Maiden Mother Matriarch with Louise Perry Why We Marry Who We Marry - Benjamin Goldman | Maiden Mother Matriarch Episode 145
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Jun 4, 2025 Benjamin Goldman, an Assistant Professor of Economics at Cornell University, sheds light on modern marriage dynamics. He reveals the dramatic decline in marriage rates among non-college-educated Americans over the last century. Factors like sex ratios and socioeconomic challenges play key roles in this shift. Goldman discusses how educational attainment intricately influences partner selection and marriage patterns. He also dives into the complexities of interracial and interclass marriages, highlighting their growing challenges and evolving societal perceptions.
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Marriage Market Compensation
- College-educated women increasingly marry non-college men who are economically well-off.
- This compensates for the scarcity of college-educated men relative to women on campuses.
Economic Decline Hits Non-College Women
- Declining economic outcomes for non-college men have caused falling marriage rates for non-college women.
- A "creamskimming" effect occurs where college-educated women marry the more economically successful non-college men.
Local Male Outcomes Shape Marriage
- Non-college women’s marriage rates drop sharply in areas where non-college men face unemployment or incarceration.
- Fertility rates remain steady but out-of-wedlock births rise as marriage becomes less likely.