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Opportunity and change in occupational assortative mating
Christine R Schwartz1, Yu Wang2, Robert D Mare3
1University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States.
Social Science Research
|August 25, 2021
Summary
Occupational assortative mating, where individuals marry within similar professions, nearly tripled in the U.S. from 1970-2017. Despite this, its contribution to economic inequality remains small, largely due to increased female participation in professional roles.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Economics
- Demography
Background:
- Occupational assortative mating (OAM) trends are linked to rising economic inequality.
- Previous OAM estimates are outdated and lack quantified impact on household inequality.
- The concentration of resources in households may be exacerbated by OAM.
Purpose of the Study:
- To document changes in U.S. occupational assortative mating patterns from 1970 to 2015-2017.
- To quantify the impact of OAM on household economic inequality.
- To analyze the drivers of changes in OAM.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of U.S. occupational structure and assortative mating trends.
- Longitudinal data spanning 1970 to 2015-2017.
- Quantification of OAM's contribution to household earnings inequality.
Main Results:
- The prevalence of dual-professional couples nearly tripled between 1970 and 2015-2017.
- Significant increases observed in specific pairings, e.g., doctors marrying doctors.
- Changes in spouse occupation distributions, particularly women's professional roles, explain most OAM shifts.
Conclusions:
- Occupational assortative mating's contribution to economic inequality is small.
- Increased female professional roles significantly altered OAM patterns.
- OAM's impact on inequality is minor compared to other factors, though larger than educational assortative mating's effect.
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