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Educational Assortative Mating in the European Regions

Author

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  • Erik Stivens PadillaGalviz

    (Departament de Ciència Política, Universitat de Barcelona)

  • Montserrat Vilalta-Bufí

    (Departament d’Economia, CREB, BEAT, Universitat de Barcelona)

Abstract

Measuring social segregation, a complex socioeconomic phenomenon with multifaceted dimensions poses significant challenges. Social segregation has different dimensions that could be framed as cultural, social, economic, or even political. In this paper, we argue that assortative mating can inform us about the segregation level of society as mating choices embrace many of these dimensions. We use the EU-LFS to measure educational assortative mating at the regional NUTS 2 level for 23 European countries. We compare assortative mating patterns between two cohorts: those born between 1957 and 1966 and those born between 1975 and 1984. Our findings reveal notable variations in assortative mating, both across time and regions. We find that assortative mating has markedly increased in specific regions for individuals with lower levels of education, while it has declined in most regions for those with higher levels of education. Significant differences exist in assortative mating across regions, particularly among individuals with lower levels of education. These results are relevant for shaping informed social policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Erik Stivens PadillaGalviz & Montserrat Vilalta-Bufí, 2023. "Educational Assortative Mating in the European Regions," UB School of Economics Working Papers 2023/458, University of Barcelona School of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:ewp:wpaper:458web
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2445/204663
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    educational assortative mating; NUTS 2; social segregation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure

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