Trends in Educational Homogamy and Heterogamy - Analyzing the Roles of Assortative Mating and Structural Opportunities using a Novel Decomposition Method
Citation:
Leesch, Julia Gabriele, Trends in Educational Homogamy and Heterogamy - Analyzing the Roles of Assortative Mating and Structural Opportunities using a Novel Decomposition Method, Trinity College Dublin, School of Social Sciences & Philosophy, Sociology, 2024Download Item:
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Abstract:
Higher education expansion has reshaped the educational composition of partner markets. Despite this notable shift in structural opportunities for mating, our understanding of how these changes have influenced marital sorting outcomes, such as the proportion of educationally homogamous unions, remains limited. Instead of studying marital sorting outcomes, previous research has focused on assortative mating, the tendency of available candidates to match into unions and marriages non-randomly. This thesis integrates these two perspectives on marital sorting by investigating the impact of changes in (a) structural opportunities and (b) assortative mating on trends in marital sorting outcomes. The first paper evaluates the strengths and limitations of existing methods used to study assortative mating and marital sorting outcomes. This assessment indicates that existing methods do not provide flexible tools to break down the influence of trends in structural opportunities and assortative mating on marital sorting outcomes. To address this methodological gap, this paper introduces a novel decomposition approach. The approach analyzes hypothetical scenarios, such as trends in marital sorting outcomes, if only assortative mating or structural opportunities had changed. This allows to isolate the impacts of these changes on marital sorting outcomes. The second paper analyzes trends in marital sorting outcomes in Ireland (1991 - 2016). It investigates the extent to which these trends have been influenced by concurrent changes in three factors: educational attainment, the educational gradient in marriage, and assortative mating. Using Irish Census data, the study employs the decomposition method introduced in the previous paper to determine how these changes influenced marital sorting outcomes. The results indicate an increase in homogamy (both equally educated) and hypogamy (she more educated than he), as well as a decline in hypergamy (she less educated than he). These trends were largely driven by changes in women's and men's educational attainment. In contrast, shifts in the educational gradient in marriage had a moderate influence, while trends in assortative mating scarcely impacted sorting outcomes. The third paper examines trends and cross-country differences in marital sorting outcomes and investigates the role of structural opportunities and assortative mating in explaining these patterns. Using vital statistics data on all marriages contracted from 2000 to 2020 in Sweden, the Czech Republic, and Italy, the paper decomposes trends and cross- country differences in marital sorting outcomes into these two components. Findings show stable or rising rates of homogamy and hypogamy, and declining hypergamy. Despite similar trends, countries differ in the extent to which changes in structural opportunities and assortative mating explain these trends. Overall, Italy is characterized by high homogamy and low heterogamy, while Sweden displays the opposite pattern, and the Czech Republic falls in between. These variations between countries are primarily linked to differences in assortative mating. The final paper improves our understanding of the relationship between changing structural opportunities and trends in marital sorting outcomes. Using French (1962-2011) and US (1960-2015) census data, this paper disentangles the impact of two simultaneous developments on marital sorting outcomes: educational expansion and changes in the education-gender association. Decomposition results indicate that changes in the education-gender association have contributed to rising hypogamy and declining hypergamy. Educational expansion is associated with homogamy and heterogamy trends, with fewer unions involving low-educated individuals and more involving highly educated individuals. This study advances previous research by linking not only the changing gender imbalance in education but also higher education expansion to hypogamy and hypergamy trends. Overall, this thesis makes substantial contributions to our understanding of the structural drivers of trends and differences in marital sorting outcomes.
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APPROVED
Author: Leesch, Julia Gabriele
Advisor:
Skopek, JanPublisher:
Trinity College Dublin. School of Social Sciences & Philosophy. Discipline of SociologyType of material:
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