According to new research published in the Journal of Marriage and Family, analyzed data collected on recent marriages between 2007-2012 and 2013-2017 shows that shortage of “economically attractive” men could be to blame for the decline in marriage rates.
The study’s data was gathered as part of the American Community Survey’s cumulative five-year marriage statistics. As part of the study, Cornell University examined the specific socioeconomic characteristics that make a man and woman a good match.
Using data from the American Community Survey, several profiles of fake spouses were created, and the socioeconomic characteristics of these hypothetical husbands were then compared with actual unmarried men. Researchers found that the potential husbands had an average income that was 58 percent higher than the actual amount unmarried men earn. The fake husbands were also 30 percent more likely to be employed than real single men and 19 percent more likely to have a university degree. The researchers also stated that many racial and ethnic minorities are experiencing low numbers of economically attractive potential partners.
Despite marriage being based on love as many still hold to be true, among our generation and with the changing times, marriage has shifted to become based on an economic transaction. Societal pressures that once pressured people into marrying because it was expected of them no longer exist, and instead have been replaced with prioritizing education, buying a house or traveling over getting married.
