People choose partners based on family background, not education levels
Study finds partner similarity in education is driven by shared family backgrounds, not just education levels.
Why it matters
- Understanding partner selection can influence social mobility and inequality.
- It reshapes how we see education transmission across generations.
By the numbers
- Over 1.5 million individuals from 212,070 extended families were studied.
- Only 38% of partner similarity in education is due to genetic factors.
- 62% of parent-child similarity in education is genetic, 38% environmental.
The big picture
- Social homogamy, or matching based on family background, is more influential than education itself.
- This has implications for social inequality and mobility.
What they're saying
- Comments note that this explains why highly educated people might partner with less educated individuals who share similar upbringings.
Caveats
- Study uses Norwegian data, which may not generalize to other populations.
- Models don't reveal specific mechanisms behind environmental effects.
What’s next
- Further research needed to identify precise mechanisms behind these patterns.
- Understanding these processes can help address social inequalities.