Whos more educated? Husband or wife?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Whos more educated? Husband or wife?
25
Fri, 04-14-2006 - 5:51pm

I don't want to offend anyone with this question but posts like the one from the mom with the college daughter whose BF is playing video games all day made me decide to go ahead and ask

Back in my day, it was rather typical for the guy to be more educated than the girl. My parents wanted my brother to college. They agreed that I could go but it was still less expected back then for a girl than a boy

When I look at my peers in their 40s and 50s, I am hard pressed to find a couple where the female is significantly more educated than the male. They might both have bachelors-one might have a few hours more than the other but I dont know any circumstances where the woman has a masters and the guy has a HS diploma

OTOH, I see this with my 20 something coworkers quite a bit.

Is it just my experience or is this a trend?

DS1's GF is far more motivated than him!! She has goals and dreams. He is taking classes at the community college only because he feels a sense of competition with her since she is younger.

I dont know if she would drop him if he failed to move ahead or not; I know its a source of many arguments for them

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Sat, 04-15-2006 - 7:39pm

I hadnt thought of education being the more likely route for women to choose for 'success'

I know women can do anything but men still seem to be the majority in physical jobs and some of them command good salaries-road construction for example. I only see men installing my cable and satellite dish-Im not saying theyre making 6 figure salaries but I know theyre starting above cashier at Target

It may be that guys see more opportunities on the horizon that they find acceptable which will pull them a livable wage.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-29-2005
Sat, 04-15-2006 - 7:47pm

Oh I was just having fun. I know intellectually that men and women are (more or less) equals. I KNOW its not us against them, just laughing at the situation in general. Sorry you could not read that, I thought that seemed obvious because only an ass would make a statement like that and be serious. Additionally, I COULD NOT AGREE MORE with you! Most jobs do not actually require BAs, just employers want them. It's tough out there to get a job without one. I think in some ways having a BA demonstrates a level of cognition, perserverence, and maturity BUT in no way should it be a stand alone measure of someone's intellegence. Believe me (I work in academia at a major university) plenty of people I know with advanced secondary education are truthfully no more intellegent in everyday situations than the Average Joe. It's the everyday situations that count IMO. Anyone can cash a paycheck.


I think pp makes a good point about more SpEds and drop out are boys. Wha'happening??? Thats not ALL Title 9 and Grrrl force.


BTW I have BOYS!! JIC you think I'm raising bra-burning anarchists!

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-29-2005
Sat, 04-15-2006 - 7:53pm
...One more thing. Not only do most jobs not actually require a full chemistry series

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2006
Sat, 04-15-2006 - 10:23pm
I have had more education than my husband. We are in our early 50s. I have 2 masters degrees and he has his AA. That certainly does not mean I am smarter! What I have in book learning he has in 24 years in the Air Force and an ability to do mechanical things that I can't do. He laughs at me when I try snd he's right!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2006
Sat, 04-15-2006 - 10:32pm

Forgot to mention.... the class officers at my DD's school are all female. So are the officers of her youth group and more than half of her Aca Deca team. I have no hypothesis, but have seen this more and more each year! A female president will certainly be in our future at this rate!
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-1999
Sun, 04-16-2006 - 10:24am
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Methinks this is not a component of the gender difference. Enlisted types are mostly non-college bound in the first place....MOSTLY. Officers have to have college first. "


I beg to differ, thebetty.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Sun, 04-16-2006 - 1:39pm

Interesting...I dont know much about the military but definitely know about those boys who exit high school not having a clue what they want to do!

I never even mentionned it as a possbility for ds1-I dunno-Vietnam was a nightmare my brother never got over and he didnt see combat-did computers over there. It just was so against his grain being a loner and not at all physical. He certainly never wanted to be one of the guys! DS1 is like a clone of my brother

ds2 OTOH likes to be around other people, played sports in high school-I did offer it as a suggestion to him and who knows, if college doesnt play out this fall......I think he would fit in and actually enjoy the experience

Like anything, I think some people just arent cut out for it but I would chalk it up to personality, not intelligence

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-29-2005
Sun, 04-16-2006 - 6:35pm

Hey Bunnie,


Mmmmaybe...but this does not account for the shift. The suggestion was the WAR (2yrs old now I think) was a cause for more women enrolled in college than their male counterparts. This phenomena is much older than the Iraqi War. Men and women delaying college to serve time in the services is not a new thing either. I hope it didn't sound like I suggested men and women who enlist first are not suitable for college because I don't think this is necessarily the case. Betty

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-1999
Sun, 04-16-2006 - 7:37pm

The Iraq war is now 3 years old, and the war in Afghanistan (which almost everyone seems to forget about) is now 4 years old.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-05-2004
Sun, 04-16-2006 - 7:48pm

My mom has her Master's in Education, and my dad has a B.A. (history major, physics minor). I suppose, technically, my mom is more educated, but my dad made nearly double her salary when he was still working (he's retired).


Regarding my boyfriend and myself... he is planning to attend graduate school, whereas I'm still undecided (and currently leaning towards not going). So... he'll be the more educated one. No arguments here, though.

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