Marrying Up and Down

Fodder for some very interesting discussion here.

PERHAPS THIS REALLY REFLECTS THE DECLINING VALUE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: More Educated Women “Marrying Down.” “Nearly 21% of married women in 2012 were better educated than their spouses, a threefold jump from 1960, according to the Pew Research Center. By contrast, a bit less than 20% of men had more formal education than their wives.”

This reflects the sad obsession we have with formal education.  Marrying "up" or "down" is judged solely on an educational credential.  I suspect the women marrying "down" are actually marrying quite well in terms of things like integrity, values, commitment, and strength of character.  But we don't measure these things.

And this is another salient point...

If they’re marrying plumbers and electricians, while holding degrees in women’s studies, they’re marrying up in terms of income. And, in fact, we find out this: “About 58% of better-educated women earned less than their husbands. Only 39% of women earned a higher salary.”

If you've got a worthless degree and are increasingly unemployable (as the jobs that go to these marginally valuable degree holders vanish), why are you considered "up" on the scale?

Come to think of it, this might be a business opportunity - a dating service for women with silly degrees looking for burly men...