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Changes in Marital Sorting: Theory and Evidence from the US

Author

Listed:
  • Pierre-AndrŽ Chiappori

    (Columbia University)

  • Monica Costa Dias

    (University of Bristol)

  • Costas Meghir

    (Yale University)

  • Hanzhe Zhang

    (Michigan State University)

Abstract

Positive assortative matching refers to the tendency of individuals with similar characteristics to form partnerships. Measuring the extent to which assortative matching differs between two economies is challenging when the marginal distributions of the characteristic along which sorting takes place (e.g., education) change for either or both sexes. We show how the use of different measures can generate different conclusions. We provide axiomatic characterization for measures such as the odds ratio, normalized trace, and likelihood ratio, and provide a structural economic interpretation of the odds ratio. We then use our approach to consider how marital sorting by education changed between the 1950s and the 1970s cohort, for which both educational attainment and returns in the labor market changed substantially.

Suggested Citation

  • Pierre-AndrŽ Chiappori & Monica Costa Dias & Costas Meghir & Hanzhe Zhang, 2024. "Changes in Marital Sorting: Theory and Evidence from the US," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 2414, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University.
    • Handle: RePEc:cwl:cwldpp:2414
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    File URL: https://cowles.yale.edu/sites/default/files/2024-12/d2414.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Christine Schwartz & Robert Mare, 2005. "Trends in educational assortative marriage from 1940 to 2003," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 42(4), pages 621-646, November.
    2. Hanzhe Zhang, 2021. "An Investment-and-Marriage Model with Differential Fecundity: On the College Gender Gap," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 129(5), pages 1464-1486.
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    2. Edoardo Ciscato, 2026. "Trends and Structure of Educational Assortative Mating," RFBerlin Discussion Paper Series 26121, ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin (RFBerlin).
    3. Choi, Jeongwon & Kim, Jinyoung, 2025. "Sorting in the Marriage Market: A New Approach to Measuring Assortative Mating," IZA Discussion Papers 17956, IZA Network @ LISER.
    4. Martin E. Andresen & Andreas R. Kostøl & Ross T. Milton & Corina Mommaerts & Luisa Wallossek, 2025. "Monthly Earnings Volatility and Household Pooling," NBER Working Papers 34563, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Iván Albina, 2026. "Emparejamiento Selectivo: Medición y Tendencias en América Latina y el Caribe," CEDLAS, Working Papers 0366, CEDLAS, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
    6. Chihiro Inoue & Yusuke Ishihata & Suguru Otani, 2026. "Marital Sorting on Pre-Marital Preferences for Household Behavior," Papers 2603.25372, arXiv.org, revised May 2026.
    7. Kenzo Imamura & Suguru Otani & Tohya Sugano & Koji Yokote, 2025. "A Note on Assortativeness Measures," Papers 2512.21465, arXiv.org, revised Mar 2026.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C78 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Bargaining Theory; Matching Theory
    • D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior
    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics

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