“And what does your husband do?” a curious, well-heeled woman asks Andrea from across the canape platter.

“He’s an electrician,” Andrea responds, already anticipating the inevitable, wide-eyed, “How interesting!” response from her new white-collar acquaintance.

“We get it all the time, so we’re used to it,” explains the 31-year-old Long Island attorney — who asked that her last name be withheld for professional reasons — about the occupation of her husband, Jason. “But it’s a little annoying that people stereotype so much about career choice. My husband is successful, driven and a devoted dad. What more could I want?”

Andrea is hardly the only woman in the Big Apple finding herself “dating down” — or engaging in a relationship with a man from a lower educational or social class — due to the city’s well-publicized “man shortage.” According to the latest data from the US Census Bureau, Manhattan alone has 38 percent more young, college-educated women than it does similar men, forcing ladies to consider potential mates they may have otherwise overlooked.

Such was the case for Andrea, who met 36-year-old Jason during her second year of law school while hanging out at a watering hole on Long Island. She was still reeling from her previous relationship with a guy who ticked off all the right boxes.

“I’d had a boyfriend in college who was perfect on paper,” she says. “We both were going to be attorneys. But he had a drug problem, and I knew deep down, he wasn’t right.”

‘It’s a little annoying that people stereotype so much about career choice. My husband is successful, driven and a devoted dad. What more could I want?’ - Andrea, an attorney, on how people judge her husband Jason, an electrician

While committing to Jason meant saying goodbye to the prospect of a glittery Manhattan lifestyle — both Jason’s son from his previous marriage and his business are on Long Island — Andrea got a loving, committed partner in return when the two wed in 2013.

“I think the thing Andrea loves about me is how proud [I am] of who I am and where I came from,” says Jason. “Andrea was raised in an upper-middle-class environment, but we’re from a family of tradesmen. I have ‘blue pride’ tattooed to my chest, literally. I’m a proud blue-collar worker.”

Despite not always fitting in with the cocktail crowd, women in these partnerships say there are advantages that come from marrying someone without a university education.

Taryn Burke, a 28-year-old Brooklyn-based research scientist with a master’s degree, is engaged to a Long Island barbershop owner. “I always tended to go for the ‘man’s man,’ which I just wasn’t finding at college,” says Burke, who’s been with her fiancé for nearly seven years since they met at a barbershop.

“I also think the fact we have different professional backgrounds is a huge advantage. If I had settled down with a doctor or fellow scientist, I’m sure there would be some competition. But with my fiancé, I feel I can relax. I’m a pretty strict, Type A person at work, but I feel I can just turn that off at home,” she explains.

And a lack of higher education doesn’t necessarily mean financial instability.

“Here’s the thing: I have student-loan debt, which my husband doesn’t have. He’s doing really well, financewise. I think there’s a common misconception that ‘lack of a degree’ means ‘lack of income,’ which isn’t the case,” says Andrea.

And even if there is income inequality, some women prefer it that way.

Kristen McGuiness, 38, a nonprofit professional and published author with a master’s degree, finds herself on the receiving end of raised eyebrows when it’s revealed her husband, 41-year-old Tere Karabatos, is a high school dropout who drives an Uber and operates a restaurant-cleaning business. The two met when Karabatos was working as a hairdresser, and McGuiness ended up in his chair.

“We fell in love instantly, but my grandmother thinks we’re insane,” says McGuiness, who lives in Los Angeles with Karabatos and their 15-month-old daughter. “While we do sometimes fight about finances, at the end of the day, I’m really glad to be the primary breadwinner. I like being in control, calling the shots and deciding what color the dining room should be painted. Would I have that control if I were married to a corporate attorney? I don’t think so.”

That said, not every woman considers blue-collar guys blue-ribbon material.

Dawn DeLavallade, M.D., author of “She Makes More,” had a blue-collar partner, too — and found it to be a lonely position. Now divorced, she says that, while the income discrepancy wasn’t the main reason the relationship failed, she had to handle her partner with kid gloves.

“One of the biggest challenges, at least in my experience, is protecting your mate from judgment. You feel like you always have to explain why your partner is such a great fit in a way women who are in relationships with someone in a similar profession just don’t,” she says.

“I want to date men of a higher rank than me,” adds Lynda Valanzano, a 35-year-old divorced marketing strategist from Staten Island. “They should be a [chief officer] or business owner. I’m a director — my job is demanding, and men who don’t understand that find it intimidating.”

Valanzano feels like sticking to these standards — even if it means remaining single indefinitely — will only lay the groundwork for a rock-solid relationship in the future. “I find it very hard to meet a man who meets my criteria,” she admits. “I feel like the ones who do are playboys and aren’t ready to settle down. Honestly, as much as we’ve broken gender stereotypes in the workplace, not much has changed at home. I think most men want to feel like they are a breadwinner.”

‘One of the biggest challenges … is protecting your mate from judgment.’ - Dr. Dawn DeLavallade

Upper East Side dating coach Amy Laurent admits that, while a little “choosiness” can go a long way, there’s something to be said for throwing away a checklist.

“It’s a woman’s right to say she wouldn’t marry a janitor. Women feel guilty [about saying] parameters out loud, but they shouldn’t,” she says. “That said, it’s also unfair to say that you’ll only marry someone who’s a VP at a bank. You have to ask yourself, ‘OK, what does success mean? Is it being self-made, motivated, and passionate?’ Because those attributes can absolutely be found in a blue-collar guy.”

Karabatos agrees. “I think my wife was brought up thinking she should marry Mr. Right, but she chose me because I have an adventurous, free spirit, which was really attractive to her,” he says. “And these ‘perfect’ men lose sight of the most basic fundamental things to our human experience, of enjoying life and actually connecting to people.”

Still, some are unwilling to bend. Former Jersey City, NJ, research scientist Erica, 28, was married to a guy who hadn’t graduated from college, and the union ended disastrously. Erica, who withheld her last name for personal reasons, regrets her choice to “marry down” entirely.

Says Erica: “I want an equal partner, not one I have to support. I feel when you have different career levels, there’s inherently an imbalance in expectations. Ever since that relationship ended, I would never consider dating or marrying below my education level again.”