Educational Expansion and Homogamy. An Analysis of the Consequences of Educational Upgrading for Assortative Mating in Switzerland

Becker, Rolf; Jann, Ben

doi:10.1515/sjs-2017-0025

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Despite the positive association between higher education and fatherhood, a substantial share of all highly educated men remain childless: about 20–25% in countries across Europe including Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, UK, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Norway, Finland, and Sweden (Jalovaara et al 2017; Miettinen et al 2015). Importantly, the share of highly educated men remaining childless and/or single has remained steady or increased slightly across Europe over the last few decades (Becker and Jann 2017; De Hauw et al 2017; Jalovaara et al 2017; Wiik and Dommermuth 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in Childlessness Among Highly Educated Men in Sweden

Chudnovskaya

2019

Eur J Population

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Among men with post-secondary degrees in Sweden, one in four are childless by age 45, and this level has been constant over time (in this study, for men born [1956][1957][1958][1959][1960][1961][1962][1963][1964][1965][1966][1967][1968][1969][1970][1971][1972]. This high level of childlessness is somewhat surprising in the context of a significant gender imbalance among the highly educated (and thus the relative scarcity of highly educated men). In this study, I examine differences in childlessness among the highly educated by studying how educational prestige, social class, and income are associated with the likelihood of becoming a father. Higher income and social class background are positively associated with fatherhood, and this association has not changed over time. Educational prestige (higher degrees, or degrees from traditional universities) is not positively associated with fatherhood, while 2-year degrees have become more positively associated with fatherhood over time. The findings of this study suggest that socioeconomic resources are important for men's family formation in Sweden compared to educational resources, contrary to expectations from educational homophily and partner market perspectives.share of highly educated men remaining childless and/or single has remained steady or increased slightly across Europe over the last few decades (Becker and Jann 2017;De Hauw et al. 2017;Wiik and Dommermuth 2014).This persistence of rather high childlessness among highly educated men is at odds with predictions from theories of educational homophily and the partner market framework. Research on educational homogamy has shown that the highly educated tend to partner with each other. While opportunities play a role, the literature has stressed the importance of preferences for shared experiences, tastes, values, and intellectual orientation among the highly educated (Blossfeld ). The ability of highly educated men to find highly educated female partners has increased dramatically over the last decades. Whereas systems of higher education were previously dominated by men, they are now dominated by women in Sweden and most other OECD countries (Vincent-Lancrin 2008; UKA 2016). Highly educated men are increasingly scarce on the partner market due to gender inequality in higher education. Previous research suggests that groups which are "in-demand" on the partner market benefit in terms of union formation (Abramitzky et al. 2011, Lewis andOppenheimer 2000). Thus, relative scarcity should facilitate the formation of childbearing unions among highly educated men-yet highly educated men remain childless to a significant degree. Meanwhile, childlessness among highly educated women has decreased over this time period (Jalovaara et al. 2017 for the Nordic countries). Meanwhile, women in the Nordics and around the world (Esteve et al. 2012(Esteve et al. , 2016 increasingly "partner down" with men who have lower education than themselves.The aim of this study is to promote our understanding of childlessness by assessing ...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in Childlessness Among Highly Educated Men in Sweden

Chudnovskaya

2019

Eur J Population

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“…Although this result is in line with earlier studies on differentials in the income growth of men and women (Engelhardt & Jann, 2004), it is nevertheless surprising given that women now constitute the majority at Swiss universities. Indicated by the striking differences for men and women in the selection equation of our models, persistent gendered division of labor might add their share to explain this pattern ("modernized traditionalism"; Becker & Jann, 2017). Nevertheless, a more thorough examination is needed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

The Signal and the Noise: The Impact of the Bologna Process on Swiss Graduates’ Monetary Returns to Higher Education

Glauser

Zangger

Becker

2019

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Using longitudinal data on university leaver cohorts in the period from 2006 to 2016, we investigate the impact of the Bologna reform on Swiss graduates’ returns to higher education. Drawing on the job market signaling model, we expect lower returns for graduates who enter the labor market with a bachelor’s degree. Moreover, we expect that the initial wage difference between bachelor and master graduates will become less volatile over time, since employers constantly update their beliefs about graduates’ employability. Controlling for selection into employment and a number of different signals sent by the graduates, we find a persistent advantage of a master’s over a bachelor’s degree. The new degrees, and especially a bachelor’s degree, did indeed serve as a noisy signal about graduates’ productivity in the first years of the Bologna process.

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“…Meulemann 1982;Becker et al 2022) -in sozialstruktureller Hinsicht systematische Unterschiede nach dem Bildungsniveau zu erwarten. Weil Frauen, wie bereits gesehen (Becker und Jann 2017;Zangger und Becker 2016;Hadjar und Berger 2010;Buchmann und Charles 1993), eher von der moderaten Bildungsexpansion in der Schweiz profitierten als Männer, werden sie vermutlich eher als Männer die zweckrationalen, wertrationalen und traditionalen Bildungsvorstellungen teilen.…”

Section: Idealtypische Kategorien Von Bildungsvorstellungenunclassified

The Social Structure on Perception and Attitudes on Education in Switzerland

Zimmermann

Becker

2023

Swiss Journal of Sociology

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The present study investigates the Swiss population’s perceptions of education. The results show that education is rated as very important. While functional and value-rational ideas about education are diferentiated in terms of social structure, there are no diferences related to origin and education for traditional ideas about education. Regardless of actual educational opportunities, disregarding gender and cohort diferences, approval of equal opportunities in the education system is high in all social groups.

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Educational Expansion and Homogamy. An Analysis of the Consequences of Educational Upgrading for Assortative Mating in Switzerland

Cited by 9 publications

References 38 publications

Trends in Childlessness Among Highly Educated Men in Sweden

Trends in Childlessness Among Highly Educated Men in Sweden

The Signal and the Noise: The Impact of the Bologna Process on Swiss Graduates’ Monetary Returns to Higher Education

The Social Structure on Perception and Attitudes on Education in Switzerland

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