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We live in a world that is driven by data in large part. The sheer amount of data and the numerous tools available to sort and analyse it have made data critical part of everything. But should one rely on data for marriage too? According to Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg, it is better for a woman to marry a woman, based on data.

As absurd as it may sound that data is being used to analyse what person can be a better spouse for you, Sandberg does have a very valid point when she makes the claim. According to her, the data shows how two women are more evenly matched than a woman and a man.

In her words, ‘The most important thing — and I’ve said it a hundred times and I’ll say it a hundred times — if you marry a man, marry the right one. If you can marry a woman, that’s better because the split between two women in the home is pretty even, the data shows.’

Sandberg further says that the difference between a man and a woman is quite prominent, in terms of data. For instance, if a man becomes more successful, he starts to get more ‘likes.’ And that the reverse is true for women, ‘A woman, if you’re most intelligent or most likely to succeed, that’s an embarrassing thing or something that’s not considered attractive, and that’s something we need to change.’

However, perhaps marriage or relationships can depend on data to a very slight degree, for instance in terms of finding another person with similar interests etc. But at the end of the day, emotions and a lot more are involved when it comes to marriage. And indeed, like Sandberg says, finding the right person is what matters. Also, Sandberg is very right in stating that societal norms somehow render women’s success as something that comes at the expense of neglecting family while a man working round the clock and succeeding isn’t minded at all.

[ttjad]