A recent study by Pew Research Group has pointed out that men prefer economically independent women as compared to dependent women.
Pew used data from 1970 and 2007 Census of U.S. and compared it with married people of age 30-44.
“Marriage is a different deal than it was 40 years ago,” said Pew economist Richard Fry, a co-author of the study.
“Typically, most wives did not work, so for economic well-being, marriage penalized guys with more mouths to feed but no extra income. Now most wives work. For guys, the economics of marriage have become much more beneficial.”
The study
The study results show that in 1970, 64 percent of graduates were men and only 36 percent were women. However, in 2007, the trend changed, and now 53.5 percent women are graduates as compared to 46.5 percent men. This shows more women these days have college degrees as compared to men.
The research also highlights growth in women’s earnings from 1970 to 2007. Household income for a median household rose by 60 percent for married men, married women, and unmarried women as against 16 percent for unmarried men. Although on an average, men still make more, women’s gains have reduced the gap considerably.
The changing times have also made women more career-oriented.
“We’ve seen a historical shift in the marriage bargain since the mid-20th century,” said Andrew Cherlin, a sociologist at Johns Hopkins University.
The old bargain was that the husband earned the money and the wife took care of the home. The new bargain is that both work, and they pool their incomes,” added Cherlin.
Researchers of the study also pointed out that men benefit more from marriages these days as considered to the old tradition of women benefiting.
“Just as women are saying they want more from marriage than an economic security blanket, men are more open to marrying women with more education and earnings,” said historian Stephanie Coontz, author of Marriage: A History.
Study’s limited scope highlighted
However, Economist Betsey Stevenson, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School differed with the results of the study and said that its scope was limited.
“What they’re raising is really an important question: Who has benefited more from increasing earnings of women in the labor market?” But she says the study doesn’t look at other benefits, including who spends more within families.
“Simply comparing earnings and educational attainment is not a very illuminating way to answer that question,” said Stevenson.
She also said that the study does not provide conclusive evidence
