Higher Education Linked To A Drop In Marriage Rates
A study has found that each additional year of education lowers the probability of being married by four percentage points for people aged 25 to 34. Even later in life, education raises the likelihood of never marrying at all, including among people in their forties and fifties. While education delays marriage, it also reduces the chances of divorce, separation, or widowhood for those who do marry. By middle age, these effects partly balance out, but higher education still increases the likelihood of remaining permanently single. They also found that each additional year of education increases the odds of having a college-educated spouse by 13 to 24 percentage points for married individuals. The research suggests education creates more selective marriage patterns, not necessarily lower desirability as a partner. Educated individuals may have higher standards, more financial independence, or alternatives to marriage that make them more selective or less inclined to marry. The study also found education delays not just marriage but having children, illustrating the connection between the two major life decisions.
