They created a gift registry to celebrate her PhD: 'We shouldn't only reward women for marriage'

Do adult women congratulate each other on occasions other than getting married or having children? Maybe no. Because society expects women in their 30s to settle down and raise a family and there is hardly any room or occasions left in their lives for celebration after a point. But when this lady obtained her Ph.D. at the age of 33, her friends and roommates gave her a fitting present to celebrate her achievement. According to BuzzFeed, Danielle Greene recently graduated from Stanford University with a Ph.D. in education after five and a half years of hard work and study. She got her degree in a program called Race, Inequality and Language in Education.

Greene revealed through a tweet that her best friend and college roommate created a gift registry on her behalf to celebrate her big win. The tweet read: "My freshman roommate and bestie made a gift registry to congratulate me for graduating with my Ph.D., because 'we shouldn't only reward women for marriage and babies' and distributed it to everyone who RSVPd to my defense."

The tweet has since gone viral with 4.7 million views and the comment section has been flooded with congratulatory messages and compliments. Greene revealed that she had known one of her friends named Elizabeth since 2008 when they attended their first day of college. "She's always been an incredibly sweet person, so while I was surprised when she teamed up with another friend and my fiancé and asked me to make a list of things I wanted, I wasn't completely taken off guard, because that's just the type of amazing person she is!" Greene said about her pals.

The Ph.D. holder explained that she did not give much thought before casually tweeting about her milestone and she certainly did not expect so many people to read it. "I loved seeing people asking others to do the same for them because we should be celebrated," Greene said. Her friend Elizabeth is the one with whom she shared equal sentiments about the gift registry. "I definitely agree that we should be awarded beyond marriage and babies! There's something really intentional about a gift registry, allowing people to tell others what they specifically need/desire is really meaningful. If I never were to get married or have children, does that mean I never get to ask for a really nice glass Tupperware set?! Ridiculous," she added.

"To be fair, I'm not sure of a time when men and nonbinary people receive gift registries beyond marriage and babies. However, there is something that is key to Liz's comment — women are expected to have their lives revolve around babies and children, above all else. Her statement is more of a rejection of that sentiment rather than a declaration that men get gift registries for things other than marriage and babies," Green continued. She also strives to bring a change in people's mindsets. "There needs to be a lowered expectation that women need to strive for domestic accomplishments, in isolation or at all. Let people be people first, not who or what they are in relation to other people. By celebrating each other, we can push past that notion," she added.

Greene was glad to receive plenty of presents from her registry, including gift cards to Thrift Books and a Jo Malone perfume. "Celebrate everything! Big things and the little things. It's not self-indulgent to lean into acknowledging your hard work, and if it is, who cares?" Greene said. Ambitious women like her deserve to be celebrated for their wins outside their family life and we all deserve a devoted friend like Elizabeth.