Marriageability
Marriageability
There has been long held controversy against the way in which marriage is conducted, along with the rules and ramifications of matrimony, and the institution itself. Beliefs of wedlock vary by place and culture, but the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionaries’ primary definition of marriage is “the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law.” However, this traditional ideal of marriage has been completely over-shadowed by the changing economics of marriageability. Due to a lack of considerable candidates, an unbalanced population ratio between genders, and a drastic change of roles throughout society, for woman in particular, it’s becoming harder and harder to find a marriageable spouse.
Who is considered marriageable? According to Kate Bolick, marriageable men are “those who are better educated and earn more money than they do.” As published in the article “Decline Of The Working Man” on Economist.com, of all the big, rich Group of Seven economies, America has the lowest share of “prime age” males in work: just over 80 percent of those aged between 25 and 54 have a job. In the late 1960’s 95 percent worked. This is mainly due to the fact that American men have let their schooling slide in recent years. Among the employed population 25 and older, 37 percent of women had attained a bachelor 's degree or more as of 2010, compared with 35 percent of men, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau (Bernstein, Robert). This goes to show the outstanding changes within feministic characteristics throughout the 19th century and why woman are more often choosing to “marry down” (Kate Bolick).
The last several decades has seen profound changes in the roles of women in the labor market. One recurring theme is the “success penalty,” or the disadvantage career success poses to women in the marriage market. (Coontz, Stephanie) The shortage of husband material
There has been long held controversy against the way in which marriage is conducted, along with the rules and ramifications of matrimony, and the institution itself. Beliefs of wedlock vary by place and culture, but the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionaries’ primary definition of marriage is “the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law.” However, this traditional ideal of marriage has been completely over-shadowed by the changing economics of marriageability. Due to a lack of considerable candidates, an unbalanced population ratio between genders, and a drastic change of roles throughout society, for woman in particular, it’s becoming harder and harder to find a marriageable spouse.
Who is considered marriageable? According to Kate Bolick, marriageable men are “those who are better educated and earn more money than they do.” As published in the article “Decline Of The Working Man” on Economist.com, of all the big, rich Group of Seven economies, America has the lowest share of “prime age” males in work: just over 80 percent of those aged between 25 and 54 have a job. In the late 1960’s 95 percent worked. This is mainly due to the fact that American men have let their schooling slide in recent years. Among the employed population 25 and older, 37 percent of women had attained a bachelor 's degree or more as of 2010, compared with 35 percent of men, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau (Bernstein, Robert). This goes to show the outstanding changes within feministic characteristics throughout the 19th century and why woman are more often choosing to “marry down” (Kate Bolick).
The last several decades has seen profound changes in the roles of women in the labor market. One recurring theme is the “success penalty,” or the disadvantage career success poses to women in the marriage market. (Coontz, Stephanie) The shortage of husband material
Cited: Bernstein, Robert. “More Working Women Than Men Have College Degrees, Census Bureau Reports.” census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau, 26 Apr. 2011. Web. 6 Oct. 2012. Bolick, Kate. “All the Single Ladies.” theatlantic.com. The Atlantic, Nov. 2011. Web. 3 Oct. 2012. Brooks, David. “The Return of the Pig.” theatlantic.com. The Atlantic, 12 Nov. 2011. Web. 3 Oct. 2012 Coontz, Stephanie. “The M.R.S. And the Ph.D.” nytimes.com. The New York Times, 11 Feb. 2012. Web. 9 Oct. 2012. “Decline of the Working Man.” economist.com. The Economist, 28 Apr. 2011. Web. 4 Oct. 2012. Fry, Richard. “New Economics of Marriage: The Rise of Wives.” pewresearch.org. Pew Research Center Publications, 19 Jan. 2010. Web. 9 Oct. 2012. Gottlieb, Lorri. “Marry Him!” theatlantic.com. The Atlantic, Aug. 2011. Web. 3 Oct. 2012. Hampikian, Greg. “Men, Who Needs Them?” nytimes.com. The New York Times, 24 Aug. 2012. Web. 3 Oct. 2012. Meyer, Julie. “Age and Sex Composition: 2010.” census.gov. U.S. Department of Commerce, May 2011. Web. 6 Oct. 2012. St. George, Donna. “No More 'marriage Gap ' for College-Educated Women.”washingtonpost.com. Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2011. Web. 9 Oct. 2012.