What can I do to help my partner?

What Can I Do to Help My Partner?

I have a partner, a single woman who is thirty years old. In my city, the majority of women who are around this age are still single. Most of their parents are worried about their marriage prospects and my partner’s parents are no different. Her parents constantly ask all of their friends to help introduce men to her as they want their daughter to be married as soon as possible. My partner doesn't agree with what her parents are doing since it puts lots of pressure on her. My partner is very upset, sad, and always stressed. It is a rare occasion for me to see her smile. I often think about what I can do to help her. Sometimes, I try to console her when she is frustrated, but it doesn't really help.

Recently, her father's friends introduced five men to her (she refers to them as numbers 1 to 5). Although she only wanted to meet number 1, her father wanted her to meet all the other men at the same time. I realize that her parents just wanted her to have more chances to learn about every man, and to not miss an opportunity, but in my opinion, going on such a “group” date where one is the center of attention, is not a good way to find a boyfriend. My partner feels very isolated and she confided in me that she doesn't want to go home after work. Sometimes, she wandered around in the city until late at night, merely to avoid talking with her parents about her marriage. While they, perhaps, mean well, both for her and themselves, they have inadvertently created a very stressful situation for her. Who can tell me what I can do to help my poor partner?

Hi. Good job! As to the writing, while I easily understood everything that you wanted to tell me, as the reader, I reworded and rearranged some of your sentences to make them sound more natural to my native ears. As to advice re your “partner,” other than being supportive to her, being there for her to confide in, I do not think that there is much you can do. This is an issue, a cultural one, between her and her parents. As long as she is not sticking up for herself, not speaking her mind, being the “dutiful” daughter, she will face this pressure until she is married. Perhaps, meeting them halfway would help—so she can agree to go out on a date, but with just the men she is interested in. But when she does, she should then be up front with the guy and tell him the reason why she is doing it. Maybe he is under that same pressure, and if so, they can be friends, but pretend to “date” to make both of their parents happy. Or, she can find an old classmate, a co-worker, or someone else, one who will pretend to be her boyfriend. Finally, she could just lie and tell her parents that she is a lesbian. Then, regardless how it  affects their relationship, at least, they would leave her alone, and most certainly, stop trying to set her up with male suitors [Apologies, I am not trying to offend anyone, nor suggesting that is there anything wrong with being a lesbian, I am just commenting upon a possible solution…]. I hope that this helps you. J.