The world's population at large is experiencing a rapid growth among the professional, single demographic. Fewer and fewer people are getting married before the age of 30---if at all. Why?

My personal understanding was that it was b/c women in recent decades have been pursuing education and professional aspirations with equal zeal as men. Yet, the fact remains that nature imposes an "expiration date" on women. We will wilt and wither and pass our prime leaving us with dismal prospects if at all. However, our male counterparts, no matter how hideous, un-hygienic, socially inept, chauvinistic, sexually challenged will ALWAYS have the option of marrying the "hot 18-yr-old bimbo" from a mail-order catalogue of some third-world country......maybe even within the American borders if they're rich enough.

Questions:
#1: Should our generation accept this as a challenge that we are going to face as we are pioneers with the pursuit of male-female equality?

#2) Is it time for some change? I've seen plenty of good-looking, decent women that have pursued their doctorates and such, yet are over 30 and single b/c they've been focusing on finding a man who was equal or higher with respect to professional accomplishment and salary. If we are true feminists, is not anti-thetical to expect a man to always be smarter, stronger, and richer? As long as a man can make enough money to support a family while a woman decides to take her maternity leave from the work-force is it not a bit backwards for a woman to reject a man simply b/c his resume is not as good as hers?

And vice-versa: should men stop being intimidated by women who are more professionally successful b/c it threatens their fragile male ego? If anything the woman could be good source of support in face of an unfortunate recession or lay-off? She may call the shots if she is the bread-winner, but you would also have less pressure to make the mortgage payments and save for retirement and the brats' college fund.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that women are becoming equals to men in the workforce, men still evaluate a woman (consciously and un-consciously) based on her domestic skills and her looks....and all the other mushy female traits.

Of course nature is at play here for both genders, but as humans with the capacity to reason are we not able to question whether our natural disposition to seek certain traits is in line with the demands of modern, urban living? For example, looking for the man with superior athletic ability may not be as important in capitalist America as it was back in the day where men hunted for food in the wild. Hence the need to place greater importance on a man's intelligence than his looks.

OR

#3: Is taming our primal nature beyond our ability to reason consciously? Maybe we are challenging Allah's rules and need to revert back to traditon?

Men should remain the bread-winners and women only be allowed to pursue enough education to raise their children properly, but not enter the workforce? If we follow this model, then would we not face a new host of challenges as an Ummah living in the West? For example, if a woman becomes widowed, how does she earn a living to support her young children and herself? Extended family may not help out as readily as they did in the past. Is it reasonable to adhere to this model despite such risks based on the faith that Allah (S) will take care of things?

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Where/What is the ideal balance? Is there any hope or will the human race eventually disappear b/c everyone decides to pursue their careers at the expense of having a family?