What Is ‘Hypergamy’ — the Dating Trend Sweeping 40% of Americans?
19th June 2024
Commissioned by luxury dating site Seeking.com and conducted by Talker Research, the study also found many respondents are interested in modern “hypergamy” — a form of romantic attraction where one person is drawn to another who has a higher socioeconomic status than themselves, supporting and enhancing their own life.
‘Dating trend’? (Illustrating the inconvenient truth that if you read it in a newspaper it is almost certainly wrong.)
Hypergamy is not a ‘dating trend’ but rather an instinctive behavior on the part of women to marry (or otherwise ‘lock down’) the highest-status man she can, and ‘trade up’ if the opportunity presents itself. (‘Trophy wives’ are not hypergamy because typically such women are of lower status than the man, chosen rather for appearance.)
Search for ‘hypergamy’ on YouTube and you’ll fall into a rabbit-hole that will get more information than you require. Hypergamy is the motivating force behind the ‘starter husband’ movement and the fact that 80% of divorces are initiated by the wife.
A study often cited (but never referenced, so far as I can tell) online is one in which a large number of men and women were asked, “If you could find a partner that is 80% of what you are looking for, would you take it?”. The men almost invariably responded along the lines of “80% Hell, yeah, that’s a win!” whereas the women almost invariably responded along the lines of “80%? No, that’s not good enough; that would be ‘settling’.”