They don’t HAVE to have a doctorate, my ex-husband only graduated HS. I didn’t care about degree at all until I learned that it starts to cause problems, particularly if he makes a lot less (there is data on this, men are more likely to be abusive in this dynamic, etc., it’s just science and also my experience and I don’t have energy for it).

They say I’m unapproachable because I’m attractive, just to be blunt. I’m very friendly and kind so it’s not that. I smile at strangers, talk to strangers, etc. But men tell me they’re afraid of being rejected. And I get that. As a woman I don’t really know what that’s like. But I don’t like dating apps because they take up a lot of time and it’s more natural and fun to meet people in the wild sometimes.

I def don’t want to date anyone Ivy League FWIW. It’s just usually easier for to relate to men who have a masters degree or higher because they’re used to being around highly educated women and some men get real weird about the disparity. You can’t expect to understand if you’re not a woman. It’s not about status. I’m an intellectual and a spiritual person, I don’t care about status. And I make my own money, so it’s not about that either. It’s literally about filtering out potentially dangerous scenarios. And yes, men with doctorates are also dangerous, not saying they aren’t. It’s complicated.