Over fifty percent of highly educated people have a highly educated partner

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

But the world is changing. Nowadays, more women than men have a university degree. Young women are more likely to be highly educated than men of the same age.

Partners
This is reflected in their choice of partner. Twelve years ago, less than 40 per cent of men with a higher professional education or university master's degree had a partner (man, woman or other) with the same level of education. In 2025, this figure exceeded 50 per cent for the first time, according to a table published by Statistics Netherlands on the population aged 25 and older. 

The figures were updated last Friday, just before Valentine's Day. It concerns people who are married or cohabiting, so long-distance relationships are excluded.

The percentage of women with a master's degree who have a partner with the same level of education has fluctuated around 50 per cent for years. However, more and more women have master's degrees.

Highly educated
Highly educated people (those with both bachelor's and master's degrees) are therefore increasingly finding each other when looking for a partner. Nowadays, women are more likely than men to have a higher degree than their partner.

Highly educated people are more likely to have highly educated partners. HOP. Source: CBS