Aimee Turner
The primary motivation for going to college is considered to be the increase in earnings power that college education provides. However, there is also another potentially important benefit of college: college improves marriage opportunities by providing a social venue to meet potential spouses. Furthermore, a college-educated individual is substantially more likely to have a college-educated spouse. Thus, the individual enjoys educational balance in the household and benefits from the earnings power of the spouse. While this “marriage benefit” of college surely applies to both sexes, it is likely to be particularly important for women since married men on average have higher labor force participation rates and higher incomes than married women.
As Steve Watters pointed out in his article “Why College Men Aren't Ready to Marry,” the average age for marriage, for both men and women, has risen significantly since the middle of the last century. Is this a positive sign? In a culture where a significant portion of the current adult population hasn't been able to make a marriage last, it seems best to proceed with caution. The assumption is that that the longer you wait to get married, the more ready you will be emotionally, financially, and spiritually to build a lasting marriage when the time comes.
So when is the time right? Research studies have shown that women are tending to want to wait longer than their male counterparts. A common reason found amongst women who are decided to wait is that that they need an extended period of independence to “discover ourselves.” A second common reason I hear for delaying marriage is that college women need to focus first and foremost on getting a degree and pursuing a career. Often, there is pressure from parents, relatives, and teachers to continue on this path. But what message is this sending? Has money seems to have become more of a priority than relationships?
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