MARRYING FOR MONEY IS 'MORE IMPORTANT TO YOUNG MEN THAN WOM

[Daanyeer]

What would Jane Austen think of this? Marrying for money is 'more important to young men than women'

Parents of girls: Financial security relies more on education and career
Research marks bicentenary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice
Austen wrote of Elizabeth Bennet's pursuit of Mr Darcy and his money




By Ben Spencer

PUBLISHED:04:30 GMT, 28 January 2013| UPDATED: 08:43 GMT, 28 January 2013


It is a far cry from the days of Elizabeth Bennet’s pursuit of Mr Darcy - and his substantial wealth.

Securing financial stability through marriage is today seen to be more important for young men than for young women, research claims.

Parents of girls now believe their financial security relies more on a good education and career than on marriage.


Research into attitudes towards marriage, carried out to mark the bicentenary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice, found that 38 per cent of parents of sons believe their boy’s financial security is dependent on them having a rich wife.



In comparison the poll of 1,000 parents, carried out by the insurers Scottish Widows, found that 32 per cent of parents with daughters thought they needed to marry for financial reasons.

Unlike the period described in Jane Austen’s novel, which was published on January 28, 1813, parents today clearly think that women can make it on their own.




Nearly eight out of ten parents with daughters think doing well at school and university and getting a good job is the answer to achieving the greatest financial security for the future.


'Girls no longer need dowries and settlements to attract husbands'

Jane Humphries, Oxford University

Jane Humphries, Professor of Economic History at Oxford University, said: ‘In the 19th century, for girls of Elizabeth Bennet’s class, work would have been socially disastrous’

‘Girls no longer need dowries and settlements to attract husbands, they need down payments and student loans to get them on the property ladder and through higher education.’


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