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Opinions of Thursday, 21 July 2016

Columnist: Solomon Opala

Why women should begin to marry less successful men

Many women would rather die single than consider marrying a poor man Many women would rather die single than consider marrying a poor man

It is an evolution trait in women to get attracted to men more successful than themselves. This was necessary because they never used to be engaged in gainful employment and marriage meant leaving their father's home and also getting children.

This meant that there were more dependents and the man to marry was one that could not only take care of himself, but also the lady and her offspring. It made sense therefore that the desirable man was one that was wealthy, healthy and up to the task.

However, with development in science, technology and civil liberties, more women have found their way in the workforce.

Today, work is more of typing on a computer than back breaking labour in the coal mines. The laws not only allow women to work but in some cases are preferred over equally qualified males in the name of reverse discrimination or affirmative action.

Women have a greater access to scholarships, venture capitalization and entrepreneurship training. This has resulted in over 60% of graduates being women compared to 40% men. This means more knowledge-based careers or jobs are going to be held by women.

The effect of this is that currently, more men between 20 and 45 are unemployed. Some cities, the rate standing as high as 40% as opposed to 1950s when it was a single digit. This is understandable because in the economics of employment, the jobs are not infinite.

The more women enter into the market, the more men are going to be unemployed. Women have an option of working or being a stay at home mum if she is married to a wealthy man. However, men don’t have that option. Getting a job is a matter of life or death to them.

With this background in mind, you get that a woman who is highly educated and in a power job will have few options and opportunities of getting a more successful men for marriage.

For human race to continue being propagated to perpetuity, we need this hypergamous evolutionary instincts tweaked so women can find the less educated men marriage material.

As matters stand, many would rather die single than consider marrying the mailman, plumber or an electrician when she has a Harvard law degree. So we find many successful women (like the black Americans) whom the state has spent a lot of resources in affirmative action projects, remaining single because they are still looking for a 'sponsor' in form of a husband.

Time to rethink marriage matters, me thinks.