Marriage rates down due to a shortage of 'economically attractive' men

[brooklynite]

New York Daily News

Sorry, guys, women are not saying “I do” because you’re not making enough dough. It’s even worse for African-Americans.

According to a new study by Cornell University professors cited by the National Council on Family Relation’s Journal of Marriage and Family, one reason marriage rates are down nationwide is because prospective husbands can’t provide enough financial security.

“One explanation for the declines in marriage is the putative shortage of economically attractive partners for unmarried women to marry,” according to the study conducted between 2012 and 2017.

The researchers compared the incomes of “potential" male spouses with those of men who married women of a similar demographic and found that guys who had not tied the knot earned 58% less than those who took a bride.

My we got married, we both had Government salaries. Doesn't seem to have been a problem.

[Yavin4]

1. IOW, marriage is bullshit.

Got it.

[lunatica]

2. This is not new. It's ancient, ancient history

It’s actually as old as humanity itself. Women have children and they come first. Women needed a provider and a protected in order to safeguard the species. It was the most important quality for women.

[Sherman A1]

5. Yup

pretty much.

[cyberswede]

3. It takes a hell of a husband to be better than none

[tymorial]

6. That's kind of a nasty comment.

[NewJeffCT]

4. not surprised at all

just my anecdotal evidence, I worked part time as a realtor a few years back...

One guy contacted my company's office about looking for a house. He seemed interested in one home, but when I recommended him to a mortgage person, his credit was a disaster. Otherwise, a nice guy and in probably his late 20s. So, he said that his girlfriend was looking for a home as well, so I showed her some homes, she had excellent credit and moved pretty quickly when she found a home she wanted. She was also in that same age range - late 20s.

Same thing with another woman - good, stable job and her boyfriend didn't have the credit to buy a home, but she did buy one.

But, I can't have been alone in selling to young professional women that were single

[RhodeIslandOne]

7. I have an "exceptional" credit rating

But do not feel confident enough in my income to buy a house.

There are a lot of reasons why people just don't want to risk the mortgage thing.