The pool of stable partners for non-college women just shrank by half

The number of economically stable men without college degrees available for marriage has fallen by more than half. This means women without college degrees now have far fewer potential partners who earn above the national median.

For decades, the assumption was that women's rising education levels would primarily affect their own marriage choices. This paper shows that college-educated women are increasingly marrying men without college degrees who are still economically stable. This shift, combined with the overall economic decline of non-college men, means women without college degrees now face a drastically smaller pool of potential partners.