High IQ cuts women's marriage prospects

A high IQ is a hindrance for women wanting to get married while it is an asset for men, according to a study by four British universities. The study found the likelihood of marriage increased by 35 per cent for boys for each 16 point increase in IQ. But for girls, there is a 40 per cent drop for each 16-point rise, according to the survey by the universities of Aberdeen, Bristol, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The study is based on the IQs of 900 men and women between their 10th and 40th birthdays. "Women in their late 30s, who have gone for careers after the first flush of university and who are among the brightest of their generation, are finding that men are just not interesting enough," psychologist and professor at Nottingham University Paul Brown said.Claire Rayner, writer and broadcaster, says that intelligent men often preferred a less brainy partner.

"A chap with a high IQ is going to get a demanding job that is going to take up a lot of his energy and time," she said."In many ways he wants a woman who is an old-fashioned wife and looks after the home, a copy of his mum in a way."

The study has been published in The Sunday Times newspaper.