Does your spouse have to be an Academic?

We often hear from educated people that they will only date other people with academic degrees. But not having an advanced degree doesn’t mean that someone isn’t amazing. And for those who think it’s just a compatibility issue, social science tells us that educational differences usually do not play a role in divorce.

The question of educational background can often throw women into a dilemma: If, on average, more women are studying for advanced degrees than men, and a significant number of those men then marry women with less education – then quite a few female academics remain “left-over” and without prospects, in purely mathematical terms. Unless, of course, they look elsewhere…

But don’t despair. There is good news for educated women (and this may sound unusual to many people, but it’s true). Nowadays almost anyone can study, and at many universities, it’s not even a big challenge (lots of average people have useless academic degrees that mean next to nothing!). You have to get rid of the outdated idea that “it has to be an academic” who will be your partner.

When a woman says this, she actually means this: “I want to have an educated man who is interested in the world, understands the importance of making connections, and can participate in discussions. I’m looking for someone who won’t ask embarrassing questions at a party.” Yes, most of us can relate to that sentiment. But the truth is that you can find someone like that regardless of whether they have a university degree. And by the way, just to keep everyone humble, let’s remember that the world is full of embarrassing, blow-hard intellectuals! Sometimes the working man can be a far better conversationalist than the man from the ivory tower.

Case in point. Recently I met an actual street sweeper. He comes from the most intelligent family I know. His two brothers teach at universities. “Why did you become a street sweeper?” I asked him. “I want to read philosophical books and think about them. While I’m sweeping I can think about it all day without being disturbed.” Wow! Beppo is real! And so we learn – whether you’re a man or a woman: To discover a diamond, you often have to look twice! Breath, step, broom stroke…