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Physical Attractiveness And Household Income: Trading Height For Education In The Marriage Market

Author

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  • Michela Ponzo
  • Vincenzo Scoppa

    (Dipartimento di Economia, Statistica e Finanza, Università della Calabria)

Abstract

We analyze to what extent physical attractiveness is related to lifetime economic outcomes through the marriage market, investigating whether individual height and weight affect the probability of marrying with a “high quality partner”, measuring quality with the partner’s educational attainment. Using a large dataset of Italian couples, we find that taller individuals tend to mate with more educated partners (controlling for the former’s educational level and other personal traits). This effect is valid both for males and females, but it is more pronounced for males. These findings are robust to a number of checks.

Suggested Citation

  • Michela Ponzo & Vincenzo Scoppa, 2013. "Physical Attractiveness And Household Income: Trading Height For Education In The Marriage Market," Working Papers 201307, Università della Calabria, Dipartimento di Economia, Statistica e Finanza "Giovanni Anania" - DESF.
    • Handle: RePEc:clb:wpaper:201307
    as

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    File URL: http://www.ecostat.unical.it/RePEc/WorkingPapers/WP07_2013.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Marriage Markets; Mating; Height; Education; Assortative Mating;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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