Hiring strategies like this are often used as a legal pretext for paying women less than men. Economists call this the &#x27;marriage monopsony.&#x27;<p>The idea is that because men on average earn more money, or at least did until recently, women generally move when their husbands get a new job. This means that men are able to compete for the best wages in a global market, but women are only able to compete for the best wages in their local market. Which, depending on their industry, often means only a handful of options, and thus severely limited bargaining power.<p>See also:<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;econpapers.repec.org&#x2F;paper&#x2F;izaizadps&#x2F;dp7343.htm" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;econpapers.repec.org&#x2F;paper&#x2F;izaizadps&#x2F;dp7343.htm</a>