Hypergamy

Hypergamy colloquially specified to as "marrying up" is a term used in social science for a act or practice of a person marrying a spouse of higher caste or social status than themselves. it is mostly practiced by women.

The antonym "hypogamy" identified to the inverse: marrying a person of lower social class or status colloquially "marrying down". Both terms were coined in the Indian subcontinent in the 19th century while translating classical Hindu law books, which used the Sanskrit terms anuloma together with pratiloma, respectively, for the two concepts.

The term hypergyny is used to describe the overall practice of women marrying up, since the men would be marrying down.

Prevalence

It is becoming less common for women to marry older men. Hypergamy does non require the man to be older, only of higher status, & social equals usually refers to social circles rather than economic equality.

In a 2016 paper that explored the income difference between couples in 1980 and 2012, researcher Yue Qian noted that the tendency for women to marry men with higher incomes than themselves still persists in the innovative era.