The Educated Man Shortage

Ronald Bailey | January 3, 2006

New York Times columnist John Tierney has an interesting op/ed today on the looming crisis of too many edumacated uppity wimmin chasing after a dwindling supply of eligible (edumacated and white collar) males. The "crisis" stems from the fact that nearly 3 women graduate from college for every 2 men who do. Tierney points out that under 35 year old men say in polls that they have no big problem marrying women who make more money than they do. However, women who have gone to the trouble of getting a college degree do not want to marry a guy whose pint-sized paycheck would occasion malicious gossip among her friends.

Tierney seems to be onto something. A year or so ago, a professor in a graduate political science program at a leading state university told me that his department was beginning to think about an affirmative action plan for males. Why? Because his department could fill all its classes with qualified women, but women wouldn't apply to the program unless there are some eligible bachelors alongside them in the classrooms.

Tierney writes:

The women surveyed were less willing to marry down--marry someone with much lower earnings or less education--than the men were to marry up. And, in line with Jane Austen, the women were also more determined to marry up than the men were.

You may think that women's attitudes are changing as they get more college degrees and financial independence. A woman who's an executive can afford to marry a struggling musician. But that doesn't necessarily mean she wants to. Studies by David Buss of the University of Texas and others have shown that women with higher incomes, far from relaxing their standards, put more emphasis on their mate's financial resources.

I would link to the op/ed except that the New York Times wants you to pay for seeing it.

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|1.3.06 @ 1:45PM|#

Terney (sic) seems to be onto something. A year or so ago, a professor in a graduate political science program at leading (sic) state university told me that his department was beginning to think about an affirmative action plan for males. Why? Because his department could fill all its classes with qualified women, but women wouldn't apply to the program unless there are (sic) some eligible bachelors along side (sic) them in the classrooms.

I know that the "edumacated" misspellings were done on purpose, but what about all the mistakes in this paragraph?

I have far, far too much time on my hands today. Far too much.

Ed|1.3.06 @ 1:52PM|#

"...women with higher incomes, far from relaxing their standards, put more emphasis on their mate's financial resources."

So it's not the education so much as the cash.
Tell me something I didn't know.

|1.3.06 @ 1:55PM|#

Jennifer: Thanks very much for your proofreading help. The typos have been corrected. I plead that the errors are the result of typing the blog item on my small Sony Vaio and I don't know how to make Movable Type enlarge its typeface. :-)

|1.3.06 @ 1:58PM|#

Ron Bailey, trust me on this: the fact that I immediately notice such things today reflects more badly upon me than it does upon you.

But my only other option for keeping mentally occupied right now is to watch the snow pile on my car and think about how much driving will suck this afternoon. Global warming? Bring it on!

|1.3.06 @ 1:59PM|#

Yet another proof (as if more were needed) that the miserable fool Maureen Dowd was wrong in her infamous column (New York Times) about a year ago, whining that men refuse to marry educated career women and prefer illiterate highschool dropouts. Stop whining, ladies, and review your approach to marriage. You might get lucky and wed! Drop your feminine insecurities and enter the 21st Century.

|1.3.06 @ 2:04PM|#

Yuri, I'm pretty sure Maureen Dowd came up with her theory because it was better than having to admit that maybe the problem was with her, not the men.

|1.3.06 @ 2:05PM|#

Eh, whatever. People who want to be perpetually unhappy will always find a way to achieve their goal. I suppose this trend could lead to a greater number of obnoxious, navel-gazing NY Times spinster/columnists, but society will probably survive that.

I do have to wonder what the larger number of non-collegiate men are doing to make a living. Going without any college nowadays is a ticket to true poverty unless you have some specialized skill or incredible ambition. I'd be curious to see a further breakdown of this statistic, i.e., whether it is as true of junior colleges as of 'elite' private colleges, and how it breaks down by major. Not just the obvious ones (Womens' Studies vs. Physics), but also subjects like history and poly-sci that always seemed more male-dominated than psychology or English.

|1.3.06 @ 2:07PM|#

Hey, I'm a penniless, struggling artist and would have no objection to cohabiting with a rich-ish executive of the female persuasion who wants to keep me in the style to which I'd like to become accustomed in return for sexual services, public expressions of angst, and light housekeeping. But now, thanks to this downer article I've lost all hope. Thanks worlds, guys.

Guess I'll go hit the absinthe and write a bitter satire. Those snooty broads will be sorry when I'm dead.

|1.3.06 @ 2:08PM|#

Actually, I think it may be proof that the execrable Dowd was right, in her way--men seem perfectly willing to marry either up OR down, but women refuse to marry down, thus the shortage of high status mates for her and her pals stemming from both a numerical shortage and a willingness to marry floozies. The thing she got wrong (among the things she got wrong, anyway) is her insistence on blaming the Y chromosomes for the so-called problem.

It must have taken remarkable restraint for Tierney not to mention Mo D's name in his column.

|1.3.06 @ 2:11PM|#

I think Maureen is really hot.

Timothy|1.3.06 @ 2:15PM|#

ChrisO: You can do pretty well for yourself if you have some skills. Plumbers, machinists, some mechanics (like diesel mechanics and what not) make pretty good money and don't require college. Hell, even long-haul truckers can do pretty well for themselves, but these aren't exactly the prestige sorts of jobs that Dowdites will want to marry.

|1.3.06 @ 2:15PM|#

That women are picky, tell me and most men, something new! Men without a college education still have a better chance than women to make good money as electricians, plumbers, operating engineers or any one of several crafts. They are also more likely to form their own small companies based on their skills, increasing their income even more.

|1.3.06 @ 2:16PM|#

All I can say is that I hope I can keep my daughters from somehow taking on this focus on getting married (after 20 years, ain't all it's cracked up to be, trust me) to the point where they plan their life's pursuits around it. While I know many guys who plan their recreational activites around the probabilities of meeting women, typically for short terms, choosing careers/education, etc, with the idea of who they will get married to is somewhat of a bizarre concept. Then again, I may just be cycling in the wrong circles.

Given the premise of the article, Ron, I'd say you were in trouble as far as Jennifer's marital partner assesment is concerned with the typos, btw....which I found quite humorous, but I find humor in a lot of things which are strange so don't let that bother you.

|1.3.06 @ 2:17PM|#

What's the matter with arranged marriages, anyway?
(Ruthless dared me to comment.)

Hey, I'm short and educated. Come and get it, ladies!

Thomas Paine's Goiter|1.3.06 @ 2:18PM|#

Going without any college nowadays is a ticket to true poverty unless you have some specialized skill or incredible ambition.

Are you counting trade schools as "college"?

|1.3.06 @ 2:18PM|#

Obviously wimmins should all take voluntary pay cuts. I make 55k girls. Cut your pay to 54k and come and get me.
Problem solved. Next!

Matt, my boyfriend knows full well that, at least in terms of spelling ability, I am Dating Beneath My Station.

On the other hand, who cares? I have better things to do that give pop spelling quizzes during sex.

|1.3.06 @ 2:31PM|#

Women are picky... So Tierney watches Sex and the City. Good for him.

Jeff P.|1.3.06 @ 2:34PM|#

Full disclosure: Jennifer (Masters' Degree) is living with a community college graduate.
Of course that's only because my skills were in demand back in 82, and hitting the job market seemed a wiser track than throwing more money at college.
In writing that sentence, I realize I've been in TV in one capacity or another for 24 years. That just can't be healthy.

|1.3.06 @ 2:36PM|#

Jennifer said:
"I have better things to do that give pop... during sex."

hubba hubba

And joe,
That wasn't really you, was it?

|1.3.06 @ 2:38PM|#

Jennifer-
On behalf of "enjinears" everywhere, who have our spelling grey matter removed to make room for math storage, please accept our heartfelt thanks for such an enlightened view of spelling expertise.

The very interesting thing is that I'd swear I saw something within the last month linked by Reason and perhaps commented upon by someone, where a feminist was openly advocating financial slumming for a partner, as an equity/freedom basis. As I said, interesting.

|1.3.06 @ 2:39PM|#

Arranged wife give "Pop" good pop, by cracky!

|1.3.06 @ 2:40PM|#

The very interesting thing is that I'd swear I saw something within the last month linked by Reason and perhaps commented upon by someone, where a feminist was openly advocating financial slumming for a partner, as an equity/freedom basis. As I said, interesting.

Actually, the bimbo in the article was making some semicoherent point about how women have an obligation to have high-powered careers, because a woman who wants to stay home and be a mommy is somehow damaging the Feminist Cause. Or something.

Timothy|1.3.06 @ 2:41PM|#

Dear Everyone (self included),

Quit bitching and learn to be happy.

Love,
Tim

|1.3.06 @ 2:43PM|#

What kind of moron goes into a academic program because of the propensity to find a mate?

|1.3.06 @ 2:44PM|#

I have better things to do that give pop spelling quizzes during sex.

Sometimes I wonder if Jennifer isn't part of some elaborate conspiracy to trick libertarian men everywhere into hating Jeff.

Yogi|1.3.06 @ 2:45PM|#

So you're saying my dream of being the highest educated stay-at-home dad will be harder than I thought?

|1.3.06 @ 2:45PM|#

Jeff-
Full disclosure, the Phantom Menace (?)...Matt (two Masters degrees and a bit more), married to and actually still living with a woman who (albeit he paid for it so perhaps has some measure of ownership in the matter) has a Masters, still can't spell to save a life. Especially during sex, for that matter, not that there's anything wrong with that, you understand. If playing spelling bee is what churns your butter, that's great, but I digress. I just take heart given her aforementioned enlightened views on the subject, in hopes that it would apply to more women in general.

|1.3.06 @ 2:47PM|#

I have better things to do that (sic) give pop spelling quizzes during sex.

Kudos to Ron Bailey for not rubbing this typo back in my face.

|1.3.06 @ 2:49PM|#

Jennifer-

Mommy track-Correct. I believe she strongly advocated "marrying down" in an effort to maintain financial parity, for the presumed purpose of reducing the need for the woman to be the one staying home with the children. That was my point, seems like a backhanded justification of an existing situation given this article.

|1.3.06 @ 2:51PM|#

Hey shecky, I'm a biologist now, but I will admit to being the kind of moron who took some English and Comp Lit, classes in college to meet women. It worked a few times.

|1.3.06 @ 2:54PM|#

I do have to wonder what the larger number of non-collegiate men are doing to make a living. Going without any college nowadays is a ticket to true poverty unless you have some specialized skill or incredible ambition.

Thanks for asking. I'm the executive assistant to the President of a HUGE (multi-billion market cap) energy company. It's a hoot. And while I earn only slightly more than the national median, the fact that my workday ends at promptly at 5:00 pm makes me happy. Oh, and so does a sweet inheritance.

PS to Jennifer: would you be kind enough to explain your edits? Thanks! I love to learn!

|1.3.06 @ 2:56PM|#

I believe she strongly advocated "marrying down" in an effort to maintain financial parity, for the presumed purpose of reducing the need for the woman to be the one staying home with the children.

I recall otherwise; basically she seemed to just want to ensure that no woman did any "traditional female" thing. I remember one comment I made on that thread was a suggestion that she was actually a misogynist man who was posing as a feminist to discredit the whole idea. You know the old anti-feminist claim that "Feminists want to turn women into men"? Well, that woman actually did.

|1.3.06 @ 2:58PM|#

|1.3.06 @ 3:22PM|#

Chriso: You can do pretty well for yourself if you have some skills....

Like numchuck skills, computer-hacking skills, bow hunting skills...girls only like guys who have skills!

|1.3.06 @ 3:23PM|#

|1.3.06 @ 3:24PM|#

More evidence that women are just as shallow as men, albeit in different ways. Since I've chosen to pursue a career I enjoy, rather than one that will make me rich, I now now what my options are: celibacy or homosexuality.

I did specify that not going to college *in the absence of some specialized skill or high ambition* is a ticket to poverty. To anyone here who made it big without college, I salute you. Hey, can you help me out with my backbreaking student loan payments? :P

And yes, I do count trade school as 'college'--basically, any post-secondary education is college to me. Seeing what tradesmen make, I kinda wish I had gone that route. Anyway, as a happily married man, I can safely say that the sort of snobby power-woman who would judge me primarily on the quality of my diplomas and paycheck is probably a vicious piranha best avoided. Technically, I probably 'married up,' since my wife attended a more prestigious law school than I did--remarkably, she deigned to talk to me in the first place... :)

Jeff P.|1.3.06 @ 3:26PM|#

Now that I think of it, Jennifer does hum Julie Brown's "I Like'em Big and Stupid" a lot.
She also recites Schoolhouse Rock lyrics in a low, breathy voice...

|1.3.06 @ 3:27PM|#

Like numchuck skills, computer-hacking skills, bow hunting skills...girls only like guys who have skills!

Maybe drawing a picture of Maureen Dowd is the way to her heart.

Timothy|1.3.06 @ 3:28PM|#

Jennifer: I think y'all are looking for this thread.

Timothy|1.3.06 @ 3:30PM|#

Like numchuck skills, computer-hacking skills, bow hunting skills...girls only like guys who have skills!

AWW HELLZ YEAH!

|1.3.06 @ 3:33PM|#

"What kind of moron goes into a academic program because of the propensity to find a mate?"

Uh... this moron? I quit my decent paying job and went back to school for an MBA armed with the theory that if I could double or triple my paycheck, then attractive women everywhere would suddenly start throwing themselves at me, thereby improving my odds of finding a mate.

So far, my theory has yet to be disproven, but only because it has yet to be tested.

|1.3.06 @ 3:35PM|#

But that doesn't necessarily mean she wants to. Studies by David Buss of the University of Texas and others have shown that women with higher incomes, far from relaxing their standards, put more emphasis on their mate's financial resources.

Which means that even though she may be pulling down a six figure salary, she's still looking to fatten up a husband for divorce and the alimony that goes with it.

|1.3.06 @ 3:39PM|#

Which means that even though she may be pulling down a six figure salary, she's still looking to fatten up a husband for divorce and the alimony that goes with it.

AMEN!

|1.3.06 @ 3:42PM|#

Still single, I take it, Akira?

|1.3.06 @ 3:51PM|#

"So you're saying my dream of being the highest educated stay-at-home dad will be harder than I thought?"

Yogi, it's not as bad as it seems. Your high education will make it easier to home-school the kids, which (considering the benifits over public education, and the savings over private) is far more attractive than you realize. Plus, you can have the house clean and dinner on the table by 6:00.

Jim Murphy|1.3.06 @ 3:53PM|#

What kind of moron goes into a academic program because of the propensity to find a mate?

Having grown up in Utah, I have an easy answer for you--spend a few hours on the BYU campus in Provo and your questions will be answered.

|1.3.06 @ 3:59PM|#

I spent an hour or so at BYU the last time I was in Utah.

I saw a lot of, um, nice teeth.

|1.3.06 @ 4:11PM|#

I saw a lot of, um, nice teeth.

That's what's known as the Osmond Factor.

|1.3.06 @ 4:14PM|#

Not all marriages end in divorce, actually the opposite. But chicks are biologically set up to want a man that can provide for them better than they can themselves. Men just seem to want someone who knows when to button and unbutton her lip.

Thomas Paine's Goiter|1.3.06 @ 4:23PM|#

Men just seem to want someone who knows when to button and unbutton her lip

and pants.

|1.3.06 @ 4:28PM|#

Timothy-Yes, that's the article we were speaking of.

Jennifer-Obviously the snow must be more interesting. You missed "numchucks", which to me means a bunch of guys named Charles populating a dentist office. Nunchaku, aka nuNchucks, are a different issue...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nunchaku, and it's always a hoot to watch people who don't know what they're doing with them try to be impressive.

Speaking of dentist offices....nice...er..."teeth"..have a equivalence factor of how many credits of postgraducate education?

|1.3.06 @ 4:33PM|#

Here's the thing... A man will marry a woman regardless of income and totally regardless of income disparity, if the woman is sufficiently attractive to him (physically AND emotionally - because personality truly does go a long way).

Women also tend to be willing to date guys who are physically and emotionally attractive to them, but tend to lean towards actually marrying a guy for perceived stability and financial security.

So I would guess that men tend to marry for classically "romantic" reasons, women for classically "practical" reasons.

But it's just a guess. Maybe Jamie Foxx and Kanye West have a point:

"Now I aint sayin you a gold digger you got needs
Ya don't want a man who smokes but he can't buy weed
You go out to eat and he cant pay yall cant leave
There's dishes in the back, he gotta roll up his sleeves
But while yall washin watch him
He gone make it into a Benz out of that Datsun
He got that ambition, baby, look in his eyes
This week he moppin floors, next week it's the fryers

So, stick by his side
I know this dude's ballin' and yea thats nice
And they gone keep callin' and tryin'
But you stay right girl -
And when he gets on he'll leave ya ass for a white girl"

|1.3.06 @ 4:36PM|#

I quit my decent paying job and went back to school for an MBA armed with the theory that if I could double or triple my paycheck, then attractive women everywhere would suddenly start throwing themselves at me, thereby improving my odds of finding a mate.

Won't happen. Just so all the single ladies know, I have a Masters degree and several IT certifications, yet, the drought continues. (Disclaimer: I am not Caucasian; however, as far as I'm concerned, everyone is Black when the lights go out.)

|1.3.06 @ 4:45PM|#

All you guys, don't try to hook up with a girl for her looks, hook up with one who's already your friend.

The looks go, or can be improved upon easily, while an actual friendship makes sex really great!

|1.3.06 @ 4:56PM|#

I took typing 10 to meet girls in high school (in 1967 we had typewriters). The girls didn't stick, but the keyboarding has been useful ever since.

|1.3.06 @ 5:29PM|#

The girls didn't stick

You must lick them vigorously to make them stick.

|1.3.06 @ 5:47PM|#

Jennifer-Obviously the snow must be more interesting. You missed "numchucks", which to me means a bunch of guys named Charles populating a dentist office. Nunchaku, aka nuNchucks, are a different issue

Matt, their's know challenge in correcting the typoes that a posster makse. Even I've bin known to make a few.

|1.3.06 @ 5:55PM|#

I once did some serious statistical research and all the numbers seemed to point to the conclusion that I don't exist.

|1.3.06 @ 6:43PM|#

I'm just tickled that someone with a platform has finally introduced Maureen Dowd to the 'new man'. Bring on the ambitious females who want to kick ass at the office. Bring 'em on early and often.

|1.3.06 @ 7:06PM|#

What's the matter with arranged marriages, anyway?

For one thing, one out of every twenty-seven arranged marriages ends in divorce.

sourav|1.3.06 @ 7:36PM|#

Yeah, and 23 out of the remaining 26 are affairs of quiet desperation.

Hey, that's pretty good.

|1.3.06 @ 7:46PM|#

hey, i'm an unmarried female with a master's degree. and i'd marry my handyman with only a high school diploma if he'd ask me, because the man is smart (though not brilliant) and has skills. he's also super-cute, by the way. his plumber's butt crack is something i look forward to spotting.

as for his income, i get the impression he makes a little more than i do, which still ain't all that much.

Lazlo|1.3.06 @ 8:10PM|#

Eagerly awaiting MP3 of Jennifer's rendition of the Preamble a la Marilyn Monroe serenading JFK on his birthday. Thank you.

|1.3.06 @ 9:11PM|#

I'm just glad to see the "men are intimidated by a successful woman" myth get shot down. If my wife could pull a six figure salary I'd happily stay home, surf the web, clean the house and meet her at the door every evening with a strong martini while wearing a French Maid's outfit.

That's actually a pretty frightening visual, so let's move on.

|1.3.06 @ 9:31PM|#

I am a college graduate who married someone with a GED. He stays home, I go to work. He does the laundry, cleans the house, and takes care of the dog. I pay the bills, cook, and clean on the weekends. Hang in there, guys. There are women who appreciate a kind heart and who see beyond the dollar. I always figured that if I could take care of myself financially, then I would be free to marry someone who was wonderful but not necessarily rich. Full disclosure: It does take a little getting used to, considering I grew up in a home where my mother never worked outside the home and dad took care of everything financially. I get a little heat from the homefront about it from time to time. We've been married almost 10 years though, and it works for us.

|1.3.06 @ 9:57PM|#

Oh, and Mr. Freebird wanted you to know he does make his own golf money. He's a caddy.

|1.3.06 @ 10:23PM|#

I'm a high school dropout whose partner is a tenured mathematician. I make more than he does, and he certainly doesn't have a problem with that. I wouldn't have a problem supporting someone I believed had a true artistic or altruistic calling, but I wouldn't ever consider being with someone who just wanted to stay at home with children or be a homemaker.

|1.4.06 @ 12:16AM|#

Ladies! Dreamy, educated men with high earning potential from Latin America, the Far East, and the former Soviet Union are waiting to meet YOU! 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed!

http://www.mailorderhusbands.net/

|1.4.06 @ 11:12AM|#

I'm trying to raise a self-reliant daughter, now 11, who will always be able to support herself with or without a spouse. I was distraught one day when she said she wanted to marry a "rich" man, thinking to myself ,what have I done wrong? She then continued to say that if she married a rich man, she would know he wasn't marrying her for her money... things aren't always what they seem.

yobbo|1.4.06 @ 11:45AM|#

Mobile makes a good point. If girls like Modo can't find husbands, there are millions of university educated men in India who are awaiting you to pick up the phone and dial the call centre.

Outsourcing, Fuck Yeah!

|1.4.06 @ 1:12PM|#

>university educated men in India

Indian men are dreamy to look at, but among those actually raised in India there is a high risk of them being disagreeably sexist. And the ones who were raised here don't need a green card. What a shame.

|1.4.06 @ 2:30PM|#

"I think Maureen is really hot." -Ralphie

You mean, she's still going through menopause? Don't worry, it comes and goes...

Wintermute|1.4.06 @ 6:11PM|#

I studied this anthropology mating stuff back in 1968 but still am finding David Buss worth reading. Here's a link to his online papers.

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