Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/93282 
Year of Publication: 
2014
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 7895
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Has there been an increase in positive assortative mating? Does assortative mating contribute to household income inequality? Data from the United States Census Bureau suggests there has been a rise in assortative mating. Additionally, assortative mating affects household income inequality. In particular, if matching in 2005 between husbands and wives had been random, instead of the pattern observed in the data, then the Gini coefficient would have fallen from the observed 0.43 to 0.34, so that income inequality would be smaller. Thus, assortative mating is important for income inequality. The high level of married female labor-force participation in 2005 is important for this result.
Subjects: 
assortative mating
married female labor supply
inequality
JEL: 
D31
J11
J12
J22
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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