With all the public discussion about the “shidduch crisis” in our media, conferences, meetings, etc., there have been many ideas proposed to solve it. I have yet to hear any indication that there has been even nominal success with any of the suggested interventions. I might be wrong on this, but there is enough debate on how to assess the “crisis”, what to measure, etc., that finding statistics that indicate progress would be a huge challenge.
I suggest that the focus has been on numbers, or at least perceived numbers. And I am not so sure that trying to change things at a more general level will accomplish anything – except to make one feel as if they are doing something. Maybe each situation is different, and should be addressed individually. There are unmarried boys and there are unmarried girls. It would be counterproductive to try and help an individual with a strategy that would be more appropriate for someone else. Of course, any individual can set standards that are impossible to achieve, and freeze himself/herself out of the market.
Also worth repeating is the notion of the “good” boy or girl. The common uses of the word in the shidduch scene are woefully misleading, and it will take a generation or more to achieve the level of change needed to see young people in a more useful light.