Women may not hesitate marrying low income men

London, April 8 (IANS) A British study has found men with low incomes are likely to be preferred by many present-day women following their changing aspirations in life.

Today's brides are more likely to 'marry down' than to choose a husband with more wealth and social standing than they have, the Daily Mail reported citing the report.

The report by the Institute for Public Policy Research, analysing how women's aspirations have changed, showed a marked shift in marriage patterns over the past 40 years - driven in part by women's advances in the workplace.

According to statistics released last week, 52 percent of women aged 17-30 went into higher education, compared to 42 percent of men and their higher qualifications are gradually making a difference to their pay packets.

As a result, an increasing number of women have the economic means to marry someone who earns less than they do.

The current marital landscape is radically different from that which prevailed after the Second World War, when women tended to marry men who were both older and from a higher social class.

The IPPR studied women born in 1958, 1970 and between 1976 and 1981, and found both a drop in the number 'marrying up', and a small increase in those 'marrying down'. The largest increase was seen in the number of marrying within their own social class.