Not so surprising: study confirms men marry their mothers

Did the statement “men marry their mothers” start out as one of those old wives’ tales? Or was it evidence based from the start? A new study out of the University of Iowa shows

that nearly 80 percent of high-achieving men who were sons of mothers with college degrees married women with a similar education.

And 62 percent of men whose mothers had graduate degrees tied the knot with a graduate degree holder.

So meeting his mother, will likely show you just what he thinks of your intellect. . .

On a positive note, since young women are increasingly more degreed than men, the generation of men they raise could be setting the bar that much higher for their own marriage matches. With each progressive generation, smart women will stress less about finding an equal partner because men will increasingly want a brainy babe versus one looking for her M.R.S. (not that there’s anything wrong with pursuing an M.R.S. if you’re so inclined).

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3 Responses to “Not so surprising: study confirms men marry their mothers”


  • I remember my dad telling me this. Which is scary, especially since my parents are divorced. But it makes sense. I also read, cant remember where, that boys actually fall in love with their mothers as babies/toddlers.

  • My Mom never cracked a book — and I’m a reporter/writer by trade. Go figure. But I will say my Ma was a looker in her day!

  • Hah! I shoulda been so lucky…

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