Anti-feminist Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly argued this week that Washington should stop trying to make sure women receive equal pay for equal work because men were not interested in marrying wives who make as much as them.
"Another fact is the influence of hypergamy, which means that women typically choose a mate (husband or boyfriend) who earns more than she does," Schlafly wrote in a Christianity Today op-ed that was flagged by Right Wing Watch. "Men don't have the same preference for a higher-earning mate."
"While women prefer to HAVE a higher-earning partner, men generally prefer to BE the higher-earning partner in a relationship. This simple but profound difference between the sexes has powerful consequences for the so-called pay gap."
Schlafly continued: "Suppose the pay gap between men and women were magically eliminated. If that happened, simple arithmetic suggests that half of women would be unable to find what they regard as a suitable mate."
Speaking to Thom Hartmann earlier this month, Schlafly expanded on her thoughts about hypergamy, saying that, "a lot of men think that women control the workforce."
"There are plenty of women who simply don't want the same treatment as men," she explained. "For example, most women don't want to work the full week that men work. Men want full-time jobs, women want the ability to knock off and take shorter hours."
"They like the gender gap," Schlafly added. "They want to marry a man who earns more than she does."
