Educational Ambition, Marital Sorting, and Inequality

Frederik Almar; Benjamin Friedrich; Ana Reynoso; Bastian Schulz; Rune Majlund Vejlin

Educational Ambition, Marital Sorting, and Inequality

Frederik Almar, Benjamin Friedrich, Ana Reynoso^*, Bastian Schulz, Rune Majlund Vejlin

^*Corresponding author af dette arbejde

Institut for Økonomi

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift/Konferencebidrag i tidsskrift /Bidrag til avis › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › peer review

Abstract

This paper revisits the link between education-based marriage market sorting and
income inequality. Leveraging Danish administrative data, we develop a novel categorization of “ambition types” that is based on the labor market returns of detailed educational programs. In contrast to commonly-used education-based categorizations, we find a substantial increase in positive assortative matching by educational ambition over time. Moreover, changes in household composition by ambition explain more than 35% of increasing inequality since 1980. We conclude that the mapping from education to types matters crucially for conclusions about how education-based marriage market sorting contributes to rising income inequality.

Originalsprog	Engelsk
Tidsskrift	Journal of Labor Economics
ISSN	0734-306X
Status	Accepteret/In press - 1 okt. 2025

2 Working paper
1 Tidsskriftartikel

Families’ Career Investments and Firms’ Promotion Decisions
Almar, F., Friedrich, B., Reynoso, A., Schulz, B. & Vejlin, R. M., jan. 2025, (National Bureau of Economic Research. Working Paper Series; Nr. 33438). (IZA Discussion Paper; Nr. 17636). (CESifo Working Paper ; Nr. 11659).
Publikation: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper › Forskning
Optimal Weights for Marital Sorting Measures
Almar, F. & Schulz, B., jan. 2024, I: Economics Letters. 234, 111497.
Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift/Konferencebidrag i tidsskrift /Bidrag til avis › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › peer review

Åben adgang
Fil
59 Downloads (Pure)
Marital Sorting and Inequality: How Educational Categorization Matters
Almar, F., Friedrich, B., Reynoso, A., Schulz, B. & Vejlin, R. M., jan. 2023, IZA Institute of Labor Economics, (IZA Discussion Paper; Nr. 15912).
Publikation: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper › Forskning

Golddiggermyten
Schulz, B., Vejlin, R. M. & Almar, F.
11/04/2025
1 element af Mediedækning
Presse/medie
When It Comes to Dating, Ambition Might Matter More Than Politics
Schulz, B., Almar, F., Vejlin, R. M., Reynoso, A. & Friedrich, B.
07/02/2024
1 element af Mediedækning
Presse/medie
Fewer divorces thanks to the Hartz reforms
Schulz, B., Vejlin, R. M., Almar, F., Holzner, C. & Siuda, F.
12/01/2024
1 element af Mediedækning
Presse/medie

Citationsformater

@article{b78b86b7ac0143c7a4a076d4808768f7,

title = "Educational Ambition, Marital Sorting, and Inequality",

abstract = "This paper revisits the link between education-based marriage market sorting and income inequality. Leveraging Danish administrative data, we develop a novel categorization of “ambition types” that is based on the labor market returns of detailed educational programs. In contrast to commonly-used education-based categorizations, we find a substantial increase in positive assortative matching by educational ambition over time. Moreover, changes in household composition by ambition explain more than 35\% of increasing inequality since 1980. We conclude that the mapping from education to types matters crucially for conclusions about how education-based marriage market sorting contributes to rising income inequality.",

author = "Frederik Almar and Benjamin Friedrich and Ana Reynoso and Bastian Schulz and Vejlin, \{Rune Majlund\}",

year = "2025",

month = oct,

day = "1",

language = "English",

journal = "Journal of Labor Economics",

issn = "0734-306X",

publisher = "University of Chicago Press",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Educational Ambition, Marital Sorting, and Inequality

AU - Almar, Frederik

AU - Friedrich, Benjamin

AU - Reynoso, Ana

AU - Schulz, Bastian

AU - Vejlin, Rune Majlund

PY - 2025/10/1

Y1 - 2025/10/1

N2 - This paper revisits the link between education-based marriage market sorting and income inequality. Leveraging Danish administrative data, we develop a novel categorization of “ambition types” that is based on the labor market returns of detailed educational programs. In contrast to commonly-used education-based categorizations, we find a substantial increase in positive assortative matching by educational ambition over time. Moreover, changes in household composition by ambition explain more than 35% of increasing inequality since 1980. We conclude that the mapping from education to types matters crucially for conclusions about how education-based marriage market sorting contributes to rising income inequality.

AB - This paper revisits the link between education-based marriage market sorting and income inequality. Leveraging Danish administrative data, we develop a novel categorization of “ambition types” that is based on the labor market returns of detailed educational programs. In contrast to commonly-used education-based categorizations, we find a substantial increase in positive assortative matching by educational ambition over time. Moreover, changes in household composition by ambition explain more than 35% of increasing inequality since 1980. We conclude that the mapping from education to types matters crucially for conclusions about how education-based marriage market sorting contributes to rising income inequality.

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0734-306X

JO - Journal of Labor Economics

JF - Journal of Labor Economics

ER -

Educational Ambition, Marital Sorting, and Inequality

Abstract

Fingeraftryk

Publikation

Families’ Career Investments and Firms’ Promotion Decisions

Optimal Weights for Marital Sorting Measures

Marital Sorting and Inequality: How Educational Categorization Matters

Presse/Medier

Golddiggermyten

When It Comes to Dating, Ambition Might Matter More Than Politics

Fewer divorces thanks to the Hartz reforms

Citationsformater