I received a call from a reporter wanting to talk to me about the trend in “dating down.”

She said that women who choose men who are less educated and make less money than them are dating down.

Honestly, I don’t get that. Does money and education define a healthy relationship?

Women are increasingly the breadwinners in their relationships. According to the Census Bureau data, the percentage of women bringing home the larger income in two-income households has risen from 17.8% in 1987 to 25.3% in 2006. In my research with high-achieving women age 29-52, I found that 89% of those in a relationship made more or the same as their partners.

Money was not the major criteria for partner-picking. Emotional compatibility and willingness to share rated higher.

As to education, The Census Data found with 20 to 30-somethings, women hold more college degrees than men. Women now also dominate the more lucrative professional courses making up more than half of the student population in medical and law schools.

So if dating up means needing a man with more money and degrees, high-achieving women who are looking for suitable male partners are out of luck.

I think high-achieving women are redefining the meaning of relationships and their criteria for picking partners. Tomorrow I’ll share what the women said about this in my research. Please share what you think about this by posting a comment.