Women 'Marrying Down' in Record Numbers

At least in terms of education, says Pew survey
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 12, 2014 5:57 PM CST
Updated Feb 16, 2014 7:00 PM CST
Women 'Marrying Down' in Record Numbers
   (Shutterstock)

A new survey by the Pew Research Center points out a milestone of sorts: For the first time, the percentage of women marrying a man with a lesser education is greater than the percentage of men marrying a woman with a lesser education. It's close, 21% vs. 20%, but expect the gap to widen—among newlyweds alone, the figures are 27% vs. 15%. The Los Angeles Times notes that in 1960, only about 7% of women fell into this category, but the number has risen steadily over the years as women have surpassed men in college graduation rates.

Pew uses the phrase "marrying down" in its writeup of the results, but emphasizes that the phrase refers only to education, not economics. In fact, most women (58%) who had more education than their husbands in 2012 actually earned less money. Click to read about another recent finding about modern marriage—that equal roles tend to lead to less sex. (More marriage stories.)

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