The Marriage Market for 25-to-34-Year-Olds

Is there a shortage of marriageable men in the 25-to-34 age group? That's the question posed by Isabel Sawhill and Joanna Venator of the Brookings Institution, and their answer is yes, sort of, depending on how "marriageable" is defined.

At first glance, there doesn't seem to be a problem. There are 126 single men for every 100 single women in the 25-to-34 age group. But there are only 91 employed men per 100 women. Among college graduates, the number drops to just 85 employed men per 100 women because women in the age group are better educated than men. The researchers conclude: "Among the college educated, there is a shortage that is likely to discourage marriage unless women are more willing to 'marry down' or men catch up to women in terms of education."

Source: Brookings Institution, Is There a Shortage of Marriageable Men?