In this paper, I examine changes in how women’s earnings potential affects marriage formation and mate selection among the 1960s–1980s birth cohorts. The aim of this paper is to determine whether the decline in men’s economic status or the increase in women’s ability to balance work and family responsibilities is the key driver of change in the relationship between women’s earnings potential and their marital behavior. Analysis using multiple indicators of earnings potential shows that the effect of women’s earnings potential on marriage formation changed from negative to positive for women in the 1960s and 1970s cohorts; there was almost no change for women in the 1970s and 1980s cohorts. The effect on mate selection was generally positive for all cohorts, but the effect increased only for the 1960s and 1970s cohorts. I conclude that the decline in men’s economic status plays a key role in changing the relationship between women’s earnings potential and their marital behavior.