Fussbucket

by Stacey

Whether a young man’s mother earned a college degree or worked outside the home while he was growing up may influence his choice of a future wife, according to a new study by sociologists at the University of Iowa. Thanks to this article in ScienceDaily for the tip.

High-achieving men — those who earn salaries in the top 10 percent for their age and/or have a graduate degree — are highly likely to marry a woman whose education level mirrors their mom’s. Nearly 80 percent of the high-achieving men whose mothers had college degrees married women with college degrees, and 19 percent of them married women with graduate degrees. Of men whose moms had graduate degrees, 62 percent tied the knot with graduate degree holders, and 27 percent said “I do” to women with college degrees.

What about the slacker guys? Do you think they have slacker moms? The study doesn’t say either way. But it does show that successful men whose mothers worked outside the home are likely to view working women favorably.

The researchers discovered that 72 percent of mothers of high-achieving men worked outside the home after they had children. Among those men, three-quarters agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “Men are more attracted to women who are successful in their careers.” Men who grew up with working moms were almost twice as likely to marry a woman who makes $50,000 or more per year.

“Successful men in their 20s and 30s today are the sons of a pioneering generation of high-achieving career women,” said said Christine Whelan, the lead author of the study. “Their mothers serve as role models for how a woman can be nurturing and successful at the same time.”

The researchers conclude that working mothers of the past have helped to create a generation of young men who have an egalitarian view of marriage. That’s great. I’m just wondering if the next study will look at whether these same men embrace the idea of sharing housework and childcare as much as they do having a working spouse.