Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP13606
Authors: Ingvild Almas; Andreas Kotsadam; Espen R. Moen; Knut Røed
Abstract: Partner selection is a vital feature of human behavior with important consequences for indi-viduals, families, and society. Hypergamy occurs when a husband’s earning capacity system-atically exceeds that of his wife. We provide a theoretical framework that rationalizes hy-pergamy even in the absence of gender differences in the distribution of earnings capacity. Using parental earnings rank, a predetermined measure of earnings capacity that solves the simultaneity problem of matching affecting earnings outcomes, we show that hypergamy is an important feature of Norwegian mating patterns. A vignette experiment identifies gender differences in preferences that can explain the observed patterns.
Keywords: marriage; gender; identity; labor supply; household specialization
JEL Codes: J12; D10; J22
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| parental earnings rank (J31) | offspring's earnings potential (J17) |
| parental earnings rank (J31) | propensity to find partners (J12) |
| men's higher earnings potential (J31) | multiple partnerships (L14) |
| intergenerational correlation of earnings (J31) | mating patterns (J12) |
| men's higher earnings potential (J31) | probability of finding a partner (J12) |
| women's importance on partner's earnings (J31) | hypergamy in partner selection (J12) |