Since the beginning of time women have been placed on the lowest socio-economic strata. All societies have their preconceived ideas about the status of women. Women are now extremely qualified and are successfully taking care of their families. Attaining higher education does not prevent these women from having a spouse. They have decided to delay the process until they are qualified and have viable incomes. Of course some men who are intimidated by women’s achievements will shy away. That does not mean an educated woman is unable to find a spouse.
Women then, in the quest to find desirable husband, chose to go to college. Men, who were more educated were considered “good catches.” Many women went to college in the hopes of finding a husband so they did not choose advanced degrees. They instead settled for the Bachelor’s and remained dependent on their husbands who were the breadwinners. It is also quite clear that the job opportunities were limited and women chose to “marry up” to men who had good earning potential. Men, during that time wanted to have women who would “obey and be passive and always adhere to their rules. It therefore seems that those marriages were ones of convenience. There was no equality and “the little women” stayed home taking care of the home and the children.
In modern times, women have earned more than fifty percent of higher degrees. Sure, the pool of educated mates has shrunken because women refuse to remain in the background. They are now leaders in the field of technology, science, economics and politics. They are leaders and CEOs of major businesses, and very involved in their communities while raising successful
families. Stephanie Coontz states in her article “M.R.S and the Ph.D.,” “American women face a radically shrinking pool of what are considered marriageable men—those who are better educated and earn more than they do.” (1) Men are now seeking women who are economically secure as well as emotionally grounded. They do not mind sharing the housework and being as much a helpmate as the woman has been. Many marriages today are among people with like standing in the relationship and they tend to balance each other.
In most cases, the women of the “then era” were limited to how much education they could have, how much money they could make and whom they could marry. The modern woman has delayed marriage but as stated in the article “Getting Married Is Great For College-Educated Women,” Eleanor Barkhornmar states ‘women who marry later make more money per year than women who marry young.”(2) This means there is more to gain by delaying marriage for a college degree. One change that is quite evident between the “now” woman and the “then” woman is that in the early days, women married up in order to gain stability while women now marry down to find emotional comforts and companionship. In the article “Educated Women and Marrying Down”, the author states ,”the biggest reason we won’t see a lot more college-educated women walking down the aisle with their plumber is .they want smart kids.” (3) With that being said, I do believe the modern woman thinks more about the outcome of the union than did the then woman whose sole purpose was for financial stability. As stated by Richard Esteve: “One could think that the rise in education amongst women would make relationships more difficult and raise the number of single women. But it seems that people adapt to this changing trend.” (4) From the above statement one can see that the modern woman is able to balance work, marriage and a family and still have a fulfilling life.
In these modern times, men have taken on the challenge of marrying women who are as educated as they are or even with more education. They are willing to share the burden of housework and children while they allow women to pursue their careers. There are a few, however , who are caught in the same old rut of being either intimidated by a woman’s financial capabilities, her drive, and her ability to do more than he does. Those men have remained in marriages where they can be lord and master over the woman because it gives them a sense of power. The roles have switched and men are now marrying up instead of women. Men have indeed come full circle.
REFERENCES
- Coontz, Stephanie, “The M.R.S and the Ph.D. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/opinion/sunday/marriage-suits-educated-women.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
- Hymowitz, Kay, Educated Women and Marrying Down 2011, www.forbes.com/sites//2011//educated-women-and-marrying-down/
- Barkhornmar, Eleanor, “ Getting Married Later Is Greater for College-Educated Women” http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/03/getting-married-later-is-great-for-college-educated-women/274040/
- Styles, Ruth, Forget a handsome prince: For modern women, nothing but an ordinary Joe will do, a new study has revealed.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2225845/Forget-handsome-prince-For-modern-women-ordinary-Joe-new-study-revealed.html#ixzz2TZwKprwd
