Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/35847 
Year of Publication: 
2009
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 4491
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Using a rich panel data set from the German Socio-Economic Panel, we test whether spouses who are similar to each other in certain respects have a lower probability of divorce than dissimilar spouses. We focus on the effect of homogamy with respect to education and church attendance. Gary Becker's theory of marriage predicts that usually, positive assortative mating is optimal. Our results, however, suggest that homogamy per se does not increase marital stability but higher education and religiousness.
Subjects: 
Divorce
homogamy
education
JEL: 
I20
J12
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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