The Clooney Effect: Men Increasingly Seeking Out More Independent, Self-Reliant, Educated Women [View all]

[big_dog]

For millennia, a woman's value in a marriage was largely limited to birthing children and caring for a household. That's changed now, and men's desires have changed accordingly. Men want their wives—partners, really—to be much more independent, with lives and careers outside of the home.

As the Clooney Effect's name suggests, it's George who gained from marrying the beautiful, smart, independent Amal. One commenter at Time summed it up nicely after the couple made their first post-marriage appearance at this year's Golden Globes, "We always thought that she was the woman who finally snared George Clooney, but it’s the other way around. And we’re all better off for it." But, according to Fisher's findings, many men aren't just looking for their equals but perhaps their superiors. The vast majority—87 percent—said they would date a woman who makes more money, is more intellectual, and is better educated than they are.

Women, for their part, seem to be looking for their equals: 86 percent want a partner who is as intelligent as they are. Additionally, 55 percent aren't willing to support their partner financially, and 61 percent claim not being as intelligent as them is an automatic deal-killer, according to the Match.com findings. http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/02/the-clooney-effect/386018/?utm_source=SFTwitter