Do Young Women Even Care About Education?

[Marek]

I don't have a massive academic record, just an undergrad degree in commerce. Do women 25 and under even care about such a thing? It seems to me that looks and social status are what prevails in young women's minds when it comes to dating.

[SensitiveTJ]

Just to clarify: Are you questioning the value they place on their own education, or on that of prospective suitors? I'm sure you must be aware that women outnumber men in college admissions and the gap is still growing.

[Marek]

Just to clarify: Are you questioning the value they place on their own education, or on that of prospective suitors? I'm sure you must be aware that women outnumber men in college admissions and the gap is still growing.

On that of prospective suitors. Yes, women may now be outnumbering men in college admissions but that's because women choose degrees in the Arts and Social Science departments. Men still thoroughly outnumber women when it comes to studying the hard sciences.

[Marek]

It's a lot easier to get a sociology degree than a computer science degree.

Exactly. See my post above.

[MsSmurf]

It depends on the type of young women you're trying to pursue. Hardcore academics that eat, sleep, and breathe their studies will probably place a higher value on academics. However there are many types of women and plenty that don't focus on education so much. Since you have an undergrad degree I think you'll do fine with the more education focused types and fine with the less education focused types. The key here is to be secure about who you are and what you've accomplished. If you're whining about how you feel undereducated or not very smart then you'll turn any woman off. If you're confident, working hard at whatever your current goal is (doesn't have to be academic), and establishing independence then you'll be fine.

[MsSmurf]

On that of prospective suitors. Yes, women may now be outnumbering men in college admissions but that's because women choose degrees in the Arts and Social Science departments. Men still thoroughly outnumber women when it comes to studying the hard sciences.

 

I'd say it's also because more men sign up for military service right after high school and end up going to college later.

[dreamingoftigers]

On that of prospective suitors. Yes, women may now be outnumbering men in college admissions but that's because women choose degrees in the Arts and Social Science departments. Men still thoroughly outnumber women when it comes to studying the hard sciences.

 

Isn't Commerce an arts degree?

 

In my country the fact that educated men and women match up vs. Non-post secondary men and women causes a social disparity.

 

Apparently someone cares.

[Mrlonelyone]

1.)Your right about looks and social status in dating at any age.

 

2.)Social status is determined by who's around you. If you are around other educated people being educated is needed. If you are around uneducated people then education may be a negative. If you are around thugs and gangbangers then your position in the gang is what matters. Find your niche group and climb the ladder in that group.

 

3.)Looks are very individual and there are men and women into all kinds of looks, personal styles, and sexual activities. There is no kind of look that is so gruesome, other than a serious deformity, which would make someone undateable.

 

The bottom line is education will matter to educated people. Uneducated people won't care about it OR may even resent you for having the formal education.

[SensitiveTJ]

On that of prospective suitors. Yes, women may now be outnumbering men in college admissions but that's because women choose degrees in the Arts and Social Science departments. Men still thoroughly outnumber women when it comes to studying the hard sciences.

 

In any case, the ability of women to support themselves is growing and will continue to grow. In that case, it makes sense that they would place less value on the man's earning ability. It's an open question as to what traits they would move to place more value on in place of earning potential.

[Balzac]

Guy here but in my recent past experience and more so now, girls/women do not date candidates who have not completed an undergrad degree. The situation becomes more vague when dating business guys who have yet to return to MBA. Point being that it's a moving target.

 

That being said, it's the academic culture that I was surrounded with from early days in school. Not saying it's the norm because statistically I know that advanced degrees are not the norm.

[Marek]

Isn't Commerce an arts degree?

 

In my country the fact that educated men and women match up vs. Non-post secondary men and women causes a social disparity.

 

Apparently someone cares.

Well, I majored in Economics, which is more towards the hard science area. Game theory, statistics, and differential calculus were required to complete it.

 

1.)Your right about looks and social status in dating at any age.

 

2.)Social status is determined by who's around you. If you are around other educated people being educated is needed. If you are around uneducated people then education may be a negative. If you are around thugs and gangbangers then your position in the gang is what matters. Find your niche group and climb the ladder in that group.

 

3.)Looks are very individual and there are men and women into all kinds of looks, personal styles, and sexual activities. There is no kind of look that is so gruesome, other than a serious deformity, which would make someone undateable.

 

The bottom line is education will matter to educated people. Uneducated people won't care about it OR may even resent you for having the formal education.

You made some very good and valid points. Thank you.

 

In any case, the ability of women to support themselves is growing and will continue to grow. In that case, it makes sense that they would place less value on the man's earning ability. It's an open question as to what traits they would move to place more value on in place of earning potential.

Yes, I suppose it's a moot point when so many other factors are at play.

[KraftDinner]

I too have a commerce degree and when I graduated 15 years ago, even then there were at least as many women as men, if not more.

 

I don't see what's so impressive about it. (Yes, it was hard work, that's not what I'm saying.)

 

These days, so many people have degrees, it's not like it makes you special or whatever.

 

You're hoping having a degree will help you pick up babes?

 

In addition to my degree I also have a professional accounting designation and have finished journalism school. So I have lots of letters behind my name! Some guys think it's hot (well, so they say) that I have all these credentials. They're probably just saying that and I don't care. Actually it's kind of patronizing but whatever.

 

My point is I'm still the same person after spending a decade in post-sec and other than the patronizing guys, nobody really cares.

 

Btw, as a woman with a B.Comm. degree, I can't necessarily say it matters 'socially' that a commerce degree might have been harder to get than a B.A.

[Marek]

I too have a commerce degree and when I graduated 15 years ago, even then there were at least as many women as men, if not more.

 

I don't see what's so impressive about it. (Yes, it was hard work, that's not what I'm saying.)

 

These days, so many people have degrees, it's not like it makes you special or whatever.

 

You're hoping having a degree will help you pick up babes?

 

In addition to my degree I also have a professional accounting designation and have finished journalism school. So I have lots of letters behind my name! Some guys think it's hot (well, so they say) that I have all these credentials. They're probably just saying that and I don't care. Actually it's kind of patronizing but whatever.

 

My point is I'm still the same person after spending a decade in post-sec and other than the patronizing guys, nobody really cares.

 

Btw, as a woman with a B.Comm. degree, I can't necessarily say it matters 'socially' that a commerce degree might have been harder to get than a B.A.

I didn't say it was impressive. If you read my thread-starting post, you'll see that I said "I don't have a massive academic record, "just" an undergrad degree in commerce". So I'm not boasting about it. I just wanted to know if women -- young women -- care about a potential suitor's education.

 

EDIT: Nice way to boast about your own accomplishments. Good for you.

Edited January 12, 2013 by Marek

[Mrlonelyone]

I too have a commerce degree and when I graduated 15 years ago, even then there were at least as many women as men, if not more.

 

I don't see what's so impressive about it. (Yes, it was hard work, that's not what I'm saying.)

 

These days, so many people have degrees, it's not like it makes you special or whatever.

 

You're hoping having a degree will help you pick up babes?

 

In addition to my degree I also have a professional accounting designation and have finished journalism school. So I have lots of letters behind my name! Some guys think it's hot (well, so they say) that I have all these credentials. They're probably just saying that and I don't care. Actually it's kind of patronizing but whatever.

 

My point is I'm still the same person after spending a decade in post-sec and other than the patronizing guys, nobody really cares.

 

Btw, as a woman with a B.Comm. degree, I can't necessarily say it matters 'socially' that a commerce degree might have been harder to get than a B.A.

 

Well I am all but thesis in a MS program in Theoretical Astrophysics...but you don't hear me bragging about it either. /end dick Solomon voice.

 

Actually you should be proud of having a BS. Only about 30% of people in the US have one. Bachelor's Degree Attainment Tops 30 Percent for the First Time, Census Bureau Reports - Education - Newsroom - U.S. Census Bureau

 

Here's some scary math. If you require that you have a mate have a BS and not be obese. Requiring that they have a BS or BA eliminates 30% of Americans, leaving 60% still in your pool.

 

Then another 30% of college students are overweight or obese. Leaving another 60% of those who have a BS or BA.

College students are getting fatter | The Digital Bullpen

 

Then there is age.

CensusScope -- Population Pyramid and Age Distribution Statistics (This data is 10 years old but it can inform us about the present day). If your looking for women who are between 20 and 30 right now. That's only 7.8% of the population.

 

That leaves 2% of the US population in your dating pool. To help visualize this if there are about 400,000,000 people in the US then there are 11.1 million women in the US in your dating pool. Or look at it this way 3.4% - 10% of the population is LGBT MSM or WSW.

 

In short while it's not a TINY group of people you are looking for it's not a very large universe of women. You will need to go where the college educated go when they are looking to meet. Certain neighborhoods, or even at your job.

 

Good luck.

[Mrlonelyone]

As yourself' date=' what classifies as "overweight"? People who have perfectly healthy body types for their height and weight are classified as overweight. Curvy girls who are under a certain height are classified as "overweight", so I doubt the problem is that severe to begin with. Still, the logistics go beyond weight. Narrow it down to the amount of women you find physically attractive, compatible in personality, lifestyle, and other aspects, and your pool has shrunk dramatically.[/quote']

 

In my caclulation I only counted people who are clinically obese as "overweight". (a BMI over 30). I only used it as a stand in for being in shape.

 

Suppose we also exclude those who are just overweight (A BMI of 25 or more). It would only leave 30% of the women as an eligible population not 60%.

 

To visualize that imagine Kim Kardashian. Who at 5'3" is about 145 lbs and 34-26-40 has a BMI of 26 and is clinically overweight. If she gained 20 more lbs. Her BMI would be 29 and almost clinically obese. I project she would measure 39-29-45. Probably not that attractive but to men who like really really big Booty more than anything.

[ls32ssibm]

I think most women will forgo education in exchange for ambition, but the two aren't usually exclusive, or rather, it's hard to have ambition without education. I have another male friend who is admittedly more attractive than me (I'm talking more attractive than like Brad Pitt, with ice-blue eyes) and I usually date hotter girls because of my outlandish dreams and goals. They matter.

[Sugarkane]

Women do care, why else are women having children much later? Wanting a career and the high cost of living. Men generally also don't have to choose between a great career and children. At least not a high profile one. You don't have large gaps of unemployment due to being pregnant and looking after babies. We do that.

[Malia25]

 

The bottom line is education will matter to educated people. Uneducated people won't care about it OR may even resent you for having the formal education.

 

I find this to be very true...at least in my case. My last long-term relationship didn't work out for a variety of reasons - one of them being education. I don't know if it's just bred in me or what, but I highly value education in myself and in others I date. One of things I look for in a bf is that he has a degree, preferably a B.A. It's important. If he doesn't have one, I will find myself less attracted to him. Terrible, I know. =/ My ex never obtained his B.A. even though he was so close to it. I eventually got my B.A. and got a full-time job right after. He was still (and to this day 6 yrs later) working at the retail job we met at. I think my insistence that he pursue his B.A. put a lot of pressure on him. I was moving forward and he was stagnant. We broke up in the end, but I don't regret trying to motivate him. He needed that push. I'm just sorry it fell on deaf ears. Actually, I'm pretty sure my preference to a guy having a B.A. is because of what happened with my ex. I just wanted him to succeed.

 

I think most women will forgo education in exchange for ambition, but the two aren't usually exclusive, or rather, it's hard to have ambition without education. .

 

So true. Although I value education, I think ambition is even greater - and quite attractive!! My ex didn't have any of that and now when I meet other guys who DO have that drive, it just makes me realize there's so many other options out there. Not knowing that held me back for a very long time (in the dating dept).

[Leigh 87]

I am going back to college; I am 26, and I dropped out of my first degree, which was: Food Science and Human Nutrition. I hated it. So I left, and waited a good year or two before leaping into it again.

 

During my time away from my education, I felt grossly unfullfilled; I just had a need to finish my adult education. I was selling myself short not going to college, because I NEVER applied mysel in high school, and therefore was ready to to what I needed to do to be a better educated adult.

I think adults need to just continue their education to the point where they feel "ready" to pursue a career. I was in no way ready and finished with my education yet.

 

Although, you know, some women are great in careers that do NOT require tertiary education (as we call it here in aus)

 

......

 

The alternative to getting a degree, would be to:

- Get a short business certificate, such as a cert 3 or dimploma, or something similer. Then run your own business

- Or be a hairdresser or beauty therapist or retail worker that becomes very very good at your job, and has a partner to help support the low wages.

....The people without degrees would, in order to appeal to those with a higher education: they would hopefully enjoy reading and be able to carry a meaningful conversation.

 

I have made a thread similar to this before: many women without degrees can actually carry themselves well, and get along well with people that DO have degrees.

In fact, my two main female friends are almost done with their degrees, and my guy friend is doing a masters: yet we get along just fine, and there is NO obvious difference in the way we speak and communicate.

 

Personally, I am just genuinely curious about the world! War history is not my favourite thing to tall about, but if someone I knwo is into it (such as my partner!) I will ask him questions and enjoy learning about something knew.

I find the fact that I am curious about most things, and genuinely enjoy learning about everyone career, makes me easily able to get along with well educated people...

Well educated people are not some.. shiny, mythical crreatures! I mean, under educated people like me can still get along with them, if we have the personality and interest in their lives and academic areas that they have studied.......

 

Bottom line; yes, a man with a degree, probably does not want some trash talking jersy shore clone.

But that is just because the jersy shore types (based on the show) are just not interested in the world around them as such...

You know: those women on jersy shore do not look up at the stars and say " wow, I love space, I am so interested in it and wish I knew more"

They just tend to .... get filmed at least, talk about each other or..... just ... stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

...I think a female, such as myself, can get past not being highly educated, if they have a genuine interest in life around them. It has really helped me being a women with no degree, who happens to have highly educated friends.

[ascendotum]

I don't have a massive academic record, just an undergrad degree in commerce. Do women 25 and under even care about such a thing? It seems to me that looks and social status are what prevails in young women's minds when it comes to dating.

 

As others have pointed out given the ratio of F to M in higher education today yes they do care about education. Do they care care about it terms of their partner choice, yes & no, but with greater emphasis on yes. For women 25 and under 'looks and social status' are very big on what they want in a partner, and when it comes to the hookup culture, the hunky bouncer will trump the bookish engineer grad when it comes a fling...but if there is a handsome cocky financial analyst in her social circle he will win out. The majority of tertiary educated women like their bf to have the same or higher level of intelligence / education achievement as they do, so that is an important criteria for them, but so are 'looks and social status and an edgey/exciting persona'. As women get older and start to take a longer term perspective on relationships, the higher educated good career guy will take more precedence.

When it comes to blue collar women, generally speaking I find they don't really care about your academic achievements. A nerdy guy with an mba will still be a rated a 'loser' to many a young low wage girl, imo.

[MissBee]

1.)Your right about looks and social status in dating at any age.

 

2.)Social status is determined by who's around you. If you are around other educated people being educated is needed. If you are around uneducated people then education may be a negative. If you are around thugs and gangbangers then your position in the gang is what matters. Find your niche group and climb the ladder in that group.

 

3.)Looks are very individual and there are men and women into all kinds of looks, personal styles, and sexual activities. There is no kind of look that is so gruesome, other than a serious deformity, which would make someone undateable.

 

The bottom line is education will matter to educated people. Uneducated people won't care about it OR may even resent you for having the formal education.

 

Ditto.

 

I can't speak for all women, but I'm college educated and also a graduate student (for both undergrad and grad I have attended Ivy League universities). Most of my friends, naturally, are women who are also educated and have the added "extra" (sometimes stigma) of going to prestigious universities. For them education is important, or better yet, a given. Because of their social location, they naturally run in circles where the men they meet are of similar educational backgrounds, so many simply assume this to be a given. But we discuss the reality that as women with high level degrees from prestigious universities, going out to a club, or most places, most men you meet won't fall into that same category. Frankly, most men I meet act as though they've met some fabled unicorn when discussions of what I do come up and then I say I'm a grad student, then they ask where and then it's . However, I personally, and neither do my friends, seek to date men based on those things so it's not a huge cause of concern.

 

We always have "girl talk" and most of us agree that we don't care about a man having matching degrees to us or matching "school brands" etc. We want a connection, someone who treats us well, someone who is ambitious and productive, whom we can be proud of, irrespective of his education/degree. The men we do know who attend the same school, are in the same field, are no more of a prized catch than others . Many of my friends have dated all kinds of men. Probably most are degreed and educated traditionally, but they've also dated many who were not.

 

Two of the best relationships I've had were with incredibly brilliant and ambitious men who one did not graduate college and one never even went. But both were well read and successful, with their own businesses, and could hold intelligent and insightful conversations. I did not like them any less or consider myself better because of my education. When I was younger I used to put more stock into ideas of a man needing to have a similar degree/educational background etc. As I actually lived life I realized a man's degree won't make me happy LOL! What matters is that he is intelligent and that we can converse, he has a high level of reasoning, he understands me he is open-minded, has a way to make money legally so we can have a good lifestyle, he respects and loves me, we care for each other etc. None of that is dependent on degrees.

 

OP...it just depends on the kind of women. Shallow women come in all age ranges and educational levels...believe me. Most of the women I am friends with are not shallow. They are well-rounded, mature and have substance about them and what they want out of life and men. They aren't caught up in prestige whether it comes from money or degrees. I have other acquaintances though who care about a man's clothes and car and his willingness to spend on them and care less about his character, intelligence, education etc. I also have friends totally caught up in prestige who only date men who went to certain schools or work in certain industries etc, who also could care less about his character but have visions of being some "power couple" for show rather than real intimacy and love. So it's up to you to find women who are of substance and it's not by looking at a certain age group.

[proactivedreamer]

Let's look at the bigger picture here.

 

Most women care about education. Yes they do. They're going to college in droves and breaking attendance records for universities. ****, my the female/male ratio in my graduating class is 65/35. Now. The real question is to ask: what are they getting the degrees in? Mostly soft sciences. Yeah, the soft sciences can be rigorous. But most people in those classes are known to skate by. What are the harder subjects to take? Hard sciences. Engineering. Mathematics. Physics. Chemistry. Maybe even computer "science" (coding is some serious stuff). Granted, most people wouldn't touch these majors with a ten foot pole. Regardless, these majors that require a lot of linear point-a to point-b thinking are sausage fests. Why is that? I suppose you could say that males in general tend to be more linear thinkers and females are more abstract thinkers and close the book on it right here. But that is an unsatisfying conclusion - for me at least.

 

My generation as a whole is obsessed with our junk culture. The culture is straight up trash. Unrestrained narcissism is encouraged on sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and instagram. We are the most narcissistic generation that has ever existed on the face of the earth, ever. There's a dearth of positive role models in the media. We have the attention span of scrambled eggs. Everything is disposable. Your iPhone is disposable. Your friends are disposable. Your boyfriend is definitely disposable. It's more likely women that will watch shows such as Keeping Up With The Kardashians and Jersey Shore. It's more likely for women to be obsessed with the aforementioned social networking sites that are mainly just an echo chamber. It's more likely for women to buy into pop culture. Do you see any man with a set of balls seriously excited for the next episode of Glee? Girls? How about Twilight? Do you ever see a bunch of guys flock to buy a book en masse like what happened for Fifty Shades of Gray? To me and many of the guys I know, watching television is more of like watching a train wreck in slow motion - you can't help but stare. My generation as a whole is just not interested in intellectually stimulating material but pop culture caters to and is driven by the demands of women. Whatever they want more of, pop culture gives it to them. Nothing positive will come out of buying into this notion that you must be popular. Guys want to be popular too. They want to be Mr. Big Man on Campus or Mr. Broseidon. Most of the guys who are popular said they got that way so they could get laid as much as they wanted. What are girls' motivation for popularity? To sleep with Mr. Popular? Maybe, but they could do that even with the personality of a wallflower as long as they had a killer body and an awesome pair of tits.

 

For what it's worth, there's a bunch of piece of crap guys out there too. Most men have lost touch with what made our dads men. Do you think a character like Justin Bieber could have been created in the 70s? Hell no. Not even the 80s.

 

Here's the bottom line: a lot of girls don't go to college to truly learn. They go to get a degree. Most guys don't either, but unlike guys, girls know that their ass is grass if they fail to get a degree in some field because they can't do manual labor like men can.

 

Any monkey can get a degree in a soft science field. If you want to truly do well, you put your nose in a book for four years and never look up and until they call your name at graduation. If you want to party and bull****, go ahead, that's your prerogative. Most people in my generation don't want an ordinary life but they don't want to work to have the means to make that happen.

 

The problem is too much projection and not enough introspection. Most women don't care about a guy's degree unless it has significant earning potential.

 

I loved your last statement about there not being enough introspection. I think we are a lost generation. We want to connect, and social media sites seem to create the illusion that we are connecting. We buy in to the illusion so much so that we are busy "connecting" on twitter versus connecting at the dinner table. And this " all things are disposable" mentality is scary, and it breaks my heart because we are often disposing each other. All I see is dysfunction. In regards to formal education, I'd would say it was somewhat unfulfilling, perhaps it was because of the caliber of students I had classes with. Everyone is focused on the end result, and no one seems to wants to converse or think upon deeper things. Things that can change humanity for the better. It seems the vast majority of people are enmeshed in the consumer culture, which is killing our families and our connection to our planet. people believe in the promise of education in the sense that it will open the doors to a comfortable life. I think we have come too long a way from what use to be thought of as comfortable and essential in life.

[Aedra]

I don't have a massive academic record, just an undergrad degree in commerce. Do women 25 and under even care about such a thing? It seems to me that looks and social status are what prevails in young women's minds when it comes to dating.

 

Go for women 25 and older. Alot of women below 25 are still figuring themselves out and chasing after guys for more superficial reasons. 25 is like a quarter life crisis mark.

[Leigh 87]

And can the degree snobs please read this.

 

Why the heck is it a bad thing to get a degree in social sciences or as a teacher?

WHY is it a bad thing, that not many people pick a hard science degree!

What snobs you are. You really think less of women and people in general if they do not pick a hard science degree? LOL. Poor you. Your missing out on socialising with a lot of great people,if you only surround yourself with people with hard to get degrees.

 

Not all people with "soft science" degrees will not be able to get along well with you.

Plenty of the most educated people, are best friends with sky diver instructors. Such is life.

 

A person who did high school and stopped at college can still be educated enough to have conversation about many areas and to talk the same talk as people with degrees.

 

I am only going for a degree in social work, because i want to help people.

I also plan to work behind a bar, because i really enjoy it and I will get 80K a year from the outset if I work 9 - 5 and then do bar work 4 days a week. or even 5 days a week, with weekends off

 

..... My friends that are doing impressive degrees (medical and the other as an ear specialist) did hard sciences, yet they...... do not talk down to me, or talk DIFFERENTLY to me for that matter!

 

I really HATE degree snobs!

 

Going and getting a degree, and therefore a professional job that pays the pills and that your passionate about, is ENOUGH for MOST PEOPLE.

The degrees snobs should just take their fancy degrees, and find a women who is also mroe highly educated like them.

It is really much the same as the best looking people wanting other beautiful people.......

 

Nothing wrong with seeking like minded people, but it does not mean you should talk badly of degrees that are not hard science ones.... geez!

 

Rant over.

[Leigh 87]

d'Argennes,

 

Plenty of college students party, and get their degrees.

 

Some party too hard, where as people like me strike a ballance.

 

It is not black or white; people can party responsibly and still do well at college.

 

This year at college, I plan to party every ... 3 weeks to a month. Due to my financial constraints, and also because it is unhealthy to drink so much.

 

One evening out, and the next day in bed, probably reading my texts books, is not going to hinder a degree, unless your doing law or medicine or other incredibly demanding degrees that need 24/7 dedication and do not have room for ANY free time for most people.

 

....And not just ANYONE can get a degree in soft sciences...... That is so condescending! Science is not everyones cup of tea.

 

Lastly - I know a man who earnt 2500 dollars per week doing escavating..... He was bright enough to study, but would not have enjoyed it at all.

 

Some people really do not like sitting and reading all day every day for 4 years after they finish with high school.