It isn’t that single Mormon women haven’t figured out the dating scene, said Jon Birger, author of “Date-onomics: How Dating Became a Lopsided Numbers Game,” in a recent 'Leading LDS Podcast' episode. And it isn’t that single Mormon men don’t want to get married, either.
“When men are in oversupply, the culture is more monogamous,” said Birger. “When women are in oversupply, the culture was less monogamous.”
According to Birger, educated women outnumber educated men—approximately 5.5 million women in their twenties are college grads today compared to roughly 4 million men in the same age group, he said. So, when women only want to date men who have received their same level of education, the odds just haven't been in their favor.
“College-educated women should expand their dating pool to include lesser-educated men,” Birger said. “I kind of feel like the entire dating morale would be saner and more balanced if college grads were less unwilling to date non-college grads.”
Birger also stated that gender gaps don’t just apply to the secular world. In his study, Birger found similar statistics among Utah Mormons.
“At least within Utah there is a 60/40 ratio of women to men within the LDS community,” said Birger.
Calling it the “Mormon marriage crisis,” Birger examined how missions, religious college campuses and life plans can affect dating in the Mormon community. And while Birger encouraged young single adults to have an open mind while dating, he stated that ultimately, success is all about the male to female ratio. So, for those anxious to tie the knot, Birger stated that it’s all about where you live.
“This is not about faith or beliefs or practices,” he said. “This is just kind of a quirk of demographics.”