To many young men and women, the prospect of getting married may seem antiquated. And to others, a prision sentence. MANDY MOON ILLUSTRATION Happily ever after or not oes marriage still have a place in 2019? The Philosopher’s Jam: Resisting Marriage - Reclaiming Right: An Early Modern Critique of Patriarchy, held on campus just last Thursday, aimed to address that question. According to the latest Statis- tics Canada data, approximately 38 per cent of all marriages end in divorce. Though the divorce rate has been dropping since the 1980's, many still argue what is the point of even gettng married? In a heterosexual marriage, it is inarguable that this tradition has MANDY MOON been historically used as a claim of ownership over women. Some traditions dictate that when a woman is married she moves out of her father’s home and into her husband’s; that she take his last name and bear his children. In many religions or cultures, a woman may be expected to keep her virgin- ity intact until her wedding night. With such restraints, it can be diffi- cult to see why any woman would want to get married. From my own feminist voice; women are equal to men, and no person has the right to claim ownership over another. While traditions are important as they're part of one’s culture progres- sion is far more valuable. Progres- sion can reshape society and change a cultural thinking. As we change, so too do our values. Do not get married out of obli- gation or an idea of commitment. Some may only choose to get married because of family pressure, or because it’s viewed as the mature step after being together for so long. Marriage should be a choice of the heart. It can also be a choice of triumph. Even though same sex marriage has been legal in Canada since 2005, it was only just decriminalized in Northern Ireland on October 22. Tam also married, and believe that marriage still has its place in 2019. The decision to get married wasnt easy to come to. My part- ner and I had several discussions on whether it was right for us, and if the trial of a wedding was “Marriage should be a choice of heart. It can also be choice of triumph.” something we wanted to subject ourselves to. We asked ourselves what would our future look like, both if we did and didn’t get married. ‘There was no financial gain as the cost of the wedding was more than I'd ever be willing to admit, and obtaining a marriage license was a assle. But for us we decided the hassle was worth it. Being able to stand before our friends and family and declare our devo- tion to each other, to exercise our right to participate in this tradition. Marriage should always be a choice. But so should the decision to end one. Online PR quiz not easy Ithough there are many obstacles for international students to find relevant work in Canada after they graduate, there is also an obstacle for employ- ers. It’s called the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). Many international post-second- ary students who want permanent residency would be seeking to qualify under Immigration Canada’s Skilled Worker category. This involves complet- ing a points- based online questionnaire where an appli- cant is assessed points based on six factors of language skills, education, work experience, age, arranged employment and adapt- ability factors. Only applicants with the high- est points are invited to apply for permanent residency status. A LMIA isa laborious application a company has to make to Immigra- tion Canada to prove that there is no qualified Canadian available for the job. The employer must provide documentation as to why each Cana- dian interviewed was not qualified for the job. A recent Statistics Canada study published in September states only a third of international students stay and work in Canada six years after graduating, possi- bly due to issues finding work. I decided to try Immigration Canada’s online questionnaire to figure out how many points I’d get under the Skilled Worker category. Although I’m a domestic student, I answered the questionnaire as if I were an international student with good English fluency, aged 30, single, with a Canadian two-year diploma. Then, I got to work experience and job offer questions: “In the last ten years, how many years of skilled work experience in Canada do you have?” Since it has to be a job classed as managerial, professional, or skilled trades, ] responded none, a situa- tion similar to many international students. Then this, “Do you have a valid job offer supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment?” Many international students do not receive this, so I responded no. I scored 367 out of a possible of 1200 points. Currently, on Immigra- tion Canada’s website, I need a mini- mum of 450 points to be invited to apply for PR. Without PR status, international students need to leave the country. LINA CHUNG The Voice is pub- lished by Langara College’s joumalism department. Editorial opinions are those of the staff and are independent of views of the student government and administration. We welcome letters to the editor. They may be edited for brevity. Your letter must in- clude your name and phone number. HOW TO DROP-IN REACH US Room A226 Langara College PHONE 604-323-5396 SNAIL MAIL E-MAIL The Voice thevoice@langara. 100 West 49th Ave. be.ca Vancouver, B.C. WEBSITE V5Y 226 langaravoice.ca INSTRUCTOR Erica Bulman MANAGING Nathan Gan EDITOR PAGE 6 Mandy Moon Mandy Moon PAGE7 PAGE EDITORS Agazy Mengesha PAGE 1 PAGE 8 Liam Hill-Allan Tierney Grattan PAGE 2 Joe Ayres MANAGING WEB PAGE 3 EDITOR Josh Rey Missy Johnson PAGE 4&5 WEB EDITORS REPORTERS Christina Dommer Anita Zhu Chelsea Liu Henri Ngimbis Adam Levi Kristen Holliday Mathilda de Villiers Gina Rogers Maxim Fossey Lauren Gargiulo Lina Chung SOCIAL MEDIA Palak Klaire EDITOR Ray Chopping Austin Everett Soubhik Chakrabarti Steven Chang WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU CO NTACT Have a different point of view? Write us U S Journalism instructor Online at Erica Bulman oversees langaravoice.ca The Voice. Twitter Email: ebulman @LangaraVoice @langara.ca