How Long Are Duggar Courtships? They've Been Getting Progressively Shorter

When it comes to dating and relationships, the Duggars are best known for their "courtships." A courtship, to put it simply, is dating with the intention of getting married one day. But as serious as courtships are (from what I've gathered, they're like contracts), they seem to move really quickly. The fast turnaround can be confusing to some people, especially since the courting couples don't get to spend alone time together before they get engaged. It all seems a bit rushed, to say the least. Of course, the Duggars are no exception to the fast-paced nature of courting, and it seems like there's always a family member on the brink of an engagement. That all being said, exactly how long are Duggar courtships? As it turns out, the family's courtships have gotten shorter in length throughout the years.

If you've been following along with the Duggar courtship news as of late, Josiah Duggar got engaged to Laura Swanson on March 5, just 41 days after they announced their courtship on Jan. 23. “We are so excited to announce that Josiah and Lauren are officially engaged," the Duggar family said in a statement, according to People. "We have prayed for many years that the Lord would bring the right spouses to each of our children."

Prior to Josiah's exciting news, Joseph Duggar popped the question to his now-wife, Kendra Duggar, on May 26, 2017. The engagement occurred just 80 days after Joseph asked Kendra to court him on March 7, 2017.

And just a few short months before Kendra and Joseph's courtship, Joy-Anna Duggar entered a courtship with Austin Forsyth on Nov. 15, 2016. The pair courted for almost four months before Austin asked Joy to marry him on March 3, 2017.

As for engagements in 2016, look no further than Jeremy Vuolo and Jinger Duggar. After announcing their courtship on June 20, 2016, Jeremy proposed to Jinger in New York City on July 26, 2016. If you do the math, that's a mere 36 days. Pretty wild, right?

But how do the most recent Duggar courtships stack up in comparison to the courtships of the older kids, like Jessa Duggar, Jill Duggar, and Josh Duggar? Well, based on my calculations, it looks like Jim Bob Duggar was more strict with courtship lengths back in the day. I suppose Jim Bob is no different than any other parent who gets more lax with dating rules as the years go on.

Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard, for example, courted for about five months before they got engaged on April 9, 2014. Five months seems like a lifetime when you compare it to Jinger's 36 days.

Next in line is Jessa Duggar, who had to wait 10 months before her now husband, Ben Seewald, got down one knee following an elaborate scavenger hunt.

But out of all the Duggar kids, Josh Duggar had the longest courtship. After meeting Anna Duggar at a homeschooling event in 2006, the couple entered a courtship that lasted for two years. Apparently, Anna wanted to wait until her 20th birthday before she got engaged.

Considering the Duggar family's courtships are decreasing in length, it's reasonable for fans to wonder why.

Two theories seem to make sense here, the first one being that Jim Bob wants to keep the wheels of the Counting On train greased. The more weddings and engagements, the more television specials there are. And if Counting On is possibly on its way off the air, one would imagine Jim Bob and Co. want to take advantage of their fame while they still can.

The second theory involves premarital sex. As many people already know, the Duggars can't have sex before marriage and they can't be unchaperoned while on dates. Although this might sound stressful enough as it is, imagine living out these strict courtships in the public eye. Having to discuss your inability to have premarital sex might make it more difficult to abstain from doing it, right? Plus, I imagine talking about all the sex you can't have isn't fun. Joseph even said as much, telling a producer about why he avoids sex-related topics, according to Radar Online: "We don’t want to make it harder on ourselves thinking about things we can’t actually carry out."

So, it's totally possible that the Duggars are rushing courtships to avoid the awkwardness of courting in public.

Although I'm sure everyone has their own theory as to why these courtships are shorter than ever, I think people can agree that this trend won't die down anytime soon.

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