What Do Women Want? A Man with a Steady Job

The median age at first marriage is at a record high for both men and women. To find out why, Pew Research Center surveyed Americans about their attitudes toward marriage and asked those who had not yet married what the heck they were waiting for.

Wouldn't you know it, a steady job is the number-one characteristic women want in a partner. Fully 78 percent of single women who want to marry someday say this is a very important quality in choosing a partner. Many more single women want a man with a steady job than want one who shares their ideas about raising children, morals, or religious beliefs.

Finding a man with a steady job is more difficulty than it used to be. According to Pew's analysis, there are only 91 employed men per 100 women in the 25-to-34 age group, down from 139 in 1960. Even worse, many of today's employed young men have low-paying and unstable jobs, making them unattractive marriage partners. When women decide to marry, they are making a rational economic decision. The fact that so many young women are choosing to remain single is evidence of the decline in men's earning power.

Source: Pew Research Center, Record Share of Americans Have Never Married