Jan 22 2010
Talk about a reversal
Historically, marriage was the surest route to financial security for women. Nowadays it’s men who are increasingly getting the biggest economic boost from tying the knot, according to a new analysis of census data.
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In 1970, according to the report, 28 percent of wives in this age range had husbands who were better educated than they were, outnumbering the 20 percent whose husbands had less education. By 2007, these patterns had reversed — 19 percent of wives had husbands with more education, compared with 28 percent whose husbands had less education.In the remaining couples — about half in 1970 and 2007 — spouses had similar education levels.
Only 4 percent of husbands had wives who earned more than they did in 1970, compared with 22 percent in 2007.
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I think the most important change is that marriage is now optional for women, economically. They don’t have to get married at all, and can still make a good living while single. Back in the 70s and before, the only jobs available to them paid quite poorly, so a single woman would suffer financially. The further back you go, the worse their situation gets.