Master seeks master in love

Have you obtained a master’s degree? Your partner is likely to have the same level of education. For the first time in the Netherlands, that chance is higher than 50 per cent, according to Statistics Netherlands.

The doctor and the nurse, the director and his secretary, the vicar and his housekeeper… They are heterosexual clichés from long ago, when women were less likely than men to go to university.

But the world is changing. Today, more women than men hold a degree from a university of applied sciences or a research university. Young women in particular are more highly educated than men of the same age.

Partners

And this is reflected in partner choice. Twelve years ago, fewer than 40 per cent of men with a higher professional education or university master’s degree had a partner (male, female or other) with the same level of education. In 2025, this rose above 50 per cent for the first time.

This is evident from a table by Statistics Netherlands on the population aged 25 and over. The figures were updated last Friday, just before Valentine’s Day. They concern people who are married or cohabiting, so living-apart-together relationships are not included.

Among women with a master’s degree, the percentage with a partner of the same educational level has hovered around 50 per cent for years. But there are, of course, increasingly more women with a master’s degree.

Highly educated

Highly educated people (bachelor’s and master’s graduates) are therefore increasingly likely to end up together when looking for a partner. And nowadays, women are more likely than men to hold a higher qualification than their partner.