Partner Choice and the Marital College Premium: Analyzing Marital Patterns Over Several Decades

60 Pages Posted: 10 Feb 2015

See all articles by Pierre-Andre Chiappori

Pierre-Andre Chiappori

Columbia University - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Economics

Bernard Salanie

Columbia University - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences - Department of Economics; CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Yoram Weiss

Tel Aviv University - Eitan Berglas School of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Date Written: February 2015

Abstract

We construct a structural model of household decision-making and matching and estimate the returns to schooling within marriage. We consider agents with idiosyncratic preferences for marriage that may be correlated with education, and we allow the education levels of spouses to interact in producing joint surplus. Using US data on marriages of individuals born between 1943 and 1972, we show that the preference for assortative matching by education has significantly increased for the white population, particularly for highly educated individuals; but not for blacks. Moreover, in line with theoretical predictions, we find that the marital college-plus premium has increased for women but not for men.

Keywords: college premium, marriage

JEL Classification: D1, J1

Suggested Citation

Chiappori, Pierre-Andre and Salanie, Bernard and Weiss, Yoram, Partner Choice and the Marital College Premium: Analyzing Marital Patterns Over Several Decades (February 2015). CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP10403, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2562928

Pierre-Andre Chiappori (Contact Author)

Columbia University - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Economics ( email )

420 W. 118th Street
New York, NY 10027
United States

Bernard Salanie

Columbia University - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences - Department of Economics ( email )

420 W. 118th Street
New York, NY 10027
United States

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Poschinger Str. 5
Munich, DE-81679
Germany

Yoram Weiss

Tel Aviv University - Eitan Berglas School of Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 39040
Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, 69978
Israel
+972 3 640 9715 (Phone)
+972 3 640 9908 (Fax)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

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