Apparently, how women perceive the dating and marriage market can impact their career choices.

A new study out of the Journal of Social Psychology claims that women’s job choices are influenced by the availability of men.  It claims that one of the factors driving women into successful (i.e. profitable) career paths is how they perceive their chances with men. So women who see less of a chance of finding a husband and sharing the household expenses of raising a family pursue more lucrative career choices.

The study analyzed geographical data from 50 states and correlated areas where there were low numbers of men with a high percentage of women perusing high-paying careers. “Using both historical data and laboratory experiments, findings show that a scarcity of men led women to seek high-paying careers,” said lead author Kristina Durante to USA Today. “A scarcity of men produced the strongest desire for lucrative careers in women who are least able to secure a mate.”

So fear of being without a husband is what’s behind all those women who have climbed the corporate ladder. Of course. Personally, I don’t think such a big question be answered by such limited research. But you can read the entire study here, and form you own opinions.

What do you think?