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Trends in Assortative Mating and Offspring Outcomes

Author

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  • Bratsberg, Bernt

    (Ragnar Frisch Centre for Economic Research)

  • Markussen, Simen

    (Ragnar Frisch Centre for Economic Research)

  • Raaum, Oddbjørn

    (Ragnar Frisch Centre for Economic Research)

  • Røed, Knut

    (Ragnar Frisch Centre for Economic Research)

  • Røgeberg, Ole J.

    (Ragnar Frisch Centre for Economic Research)

Abstract

Fertility patterns and assortative mating help shape the level and the distribution of offspring outcomes. Increased assortative mating among the less educated has been reported across Western nations, suggesting that inequality in parental resources may be on the rise. In times of rising attainment, we argue that it is difficult to interpret trends in educational assortative mating as they can arise from change in sorting into education as much as from change in sorting into partnerships. Using rank measures of parental resources that have constant marginal distributions, we uncover evidence of declining assortative mating over the last 30 years in Norway. We also find an increasingly positive selection into parenthood. Estimating the contribution of parental resources to offspring outcomes, we show that recent trends in mating have caused a small rise in average offspring education and earnings as well as a decline in offspring inequality.

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  • Bratsberg, Bernt & Markussen, Simen & Raaum, Oddbjørn & Røed, Knut & Røgeberg, Ole J., 2018. "Trends in Assortative Mating and Offspring Outcomes," IZA Discussion Papers 11753, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp11753
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    Cited by:

    1. Bingley, Paul & Cappellari, Lorenzo & Tatsiramos, Konstantinos, 2022. "Parental assortative mating and the intergenerational transmission of human capital," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    2. Luca Maria Pesando, 2022. "A Four-Country Study on the Relationship Between Parental Educational Homogamy and Children’s Health from Infancy to Adolescence," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(1), pages 251-284, February.
    3. Ingvild Almås & Andreas Kotsadam & Espen R. Moen & Knut Røed, 2023. "The Economics of Hypergamy," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 58(1), pages 260-281.
    4. Jacques Silber & Sasiwimon Warunsiri Paweenawat & Lusi Liao, 2022. "On the measurement of non-random mating and of its change over time," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 161-198, March.
    5. Helena Holmlund, 2022. "How Much Does Marital Sorting Contribute to Intergenerational Socioeconomic Persistence?," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 57(2), pages 372-399.
    6. Pesando, Luca Maria & De Cao, Elisabetta & La Mattina, Giulia & Ciancio, Alberto, 2023. "Educational Assortative Mating and Harsh Parenting in Sub-Saharan Africa," IZA Discussion Papers 16466, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Pesando, Luca Maria & De Cao, Elisabetta & La Mattina, Giulia & Ciancio, Alberto, 2024. "Status (in)consistency in education and violent parenting practices towards children," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 351(C).
    8. Holmlund, Helena, 2022. "Preferences and opportunities in the marriage market. How comprehensive schooling made the wealthy marry down," Working Paper Series 2022:11, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    9. Ulrika Ahrsjö & René Karadakic & Joachim Kahr Rasmussen, 2021. "Intergenerational Mobility Trends and the Changing Role of Female Labor," CEBI working paper series 21-19, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. The Center for Economic Behavior and Inequality (CEBI).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    assortative mating; inequality; intergenerational mobility; homogamy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement

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