pp. 143-169

This article deals with the question of whether being married to a woman with more diplomas has a positive effect on the professional itinerary of men. Based on a review of American works on this subject, presented for the most part by F. de Singly in « The fortunes and misfortunes of the married woman » (1987), it is argued that this relation could only be misleading, in other words, would only be derived from the intervention of variables not taken into account by the author. To verify this affirmation, a log-linear model is developed using the data from FQP (Training and occupational Qualifications) studies made in 1970 and 1977. Once the analysis has taken into account the effects of social origin, the diploma in possession and the social position at the beginning of the working life, it is observed that there exists a slight, but significant link, between the feminine diploma and the masculine social position.