What Is Hypergamy?

Hypergamy: a romantic relationship with someone whose strengths complement your weaknesses, enhancing both partners’ growth, success, and social status through the relationship.

Understanding Hypergamy

The Origins of Hypergamy

Hypergamy, as a term, was first coined in 1883 by D. C. J. Ibbetson in a paper he wrote titled “Panjáb Ethnography” to refer to the practice of women marrying men of a higher socioeconomic class in India.

The practice of hypergamy, however, is as old as Human history itself. Hypergamy took place not only in Hindu society, but also in ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, China, Japan, as well as the Aztec and Inca Empires. In fact, hypergamy as a practice took place in all ancient or modern Human societies where hierarchy exists.

Hypergamy is a term that has evolved along with humanity’s understanding of its needs, wants, and relationships.

Redefining Hypergamous Relationships

Hypergamy is so much more than a relationship based solely on material worth and material gain— it is a practice that involves complex factors, all of which make up a relationship, and the people in that relationship. Each side brings a variety of factors to the table; wealth is a part of this, of course, so is beauty, but Hypergamy is a term that encapsulates the whole of what each partner offers.

There is no tradeoff in a Hypergamous relationship— there is only a meeting of interests, a meeting of ambitions, and a meeting of goals in such a way that together as a team, their combined standing in society far exceeds where each of them would be as individuals.

In scientific discussions, hypergamy is often misunderstood, suggesting a financial dependency that leads to power imbalances. This view is overly simplistic. Hypergamy, when viewed more accurately, involves partners enhancing each other’s status and resources in a relationship that benefits both parties in many different and unexpected ways.

This redefines the practice as a win-win situation, where both individuals contribute to and benefit from the relationship. This more balanced perspective acknowledges that both partners bring valuable assets to the table, fostering a dynamic of mutual support and growth.

In summary, there are three key ideas that must be understood about Hypergamy:

Both men and women practice hypergamy. It is a principle that is not confined to gender boundaries— where each party’s social standing can improve from their choice of a partner.

Hypergamy encapsulates all of a person’s traits, socially, economically, and emotionally. It is the sum of each parties’ merit and, in turn, how that merit is complemented and strengthened by their partner.

The essence of hypergamy lies in the desire for better.

Understanding Hypergamy’s Benefits

How to be Successful In Hypergamy

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Experience Hypergamy™

A person’s social status is multifaceted in nature.

Seeking members possess a multitude of different components that make up their social status. One party might have wealth and experience at their fingertips, but lacks the free thinking, charismatic or youthful energy that it would take to elevate their mindset to new heights.

On the other hand, the other party might have all of the fire and passion for life in the world, but does not have the experience nor resources required to turn that passion into something tangible. Beauty, brains, and ideas are simply not enough by themselves to accomplish greater dreams— while experience, wealth, and business acumen need that flair to find their potential.

This is one example of how a partnership can feed into itself, creating a reaction and a meeting of minds that together aid each other in finding even greater successes and ideas.

Seeking.com members are diverse; they bring different strengths to each table they’re seated at.

When Hypergamy is correctly practiced by both partners, each partner adds to the other partner’s social status in such a way that their combined skill-sets, ambitions, and shared passions spark a greater reaction. They maximize their potential by supporting each others’ weaker points— emotionally, socially, and in all of the ways that matter.

As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. Most humans operate or socialize only within their social circles, typically made up of others with similar although not necessarily complementary social status.

Social circles are by nature inclusive to those inside but exclusive to those outside. For this reason, those who want to experience a different lifestyle must find a way to break free, to dream and to expand their social circle in order to meet others with different yet complementary socioeconomic status.

Therefore, to properly and fully practice hypergamy, one must therefore be able to date outside of one’s social circle. That is the solution Seeking.com is designed to solve.