Trends in Educational Assortative Mating in Russia: Do Changes in Educational Structure Matter?

Abstract

This paper studies the impact of educational upgrading on marital status and educational assortative mating. We use data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey – HSE (RLMS-HSE) for 1995–2015. Our findings reveal a decline in the proportion of the population who are married for both men and women, at all education levels, and for most age groups. Educational upgrading restrained the decline in the proportion of the population who are married due to a rising share of higher educated groups who are more likely to marry. Women are now more likely to have husbands with lower education. Such an increase in educational hypogamy was accompanied by a reduction in homogamy. Nonetheless, educational homogamy remains the most prevalent marriage pattern. Adjustment for educational trends suggests that observed changes in educational assortative mating are driven by changes in the education structure while the odds for highly educated women of marrying down remained unchanged.