Choosing a Partner in the Swiss Marriage Market: The Impact of Education

Who we fall in love with is primarily pure coincidence. Research shows that many couples get to know each other in close proximity. “You tend to look for someone who is similar to you, who has the same sense of humour, who shares the same leisure interests or has similar family ideas,” said Jörg Rössel, sociology professor and director of the Sociological Institute at the University of Zurich, in an interview with the NZZ.

Most of the time, like-minded people get attracted to each other faster. According to Rössler, a good example is attractiveness: “People who live in a partnership are about as attractive.” According to Rössler, the demands on the partner are usually somewhat higher for women, especially in terms of status. For men, it is attractiveness that they value more.

“Studies on online dating show that women tend to pay more attention to the education of men when looking for a partner and want a partner who is at least as educated as they are,” says Rössler. Rössler locates an interesting finding in the lowest education group, because for people who have only completed compulsory school, it is the most difficult on the partner market.

The professor goes even further: “These people have the worst chances of finding a partner at all. And if they marry, then among themselves.” A different picture emerges for people from the medium or high educational segment, where there are also mixed partnerships.

“In couples with different levels of education, there are still more men who have women with less education than the other way around,” says Rössler. But what is growing, according to him, are partnerships between women who have men with a deeper education.

“Such partnerships seem to be normal today and they are increasing,” says Rössler. In the case of women who marry “downwards”, however, income plays a role. According to Rössler, studies show that these women have men who still earn well.