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New Zealand women facing ‘bloke drought’

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Summary of story from Stuff NZ, August 18, 2011

Research has shown that New Zealand women are suffering from a ‘man drought’ with more than a quarter of women aged 30-44 living without partners.

Estimates reveal there are over 50,000 “excess” 25 to 49-year-old women.

Apparently this is because women are better educated than men, affecting their ability to form long-term partnerships.

It would be interesting to take a look at a sample of those engaged in online distance learning to see if similar gender ratios exist there.

Victoria University researcher Dr Paul Callister suggested well-educated single women were looking for well-educated single men and not finding them.

Callister said: “What we can tell is traditionally women have tended to marry up, to have partners who are better educated. You can see why it might be when you think about having children and having a good earning partner.”

Women now make up  63% of those holding degrees or higher tertiary qualifications and, to quote the article “marrying up is becoming impossible for some”.

Elizabeth Stiles from Daw (Division for the Advancement of Women) said: “I don’t want what hangs around in pubs and clubs and that leaves precious little.

“Yes, I’m fussy but I deserve the best and anything else I’m better off without … a special companion would be nice but there’s a point I won’t pass to settle for anything less. I’m fussy, not frustrated [but] particular and not peculiar.”

Callister added “Young educated men have never had it so good, but uneducated men have never had it so bad.”

WVoN Comment: Poor men! Why is it that female success always has to be linked back to relationships with men?

The research not only reveals a hereto-normative bias, but suggests that no matter how successful a woman is as an individual, she is a failure or too fussy if she does not have a male partner. Surely we should be celebrating the fact that women make up 63% of those holding a degree?

Sorry, what am I saying? Of course, women have become too successful and should be uneducated, and in the kitchen, being subservient to men and clearly, back where they belong.

  1. Pavlov's Cat says:

    So lots of women are single because they’re choosing not to marry, rather than because some mysterious force has spirited all the men away. How is this a ‘bloke drought’? Surely there are unmarried men out there also. But it’s only a problem for the women, right?

  2. I feel sorry for the low income men, who wont ever be able to attract a life partner or own a home. At least single well educated women can own homes and work overseas.

    It would be nice if the media did a story on single low income men.

    I predict lots of depression and suicide as low income blue collar males become social outcasts in our ever increasing tolerant society.

    • Jim, have you seen any of the coverage of the UK riots? That’s been well weighted towards interviewing young men, talking about young men, single with low or no incomes. Single well educated men can surely work overseas too?

      You could always try writing the article you want yourself, of course. 🙂

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