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Field of study and partner choice

Author

Listed:
  • Artmann, Elisabeth
  • Ketel, Nadine
  • Oosterbeek, Hessel
  • van der Klaauw, Bas

Abstract

There is strong assortative mating by field of study. To examine to which extent this is due to self selection or to a causal effect of access to specific ”marriage markets”, we use data from participants in admission lotteries of four oversubscribed studies in the Netherlands. For each of the four studies, we find that the winning compliers of an admission lottery are significantly more likely than the losing compliers to have a partner from the lottery study, whereas losing compliers are only marginally more likely to have a partner from the lottery study than would occur under random matching. These results indicate that assortative mating by field of study is largely due to marriage market access and that self selection plays a minor role. JEL-codes: I26, J12, J13.

Suggested Citation

  • Artmann, Elisabeth & Ketel, Nadine & Oosterbeek, Hessel & van der Klaauw, Bas, 2021. "Field of study and partner choice," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:84:y:2021:i:c:s0272775721000686
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2021.102149
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Justine S. Hastings & Christopher A. Neilson & Seth D. Zimmerman, 2013. "Are Some Degrees Worth More than Others? Evidence from college admission cutoffs in Chile," NBER Working Papers 19241, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Lasse Eika & Magne Mogstad & Basit Zafar, 2019. "Educational Assortative Mating and Household Income Inequality," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 127(6), pages 2795-2835.
    3. Nadine Ketel & Edwin Leuven & Hessel Oosterbeek & Bas van der Klaauw, 2016. "The Returns to Medical School: Evidence from Admission Lotteries," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 8(2), pages 225-254, April.
    4. Joseph G. Altonji & Erica Blom & Costas Meghir, 2012. "Heterogeneity in Human Capital Investments: High School Curriculum, College Major, and Careers," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 4(1), pages 185-223, July.
    5. Ketel, Nadine & Leuven, Edwin & Oosterbeek, Hessel & van der Klaauw, Bas, 2019. "Do Dutch dentists extract monopoly rents?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 145-158.
    6. Lars Kirkebøen & Edwin Leuven & Magne Mogstad, 2021. "College as a Marriage Market," Discussion Papers 950, Statistics Norway, Research Department.
    7. Matthew Wiswall & Basit Zafar, 2021. "Human Capital Investments and Expectations about Career and Family," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 129(5), pages 1361-1424.
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    Cited by:

    1. Nybom, Martin & Plug, Erik & van der Klaauw, Bas & Ziegler, Lennart, 2022. "Skills, Parental Sorting, and Child Inequality," IZA Discussion Papers 15824, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Avdeev, Stanislav & Ketel, Nadine & Oosterbeek, Hessel & van der Klaauw, Bas, 2024. "Spillovers in fields of study: Siblings, cousins, and neighbors," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 238(C).
    3. Mark Anderson, D. & Diris, Ron & Montizaan, Raymond & Rees, Daniel I., 2023. "The effects of becoming a physician on prescription drug use and mental health treatment," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    4. Quentin Lippmann & Khushboo Surana, 2022. "The Hierarchy of Partner Preferences," Discussion Papers 22/08, Department of Economics, University of York.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    assortative mating; marriage market; admission lotteries;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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