Unpacking Hypergamous Relationships

In today's world, we constantly learn more about ourselves and others in terms of relationships, pronouns, sexuality, and inclusivity. There are so many different ways to have a relationship, and each one of them is unique.

Hypergamy is one of those ways, and it is something that has only recently been given a name that has been popularized. Before now, there were simply nicknames and anecdotes to describe this kind of relationship, but it has now been given its own moniker.

Here is everything you need to know about hypergamy and what this kind of relationship entails.

What Is Hypergamy

Each person has a list of things that they want from a partner. They look for in every potential relationship and box they feel need to be ticked if they consider being in a serious, long-term relationship with someone else.

Some people find their perfect person who ticks all of their boxes, and they can live a long and happy life with their perfect person by their side. For others, they find so much more than what they were looking for.

Simply put, hypergamy is the act of 'marrying up' or marrying somebody that is of a higher social or socioeconomic class than you are. Most often, it will be the woman who will 'marry up'.

What Are The Characteristics

As mentioned above, hypergamy is the act of marrying someone who is in a higher social class than you are, which means that the characteristics of this type of relationship are pretty self-explanatory.

The relationship will consist of one person who is either more affluent or more important in society than the other involved in a romantic relationship. While women don't need to be in hypergamous relationships anymore, some still seek them out.

The idea of a hypergamous relationship is music to some's ears, but to others, it is an archaic idea that is inhibiting women from ever achieving financial equality.

Bottom Line

Hypergamous relationships are not for everybody. Some people will want to feel equal to their partner in every way and feel as though they should both be from the same socioeconomic background.

However, some people believe that marrying someone who can fully provide for them is of the utmost importance and will seek out a partner who can do this for them. It is a mostly harmless relationship practice, and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.