Sex ratios

by Russ Roberts on August 6, 2006

The New York Times reports on some interesting data on marriage. Men without college degrees are much less likely to marry than in the past. Note the sex ratios by education at the bottom:

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Loki on the run

Interesting article. But it makes me wonder, is there an actual problem to be addressed here? Men who aren't competitive in the world of romance need to be more competitive if they wish to find a mate. And/or have less selective tastes. Is this really a new concept?

Women who aren't competitive in the world of hard science (or business) need to be more competitive if they wish to find a postition. And/of have less selective tastes. Is this really a new concept?
Dale Gribble

Sorry, my bad i meant the marriage rate for women with 4+ years college
Dale Gribble

I see that for married women the unmarried rate actually fell, Murphy Brown eat your heart out
shecky

Interesting article. But it makes me wonder, is there an actual problem to be addressed here? Men who aren't competitive in the world of romance need to be more competitive if they wish to find a mate. And/or have less selective tastes. Is this really a new concept?
Natureboy

Theoretically, the left leaning media, education, legal and political establishments should be happy, all their years of anti-male and anti-familiy efforts have finally borne fruit. Oh and what's this, the fruit has a bitter aftertaste. Now there's a shortage of men willing to make the effort to be "suitable" mates for the masses of overachieving women. Until the media, education, legal and political establishments drop their institutionalized biases against men, women are going to have a problem because many men are deciding that they don't want to play in a crooked game. Like it or not men and women are biologically linked by some awesomely strong physiological drives and policies that hurt one are eventually going to hurt the other.
Bruce Hall

Just speculating here but there could be some non-education reasons in play here:

1. Sex is readily available outside of marriage.

2. Well-paid jobs for less-educated men are rapidly being exported.

3. The cost to raise a family is increasing much faster than the ability to afford those costs.

So, the alternative is to:

1. Enjoy sex with a lot of partners.

2. Work only enough to support oneself comfortably.

3. Have children but let the females and the state take responsibility for the care and costs.

But, of course, that is only a theoretical alternative because we've never actually seen an increase of that happening.