Australia's 1.1 Million 'Power Couples'

Tanvi Patel remembers her first date with her husband, Darvin. Two things stood out: it was their longest social encounter, and Darvin had a cappuccino despite not drinking coffee or milk.

Tanvi and Darvin spent almost 12 hours together on their first date. Tanvi thinks Darvin was trying to impress her, but she was slightly upset that he didn't tell her about his intolerance.

Darvin had a cappuccino on their first date, even though he doesn't drink coffee or milk.

Tanvi and Darvin are a 'power couple' because they both have university degrees. Tanvi thinks a man drinking milk is not impressive, and she was upset that Darvin didn't communicate his intolerance.

Darvin admits that having a cappuccino was a bad idea. He didn't want Tanvi to think he was weird, but it was still worth the stomach ache that followed.

Darvin and Tanvi are among 1.14 million 'power couples' in Australia, where both partners have university degrees.

The number of 'power couples' has increased nearly fourfold in the past two decades, following a trend in many developed countries.

Sociologists and economists define 'power couples' by their education, income, or both. The ABC analysis only looks at the level of education of each partner.

Darvin has a master's degree in IT management, and Tanvi has a master's in urban planning. Neither planned to marry someone with the same level of education, but they wouldn't have considered marrying someone without a university degree.

Darvin says that not having a university degree would be a deal-breaker for him. He thinks a bachelor's degree is the minimum requirement.

Darvin believes that having a university education shows that someone is working towards their future and has goals.

Tanvi credits Darvin's university education with giving him 'hard and soft skills', including emotional maturity and the ability to do household chores.

Tanvi thinks that education comes with many experiences and challenges that can be emotionally tough.

You have to do things you don't like, Tanvi says.

The author points out that many people without university degrees do things they don't like and have life goals.

Darvin thinks for a moment before responding.

It comes down to power, Darvin says. He thinks that if both partners are equal, there are fewer power dynamics between them.

Many couples, especially younger ones, share this sentiment.

However, this raises questions about whether increased equality within marriages means greater inequality across society.

The modern desire to marry an equal is a common trend.

The top choice of partner for people with the same level of education is someone with the same level of education, according to the ABC analysis.

This preference to 'marry within the group' is strongest at the top and bottom of the education ladder.

Those with no educational attainment are more likely to partner with each other, as are those with doctoral degrees.

Sociologist Christine Schwartz says that when people form marriages, they form relationships not just with each other, but with families as well.

Schwartz says that this can tell us something about the openness of societies in terms of forming intimate unions across different groups.

The ABC analysis uses the terms 'marriage' and 'partnership' interchangeably to refer to a couple relationship.

Across Australia, 1.76 million couples have partners with the same level of education.

The pink diagonal line on the charts shows that people across the education spectrum marry within their group at above-average rates.

Those with a master's degree are more likely to marry someone else with a master's degree, as are those with a bachelor's degree.

Those who finished senior high school are more likely to marry within their group, as are those who did not go beyond year 9.

The ABC has analyzed data on over 43,000 job combinations and 2.8 million couples.

The analysis compares the highest level of educational attainment for each partner in a married or de facto couple.

The data includes about 5 million couples in 2021 and 3.5 million couples in 2001.

The rates of marriage between different education groups are adjusted for group size.

In the real world, it's harder to meet someone with a doctoral degree than a bachelor's degree.

Based on percentages, the top choice of partner for every university-level group is someone with a bachelor's degree.

The patterns reflect two trends: people's choices are influenced by who is available, and they tend to stick to their broad education sector.

The rise of the 'power couple' is a significant trend.

Education consistently ranks among the most strongly matched couple traits.

A key question for experts is how much this tendency for romantic couples to resemble each other reinforces inequality.

The effect can carry across generations, since parents tend to pass advantages on to their children.

Darvin says the power imbalance between his parents influenced his preference for a marriage between equals.

Darvin's father was the breadwinner, and his mother was dependent on him.

Their dynamic reflected an inequality that rose from earnings and education.

Tanvi remembers a time when her father had an accident and couldn't work, and her mother wasn't able to take over as the breadwinner.

Tanvi learned that the other person should be strong enough to pick up family responsibilities.

Nearly one in five marriages are between people of different religions, double the proportion recorded in 1986.

Research from the US shows that the preference for marrying an equal is stronger among younger generations.

Professor Schwartz says that when sociologists talk to young people, they tend to have a preference for egalitarian arrangements.

At a time when dual-income families are struggling, it makes economic sense for those higher up the ladder to marry an equal.

The more we choose a marriage of equals, the higher the number of power couples.

This surge in power couples has outpaced the rise in higher education in Australia and other advanced economies.

In Australia, the percentage of power couples swelled 2.5-fold in the 20 years to 2021.

A paper examining six decades of marriage between different education groups in the US found that college graduates were increasingly likely to intermarry.

These trends are consistent with a growing social divide along educational lines.

A Danish study found that about half of the expected financial gain from higher education came from the chance to marry a high-earning spouse.

Dating apps have created an 'education bubble' for the university-educated.

When marriages between different education levels within the same sector are included, more Australians are crossing the education divide for love.

About 36% of partnered Australians are married to someone with the same level of education, down from 42% two decades ago.

The link between higher levels of education and marrying later in life is well established.

ANU demographer Liz Allen says there is little research on the ascendancy of power couples in Australia.

The trend has thrown a spotlight on the role of dating apps in creating a 'bubble' for the university-educated.

In Australia, apps like Bumble and Hinge allow users to filter by education or type of degree.

University of California Davis psychologist Paul Eastwick says it's a classic case of the product creating the market.

Most people wouldn't ask about the education of someone they just met in real life, but give people a filter and you'll get gigantic effects.

It's what we get for turning love and partnership into a consumer product.

We didn't evolve to have this kind of choice, says Professor Eastwick.

The couples embracing diversity are a notable exception to the trend.

Love bloomed for Brisbane couple Jason Russ and Damian Brunow in an unlikely place.

Jason is a carpenter with certificates III and IV, while Damian has a degree in business and works in human resources.

Jason and Damian are like 'chalk and cheese', but their differences are part of the attraction.

Their differences mean they have to work harder to find common ground, but it's not a bad thing.

Damian says he had no issue 'marrying down' the education ladder, but he would struggle to marry someone who earned significantly less.

Male same-sex couples are the most likely to be in mixed-education marriages.

International research shows that same-sex couples follow the same pattern across a number of traits, including age, race, and ethnicity.

Professor Schwartz says the reasons for this aren't well understood, but it may be due to 'thinner' partner markets.

Professor Hewitt says that being in a minority that experiences discrimination may mean many in the LGBTQI+ community are more likely to embrace difference.

Cinderella is not the only story about love and partnership.

For those who've read this far and are still holding out hope for the Cinderella fairytale, QUT behavioural economist Stephen Whyte has some bad news.

The more often you're around a particular group, the more likely you are to find those people attractive, says Dr Whyte.

There's no princess, no glass slipper – we tend to stay in our little clique.

This is why assortative mating hasn't diminished over the past century, despite increased social mobility and technology.

Even when we go to different cultures, we're probably still more likely to choose someone who is in our demographic.

Demography isn't destiny, says ANU's Liz Allen.

For the first time, more men than women are 'marrying up' the education ladder.

Your clique isn't set in stone, says Liz Allen. If spending more time with a group of people increases the odds you'll find them attractive, then it stands to reason that spending time with people who are different from you also increases your odds of finding a partner from that group.

People's lives are really transformed by who they marry, says Professor Schwartz.

When they marry somebody who's different from themselves, that can give them a window into different lives and segments of the population.

Perth academic Susan and her tradesman husband know all about this.

Susan has a graduate certificate, a master's degree, and a PhD, while her husband's highest level of education is a certificate IV.

Susan used to love going to fancy restaurants, but her husband would feel uncomfortable.

At the start of the relationship, Susan found it tricky to adjust to her husband's different background, but she has done things with him that she would never have done otherwise.

Attraction itself is a key ingredient in love and partnership, says Dan Conroy-Beam, an evolutionary psychologist.

I might start by being super attracted to the person who has everything, but when they blow me off, that's unattractive, says Dr Conroy-Beam.

Dr Conroy-Beam's team builds large-scale computer simulations of dating markets that test how well different decision algorithms predict people's actual partnerships.

The best dating decision algorithms mimic the interplay of market forces.

The most desirable partners end up together, says Dr Conroy-Beam.

Isn't that depressing for the rest of us, who just have to settle for whoever's left?

Attraction is attractive, says Dr Conroy-Beam. I like the people who actually like me, because that's a rational thing to do when you're trying to find a partner.

It's not exactly romantic, but that rationality is why 'for the most part, people get what they're looking for'.

It might not be Cinderella, but I'll take it.

This is the fourth in a series of data stories looking at why and how we choose our partners.

Our first story analyzed who you'll probably marry, based on your job.

Our second story examined the most and least likely religions to marry.

Our third story revealed how men 'marrying up' became the norm.

Sat 13 Jun 2026 at 5:22am

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