By It’s a playful joke in many marriages that women are the 'better half' in the relationship.
But new research has shown that the jibe may be more fact than fiction, as women are increasingly choosing partners who are less educated than themselves.
Modern women are increasingly becoming better-educated than their husbands, a new study claimsFor centuries, men were deemed to have the higher 'social status' than their wives, owing to their level of education and wealth.
Yet university experts in Barcelona have found that women are now turning that theory on its head, owing to the increase of women in education around the world.
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In fact, in 21 nations around the world from France, Slovenia to Mongolia, there are now more women 'marrying down.'
This means there is an increase in the number of women who are choosing to study at university, rather than leave school and get married.
Women are increasingly 'marrying down' and choosing partners who are less-educated than themselvesResearcher Albert Esteve of Spain’s Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona revealed: “Traditionally in heterosexual couples, the dominating pattern was a type of relationship in which the woman marries a man with higher educational attainment and in which there are important general differences.
“In recent years however, an easier access to education for women is altering this model."
While there is an increased in the number of learned ladies, it isn't putting women off tying the knot.
“One could consider that the increase in education among women would make forming unions more difficult and raise the number of single women," Esteve continued.
“However, what we see is that the composition of couples adapts quite well to these structural changes.”
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