“Ladies, The Smarter You Are, The More Likely You Are To Be Single.” That is the title of an article that speaks of intelligence and the dating/marriage world. One of the trending topics today is feministic ideas, mostly about women searching for the right man. For successful women, it can be a challenge to find a partner that is equally intelligent and successful. In the novel, O Pioneers!, Alexandra Bergson struggles in her love life. Providing for her family has taken an emotional toll, being the age of 40 without a husband. You might wonder what’s wrong with her and why she hasn’t been snatched up?

Alexandra was left to run the family farm with her 3 brothers. She was successful in her business and well liked by the community. This woman was the reason the Divide flourished. Women like Alexandra might appear as competition. To some men, intelligence is a threat.

In the article, by Lauren Martin, she refers to a study with 121 British participants. It “reported findings that females with high intelligence... were seen as problematic.” She goes on to say that “their intelligence were predicted to cause problems in the relationships. Whereas, high intelligence in the male partner was not seen as problematic, but desirable.”

Women are judged more on their looks than their brains. They still tend to seek out successful men for relationships. Women are taking on more roles financially and yet still being the main care givers in the family.

“The number of college educated women now outweighs the number of college educated men,” says Martin. It seems that as Ms. Martin says, “women are getting smarter, but men are not getting more supportive.” Men want a woman who will put him as her first priority. Women that are driven, hard-working, and successful have a lesser chance than a girl willing to put her husband above all else. Its time that men realize that intelligence makes a woman beautiful.