American Women Are Giving Up on Marriage - WSJ

[question everything]

(snip)

American women have never been this resigned to staying single. They are responding to major demographic shifts, including huge and growing gender gaps in economic and educational attainment, political affiliation and beliefs about what a family should look like. “The numbers aren’t netting out,” said Daniel Cox, director of the survey center at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a conservative think tank. He ticked off the data points: More women than men are attending college, buying houses and focusing on their friendships and careers over dating and marriage.

(snip)

A 2022 Pew survey of single adults showed only 34% of single women were looking for romance, compared with 54% of single men, down from 38% and 61% in 2019. Men were also more likely than women to say they were worried that nobody would want to date them. A rise in earning power and a decline in the social stigma for being single has allowed more women to be choosy. “They would rather be alone than with a man who holds them back,” Cox said.

For young women especially, who tout their “boy sober” and off-the-market status on TikTok and other social media, the focus has shifted toward self-improvement, friendship and the ability to find happiness on their own. Surveys show a decline in teenage relationships, and Gen Z is having less sex than previous generations, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

(snip)

Marriage rates for both men and women are in decline, in part owing to less pressure to pair off and higher expectations for a would-be match. “Dating apps make people feel like there might always be a better option,” said Melissa Kearney, an economist at the University of Maryland. “They view looking for a marriage partner the same way that you view looking for a job candidate.” But men seem more satisfied with their options than women. A 2023 AEI survey of college-educated women found that half blamed their singlehood largely on an inability to find someone who meets their expectations. Less than a quarter of single men said the same.

(snip)

The challenges of finding a romantic partner have been made more complicated by a growing divide in education and career prospects between men and women. In 2024 47% of American women ages 25-34 had a bachelor’s degree, according to Pew, compared with 37% of men. A bachelor’s degree increases net lifetime earnings by an estimated $1 million, according to a 2024 report from Georgetown University.

More..

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/relationships/american-women-are-giving-up-on-marriage-54840971?st=S8SQuw&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

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[spooky3]

1. Studies show marriage benefits men more than it does women, in

general.

Looking at posts on Threads, I’d say AEI is missing huge factors—many men haven’t changed their behavior, and their treatment of women, to make them desirable partners for women in 2025.

[question everything]

3. Correct. The parts that I snipped mentioned how men atill want their partners to stay home with kids

[spooky3]

5. That's part of it, but there are other parts too.

Lots of women comment on Threads about how condescending or inconsiderate men are to them, apparently seeing them as second class citizens who have to put up with it, rather than equals worthy of good treatment. Others talk about how men have substance problems or are looking for mommies to take care of them.

Here is a passage from the WSJ article that gets close to it:

“ The latest presidential election and the first months of the Trump administration have intensified this ideological rift.

Rachael Gosetti, a 33-year-old real-estate agent in Savannah, Ga., said she broke up with her boyfriend, with whom she shares a 5-year-old son, over a year ago because she was tired of doing most of the child care, cooking and scheduling while also earning almost double her boyfriend’s salary. She has yet to date anyone else in part because she worries about living in a red state with a six-week abortion ban. “I have a child that I can’t leave behind to drive to Virginia if I had a pregnancy scare, and I definitely can’t afford another child as a single mom,” she said.”

[buzzycrumbhunger]

2. Married to a malignant narcissist for too damned long

Finally figured out how to jettison the bastard after 23 years, in 2003. It was such a shit experience with lasting self esteem damage that I’ve yet to feel brave enough to try again.

I miss two-person sex but it was just that horrific… Feel free to send batteries.

[hlthe2b]

4. Here's a paywall-free archived copy for those who want to read the full piece:

https://archive.ph/Toy46

[Bread and Circuses]

6. There are very good and honest men . However,...

Women are not going to stay with a man who is angry and an extremists .

Women an children need safety and love and they can be happier without a thug father

[Comrade Citizen]

7. Key words

I see these words in the article: net lifetime earnings, career prospects , a job candidate, earning power, gaps in economic, earning almost double.

I guess that's what love is these days. All that matters is looks, money, power, influence, selfishness, ego, and what you can do for me.

When it comes to relationships no one cares about cooperation and sharing, helping others, everyone being beautiful, inner beauty, empathy.

The current system, society, and culture have turned people into heartless monsters.

[question everything]

8. Mothers and grandmothers of these women showed them that they cannot rely on husbands

for the rest of their lives. Poverty rate is high for women who never had a profession of their own. Trusted to be taken care of.

So, yes, earning power is important. And as I mentioned above, too many men want their spouses to stay home with the kids. And too many women are not familiar with the financial situation of the family only to find out too late about savings and investments that never existed, pension that does not exist and a house mortgaged to the roof.

[Comrade Citizen]

9. it's the capitalist system

Last edited Sun Mar 23, 2025, 01:58 AM - Edit history (1)

The system is forcing women to judge men based on money.

[Aristus]

10. Well, Jesus Christ, can you blame them?

When the only marriage prospects are toxic dude-bros who worship Trump and think women are baby-making machines, and who are looking to eliminate no-fault divorce, why would any woman with any self-respect sign up for something like that?