding only. I wear a black plastic watch/heart rate monitor because it has a functional purpose and is hardly considered jewelry.

Aside from jobs and all of the other reasons already given, I think women in general just like jewelry more. We wear necklaces, bracelets, earrings, brooches, anklets… most men do not do this.

my husband doesn’t wear one. Mine is a big diamond and he’d be mad if I didn’t wear it. I sold his ex weddings a long time ago. I don’t think he cheats. I don’t know why he doesn’t want one—don’t really care either

Most people I know who stop wearig their rings stop because the ring does not fit anymore, they gained too much weight. I think women will go throught the effort to resize, or buy a new one. Men many times don’t bother.

My husband lost his first wedding ring changing a tire: the replacement went down a toilet. A new one is on the list, but has not made it to the top of it yet. Mine has lasted 37 years with one resizing.

Neither of my parents wear their wedding rings anymore. I don’t think either of them fit their fingers.

My knuckles are so beat up from work that any ring I could get over them would be too loose to be comfortable.

My hubby always wears his. I don’t wear mine anymore. It’s not that I don’t want to- in fact, I wish I could. I gained a lot of weight during pregnancy and it doesn’t fit anymore! I think it might be diet time…

@jenandcolin You could get it sized at a jewelry store so it fits again. It’s usually not too expensive depending on the material and how much it needs to be changed.

I needed surgery because I never took off my ring.