Apparently one of the main arguments launched against educating women–even as late as the 1950s–was that all of these uppity, college-bred women would end up unmarried and would therefore not be fulfilling their reproductive duties. They Went to College, 1952 book based on a survey conducted by Time Magazine, ranked men and women in the survey based on a 7 point scale. Those who earned the maximum, 7 points, represented “the ideal family situation–married to the original spouse, owning a house and having three children or more” (54). While 23% of the college-educated men in the survey earned 7 points, 34% of the women in the survey earned 2 points or less. 2 points or less meant “practically no family success at all; the majority with this score have never married or have made one attempt, never repeated, which ended in divorce or separation” (54). These people had no children and did not own a home. The horror! Here are some words of wisdom for all of you women who think you might want to, I don’t know, get an education, have a life and career of your own, and/or not bother with some loser husband who expects you to pick up his socks and cook him meatloaf:

  • “For many coeds… college amounts to an education for spinsterhood” (54).
  • College women may tend to get married less often because a) men like pretty women and b) parents might be more likely to encourage their daughter to go to college if she is ugly. (55)
  • Girls who paid their own way through college were more likely to be spinsters than those who had mommy and daddy pay.
  • Men tend to “marry down,” “looking right beyond the college girl to her less tutored and more admiring sister” (58).

So, girlies, if you want to snag a husband, you better work on your looks and forget about college. Of course, Barbie has not heeded all of this advice even though she was born around this same time period. While she has perhaps focused unduly on her looks, she has been exceedingly choosy about possible husbands and made herself financially independent. She even dumped Ken for being such a bland, annoying mooch.