Trends in Educational Assortative Mating in Central Europe: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary, 1988-2000
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2006 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | European Sociological Review |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | http://esr.oxfordjournals.org/current.dtl |
| Field | Sociology, demography |
| Keywords | education; homogamy; social inequality; central Europe |
| Description | This article analyzes trends in educational homogamy in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary from 1988 to 2000. Our hypothesis is that educational homogamy strengthened in post-socialist countries as a result of changing socio-economic conditions during the post-communist transformation. We argue that peoples behavior changes in reaction to a new socio-economic environment, in which the risks associated with a poor marital match are more pronounced. We analyze vital statistics on all new marriages in 1988, 1991, 1994, 1997, and 2000 in each country. Log-linear and log-multiplicative models led to the rejection of our hypothesis. Between 1988 and 2000 educational homogamy remained low and constant in the Czech Republic and high and constant in Poland, whereas it increased slightly in Hungary and rather significantly in Slovakia. The article concludes with a discussion of some possible explanations of these varied trends in educational homogamy with regards to changes in demographic as well as social mobility processes in former socialist countries during the 1990s. |
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