[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by opendoor

But where's the evidence of this actually happening? In the United States people are now far more likely to marry and be in relationships with people drawn from their own economic and educational peers than they were 50 years ago. In fact some people are arguing that this is heavily related to increasing income inequality. Women in the past who normally were unable to independently secure a high status life on their own had far more incentive to seek out high status mates than women today and this is clearly shown by demographic trends. That Atlantic article you quoted about the 9.9% was precisely about this exact trend.

But many still avoid low-status men who offer few resources. In socio-economic environments where women are significantly more educated than men (such as working class black American communities), marriage rates are extremely low. We're now seeing the same thing happen in working class white communities. Because women can earn a living on their own, an unreliable or low-earning man doesn't seem to be an attractive mate.

Originally Posted by opendoor

And the other ills that can stem from a large cohort of unattached males (interpersonal violence and other anti-social behavior) have clearly been on a marked decline in the United States for the last 50 years so again, the foundation of his argument lacks evidence. I just don't see any proof that women are eschewing lower status men en masse.

Economic forces making US men less appealing partners, researchers say

"The lack of good jobs for these men is making them less and less attractive to women in the marriage market, and women, with their greater earnings, can do fine remaining single," says Bertrand, the Chicago economist.

While overall violence is trending down, that's doesn't mean we should ignore social changes that lead to anti-social behaviour. These days, only a handful of low-status men without partners will commit violent crime. It's not as though we have a society where these guys gather on street corners and empty lots and menace passerby, or set cars on fire. Most will rarely leave their porn and videogame dens. But they can be bad for society in other ways. And of course it's not great for women if large numbers of them are pursuing a relatively small number of high-status men. Not unless they're okay with reviving the convention of high-status men having both a wife and a mistress.