
Research indicates that single women may face a trade-off between professional ambition and marriage prospects due to men's preferences. The study highlights how this trade-off influences career decisions and earnings expectations.


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Research shows that men prefer female partners who are less professionally ambitious than they are. Because of this, many single women face a trade-off: actions that lead to professional success might be viewed less favorably in the heterosexual marriage market. A new study involving more than 300 MBA students shows how this trade-off plays out. When filling out questionnaires or surveys about ideal jobs, single women who thought their answers would be available to male classmates lowered their desired yearly compensation from $131,000 to $113,000 on average and their willingness to travel from 14 days to 7 days per month. They also reported wanting to work four fewer hours per week. Women who were married or in a relationship did not show this pattern, and neither did men (regardless of their relationship status). The results suggest that marriage considerations may be an additional explanation for gender differences in the labor market.

The Ambition-Marriage Trade-Off Too Many Single Women Face

The-Impact-of-Ambition-on-Single-Women-s-Marriage-Prospects


The Impact of Ambition on Single Women's Marriage Prospects
