The sexual market crisis: a bubble that won't burst
Inflated female expectations, singlehood as an opportunity cost, and a mismatch that refuses to correct itself: an economic analysis of a market in crisis.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The sensual market crisis: a bubble that won't burst
The debate over the state of the dating market in Spain has been simmering for years in economic and social forums. The thesis is blunt: the market would be dead, the victim of an inflation of female expectations that men cannot match. An analysis through an economic lens reveals that this is not just male complaining, but a structural mismatch between supply and demand.
The inflation of expectations: 'shishiflation' as an economic phenomenon
Participants describe a scenario in which the average man's attractiveness does not correspond to women's demands. They speak of a "shishiflation": demands for height, physique, emotional and financial stability are said to have risen far above the available supply. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that a 190 cm man with an athletic build barely manages to pair with someone of relatively lower physical attractiveness. The phenomenon is not new, but it is said to have worsened over the past decade: just when a burst was expected, the bubble holds.
The opportunity cost of male singlehood
Part of the analysis argues that prolonged singlehood has financial advantages. The personal experience of some, who experienced the market before "empowerment", concludes that the emotional and economic cost of maintaining a relationship outweighs the benefits. The Church, which imposed marriage as the only path, would have been protecting men, according to this line of thought. The irony conceals a hard fact: the breakup of a long relationship usually means a significant loss of wealth for the party who contributed the most.
No signs of rebalancing
Despite everything, the market does not adjust. There is no excess supply of men forcing expectations down, nor a mass migration toward alternative profiles. The gap between what is offered and what is demanded remains unresolved. The analysis stops at that point: there is no consensus on whether expectations will fall or whether the market is permanently distorted by cultural and economic factors that no one can quite reconcile.
The debate over the state of the dating market in Spain has been simmering for years in economic and social forums. The thesis is blunt: the market would be dead, the victim of an inflation of female expectations that men cannot match. An analysis through an economic lens reveals that this is not just male complaining, but a structural mismatch between supply and demand.
The inflation of expectations: 'shishiflation' as an economic phenomenon
Participants describe a scenario in which the average man's attractiveness does not correspond to women's demands. They speak of a "shishiflation": demands for height, physique, emotional and financial stability are said to have risen far above the available supply. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that a 190 cm man with an athletic build barely manages to pair with someone of relatively lower physical attractiveness. The phenomenon is not new, but it is said to have worsened over the past decade: just when a burst was expected, the bubble holds.
The opportunity cost of male singlehood
Part of the analysis argues that prolonged singlehood has financial advantages. The personal experience of some, who experienced the market before "empowerment", concludes that the emotional and economic cost of maintaining a relationship outweighs the benefits. The Church, which imposed marriage as the only path, would have been protecting men, according to this line of thought. The irony conceals a hard fact: the breakup of a long relationship usually means a significant loss of wealth for the party who contributed the most.
No signs of rebalancing
Despite everything, the market does not adjust. There is no excess supply of men forcing expectations down, nor a mass migration toward alternative profiles. The gap between what is offered and what is demanded remains unresolved. The analysis stops at that point: there is no consensus on whether expectations will fall or whether the market is permanently distorted by cultural and economic factors that no one can quite reconcile.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (38 replies).
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