Educational Assortative Mating in the European Regions

Abstract

Measuring social segregation, a complex socioeconomic phenomenon with multifaceted dimensions poses significant challenges. Social segregation has different dimensions that could be framed as cultural, social, economic, or even political. In this paper, we argue that assortative mating can inform us about the segregation level of society as mating choices embrace many of these dimensions. We use the EU-LFS to measure educational assortative mating at the regional NUTS 2 level for 23 European countries. We compare assortative mating patterns between two cohorts: those born between 1957 and 1966 and those born between 1975 and 1984. Our findings reveal notable variations in assortative mating, both across time and regions. We find that assortative mating has markedly increased in specific regions for individuals with lower levels of education, while it has declined in most regions for those with higher levels of education. Significant differences exist in assortative mating across regions, particularly among individuals with lower levels of education. These results are relevant for shaping informed social policies.