Reply to Shortage of "economically attractive" men reason for marriage decline according to new study

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous] Unmarried woman here. I make much more than 100K a year, own my home, and have a degree. I'm not at all uncommon in this area.

Why should I marry a guy who makes less than me? Doesn't own a home? And can't provide me a higher standard of living than I can for myself?

Especially considering the childbearing years and work would effectively halve my own income.

I'm genuinely curious.[/quote]

Ok, I am going to give you a very practical response which will probably cause an uproar.

It is much easier to raise kids in a two-parent household, unless you have one of your own parents who is willing to effectively form a family with you.  Childcare prior to age of 5 is comparable in cost to college; 100K is great for single living in the greater DC area, but once you throw in 20K of childcare expenses post-tax, it becomes less attractive.  Competent SAHD is quite a find, especially if you are talking 2+ kids (20K x 2 + tax = 70K salary, plus whatever he may offer with DYI projects and basic cooking).

Your biggest challenge will be making sure his IQ is high enough to produce smart children, since IQ is largely heritable.  I would strongly consider men who majored in humanities in a strong college, but just never quite got it together for a high-power job for some reason.  In other words, compromise on how much he earns, but not how smart he is.  My friend married a librarian with spectacular results; brilliant children, and she is fulfilled at work.

After kids start attending public schools, your SAHD can find little jobs here and there, and then maybe even start full time somewhere.  Don't count on any of it, just look at his earnings as a bonus and put them straight into the savings account since he may have a job today and lose it tomorrow.

"real politik" of modern upside-down marriage.[/quote]

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