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Female education, marital assortative mating, and dowry: Theory and evidence from districts of India

Author

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  • Prarthna Agarwal GOEL

    (Department of Economics, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University)

  • Rashmi BARUA

    (Center for International Trade and Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University)

Abstract

We study marital assortative mating in education and its relation to dowry in India. There are four main results and contributions of this paper. First, instrumental variable estimates using Indian Human Development Survey-II data suggest existence of positive assortative mating in education levels of husband and wife. Second, this association is weaker in dowry-prominent districts suggesting that in districts with strong patriarchal norms, high dowry transfers could substitute for lower bride's education. Third, we study the independent effect of husband's and wife's education and its interaction on dowry. Estimates suggest that dowry rises with the groom's education and falls with the bride's schooling years. However, the joint effect of husband-and-wife education on dowry is negative, implying that though dowry rises with groom's education, the rate of increase is smaller the more educated the bride is. Finally, to explain the empirical results, we propose a theoretical model of assortative mating in the presence of dowry.

Suggested Citation

  • Prarthna Agarwal GOEL & Rashmi BARUA, 2023. "Female education, marital assortative mating, and dowry: Theory and evidence from districts of India," JODE - Journal of Demographic Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 89(2), pages 183-209, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:ctl:louvde:v:89:y:2023:i:2:p:183-209
    DOI: 10.1017/dem.2021.23
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    Keywords

    Assortive Mating; Dowry; Education; India; Marriage;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C01 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - General - - - Econometrics
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs

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