Wedding trends
People are increasingly likely to pick a partner similar to themselves, according to research by the Institute for Public Policy Research.
The research, which was reported on Channel 4, found more than half of married women born between 1976-1981 married a partner in the same social class, compared to 45 per cent among married women born in 1970, and just over a third of those born in 1958.
It also showed there had been a decline in the proportion of women ‘marrying up’ over the past 40 years, and for the first time, a larger proportion of women are marrying a partner of a lower social class than themselves.
The days when women were able to escape their lot by marrying the boss are over and this may reflect the increased social and economic power of women.
The proportion of married women in professional and managerial occupations increased from a third of among those born in 1958, to 40 per cent among those born in 1970, and more than 50 per cent in those born between 1976 and 1981.