Speaking of Incriminating Myself (as little as possible)

From today's article in the Boston Globe about The Romantic Life of Brainiacs (specifically educated women) :

In fact, educated women nationwide now have a better chance of marrying, especially at an older age, than other women. In a historic reversal of past trends - one that is good news for young girls who like to use big words - college graduates and high-earning women are now more likely to marry than women with less education and lower earnings, although they are older when they do so. Even women with PhDs no longer face a "success penalty" in their nuptial prospects. It might feel that way in their 20s, when women with advanced degrees marry at a lower rate than other women the same age. But by their 30s, women with advanced degrees catch up, marrying at a higher rate than their same-aged counterparts with less education.

Okay, but the following caught my eye:

ONE REASON EDUCATED WOMEN are more likely to marry today than in the past is that modern men are less threatened by equality and more interested in finding a mate who can share the burdens of breadwinning. Many studies show that men now want a wife who is at a similar educational or occupational level. The 2001 Journal of Marriage and Family paper found that in mate-preference surveys taken in 1985 and 1996, intelligence and education had moved up to number 5 on men's list of desirable qualities in a mate in both surveys, ahead of good looks. Meanwhile, the desire for a good cook and housekeeper had dropped to 14th place in both surveys, near the bottom of the 18-point scale. And in choosing a spouse, males with a college degree rate good looks much lower in importance than do high school graduates. [Emphasis mine]

Um, believe that last bit if you want to, or as the case may be, need to. And what does lower mean? #2 instead of #1 in importance?

Also, smart people go to school, but education isn't the same as intelligence. Particularly now when too many people get useless degrees. Which, incidentally, is probably the boomer's fault for massively enrolling themselves in college to get deferments from Vietnam and thereby creating an expectation that their kids should go on walkabout too. If more men and women are screwing around while earning underwater basket weaving degrees and whatnot, then the same people are getting married as before, but just later in life.