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The Bates boys appear to be unlucky in love. The family, best known for their series, Bringing Up Bates, includes 19 children. Of those 19 children, nine are boys, while 10 are girls. 12 of those 19 children are technically old enough to get married. While six of the adult girls have already walked down the aisle, and another is headed in that direction, only one of the Bates’ five adult sons has found a wife, and they now have three failed courtships under their belt.  Family followers think there may be a good reason for this, and it’s not merely a coincidence

The Bates boys don’t have a ton to offer a prospective bride

Sure, the majority of the Bates boys are good looking in a traditional sense. Both Lawson Bates and Trace Bates, for example, have a look that many women would find aesthetically pleasing, but beyond that, fans don’t believe they have much to offer.

Like the Duggar family, the Bates family believes that a man should work for himself, and a woman should remain inside the home to raise as many children as possible. That’s, at the very least, how Kelly Jo Bates and Gil Bates structured their marriage. Fans believe that the Bates boys are expected to find women who will adhere to all of the family’s strict rules, and that’s not easy to find. The ever-dwindling Institute of Basic Life Principle social circle they run in is almost impossibly small, and growing smaller by the day.

Family followers think the Bates boys are looking for something impossible to find

Followers note that the Bates boys all seem to have a similar type when they are looking for a wife, and that type isn’t particularly easy to come by. The women who they have tried to court all seem to come from a more relaxed Christian upbringing. The men of the family appear to like the look of a more mainstream woman, but don’t seem to enjoy the personalities that come with.

One Reddit follower notes that it appears as though the boys want women who are stylish, outgoing, and, at the same time, wholly submissive and willing to follow family rules that are far stricter than what they likely grew up around. Finding someone to make that work seems like a tall order.

The Bates daughters all married men who seem a bit more relaxed in their belief system

The Bates daughters seem to have a larger pool of suitors to pick from. Family critics note that Gil, unlike his reality TV counterpart, Jim Bob Duggar, does not have the bankroll to keep a ton of sons-in-law on the payroll. Thus his daughters have a bit more freedom to choose a spouse who can provide for her, even if that means he doesn’t adhere ultra-conservative Christian rules that the Bates follow.

Reddit followers note that all of the Bates girls have chosen men who are less strict in their beliefs than Bates family. Each of the girls’ suitors have some level of education, generally work in a trade, and tend to have more liberal expectations for their brides.  

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