A University of Zurich study shows that highly educated women in Switzerland are not struggling to find partners, as men have adapted to changing educational trends.
Key facts
- •The share of Swiss women aged 30 to 40 with higher education degrees grew from under 20% in 1999 to over 60% in 2024.
- •The likelihood of highly educated women aged 30 to 40 living in a partnership has remained above 80% for the last 25 years.
- •Men with low levels of education are increasingly likely to live without a partner, with the probability nearly tripling since 1999.
- •Traditional income inequalities within couples persist even as educational attainment between partners has become more equal.
- •Researchers attribute declining birth rates in Switzerland to factors like housing costs and work-life balance rather than a lack of partnership opportunities.
Researchers from the University of Zurich have found that the rising share of highly educated women in Switzerland has not led to a 'marriage squeeze.' Between 1999 and 2024, the likelihood of highly educated women aged 30 to 40 living in a partnership remained consistently above 80%. The study, published in the Swiss Journal of Sociology, indicates that men have adapted to these shifts by increasingly entering into relationships with highly educated partners.
By the numbers
Shifting Partnership Patterns
The share of women aged 30 to 40 with a higher education degree in Switzerland rose from below 20% in 1999 to over 60% in 2024. While highly educated women continue to prefer partners with similar educational levels, the study found that men have adjusted to this new landscape. In 1999, only about 25% of highly educated men were in relationships with higher education graduates; by 2024, such educationally equal relationships became the dominant pattern. Additionally, men with medium levels of education were nearly four times as likely to have highly educated partners in 2024 compared to 1999.
Persistence of Income Inequality
Although educational gaps between partners have narrowed, traditional socioeconomic inequalities persist in terms of income. The study found that gender-based income disparities continue to reinforce economically unequal partnerships. Only 25% of men in the top income third have a partner who earns a similar amount, despite a majority of these men being in relationships with highly educated women. Researchers suggest that these income disparities, rather than the marriage market, may be more relevant to broader societal issues like declining birth rates.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by Phys.org.
