Who is losing out in marriage market competition?
The marriage market in the U.S. has shifted significantly over the past fifty years, with a growing number of women attending college compared to men. This change has led to a decrease in economically stable partners for non-college women, as the number of non-college men earning above the national median has dropped significantly. The findings suggest that the declining economic prospects for men have adversely affected the marriage opportunities for non-college women.
- ▪U.S. four-year colleges have transitioned from enrolling mostly men to mostly women over the past fifty years.
- ▪The economic position of non-college men has weakened, reducing the pool of stable partners for non-college women.
- ▪The share of non-college men earning above the national median and not married to college women has fallen by more than 50%.
- ▪Education gaps in marriage are smaller in areas where non-college men experience lower joblessness and incarceration rates.
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Who is losing out in marriage market competition? by Tyler Cowen May 18, 2026 at 11:53 am in Data Source Over the past half-century, U.S. four-year colleges have shifted from enrolling mostly men to enrolling mostly women, while the economic position of non-college men has weakened markedly. We examine how these changes correspond with the evolving structure of marriage markets across cohorts and places. As college men have become increasingly scarce, college women have maintained stable marriage rates by marrying high-earning non-college men.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Marginal Revolution.
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