Are men just not rich enough to date anymore?
A new study from Cornell University, published in the Journal of Marriage and Family, says there are more single people out there than ever before. And, the study says it’s because there aren’t enough “economically attractive” men. The study, which was initially shared by KOIN, found that marriage rates in the United States are at a record low for the past 150 years.
To come to this conclusion, researchers compiled data about marriages between 2008, 2012, 2013, and 2017. The team then used “data imputation methods” to figure out the qualities of men desired for marriage. In other words, they wanted to find qualities that made these men “good potential husbands.” And as stated above, it seems that income was the most common factor.
These potential husbands “have an average income that is about 58% higher than the actual unmarried men that are currently available to unmarried women,” according to the study.
“They also are 30% more likely to be employed (90% vs. 70%) and 19% more likely to have a college degree (30% vs. 25%),” the researchers added.
But what does it mean to be “economically attractive?” Men need to have a bachelor’s degree or make at least $40,000 a year to start.
To add an even more depressing note to this information, researchers argued that the rate of people staying unmarried will just continue on and on.
“This study reveals large deficits in the supply of potential male spouses. One implication is that the unmarried may remain unmarried or marry less well‐suited partners.”
Related: New Survey Tells Us How Much Do Americans Spend On Dates
Another Perspective
Of course, we shouldn’t be taking this study to heart without looking at the grand picture. Yes, money is tight in America (and all over the world for that matter), but does that mean that people shouldn’t be dating? Absolutely not!
The idea of looking to marry rich is appealing because, let’s face it, money is power in our capitalist society. But the idea of limiting your romantic and personal happiness over factors like that is disappointing and self-deprecating.
But that said, there also needs to be a reminder that marriage is not a requirement to life. This study comes off with a heavy bias in support of marriage as a traditional step in life. As such, it expresses the results and data with a negative look on not getting engaged and even more so on being single.
But here’s the thing, the study also steps over dating. Just dating someone and being in a committed relationship outside of marriage is a wonderful thing. It’s also a phase and form of relationships that often gets overshadowed by the big M phase. There are plenty of reasons not to be married and you don’t have to be. Don’t let societal norms displayed all over this study skew the way that you think.
Overall, yes it’s sad that women think men out there are too poor to consider as life partners. But, there’s also some room to breathe in this data. Dating a man without a ring is not only ok but great. And that should be appreciated more.
