Abstract
Male hypergamy, a social pattern rarely observed, has been prevalent throughout history as a symbol of social status for men. Hypergamy is the act of marrying into a higher social class or caste. This paper analyzes a few exemplary men ranging from the Italian Renaissance to Twenty-First Century America to make note of this pattern and attempts to understand how it affects the social order in middle-to-upper class society. The research, gathered from various books on class and society, presents an idea of various men who have, in some way or another, used their marriages as a social asset and network to rise to greater prominence. The upper classes of humanity are split into two camps: social and economic. While anyone can join the economic elite simply by working hard, saving and investing funds, and proper planning; in order to climb the social ladder, men usually obtain a high-income career or become entrepreneurs, join an organization of professionals, and marry into a higher social class which allows him to utilize a greater social network than he could previously access. This paper is meant solely as an introductory paper to the subject and is in no way suggests complete or total knowledge on the topic.
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