Choosing a Major and a Partner: Field of Study and Union Formation

• In Event: 3523 - Family Section Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 min): Table 4: Families and Education

Abstract

In this paper, we raised the question of whether and how the field of study of young, highly educated women is associated with their living arrangements. Using a set of cross-sectional observations of a single cohort of female graduates (2010) from EU Labor Force Survey data, we estimated the odds of such women having a co-residential partner and the odds of their engaging in hypogamy (partnering down) in the five years following graduation. The analysis demonstrated that the relative costs and benefits of degrees from male- and female-dominated disciplines differ across countries. In countries with a higher level of female labor force participation and more liberal gender norms, degrees from male-dominated disciplines offer a clear advantage on the mating market. These graduates are less likely to be single or to partner down than graduates from female-dominated fields. However, in countries with a lower level of female labor force participation and less liberal gender norms, a degree in a male-dominated discipline has a dubious effect. These graduates are more likely to be single. However, if they have a co-residential partner, they have lower odds of marrying down than do women from female-dominated disciplines.

 

Authors

• Dana Hamplova, Institute of Sociology

• Alena Bicakova, CERGE