ERIC Number: EJ1015479
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 35
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-166X
EISSN: N/A
Dating Preferences and Meeting Opportunities in Mate Choice Decisions
Belot, Michele; Francesconi, Marco
Journal of Human Resources, v48 n2 p474-508 Spr 2013
Much empirical evidence shows that female and male partners look alike along a variety of attributes. It is, however, unclear how this positive sorting comes about because marriage is an equilibrium outcome arising from a process that entails searching, meeting, and choosing one another. This study takes advantage of unique data to shed light on the forces driving choices at the earliest stage of a relationship. Both women and men value physical attributes, such as age and weight, and reveal that their dating choices are assortative along several traits. Importantly, meeting opportunities have a substantial role in determining dating proposals. (Contains 7 tables, 21 footnotes, and 3 figures.)
Descriptors: Dating (Social), Interpersonal Relationship, Gender Differences, Body Composition, Body Weight, Body Height, Age Differences, Foreign Countries, Preferences, Social Influences, Individual Characteristics, Smoking, Employment Level, Educational Attainment
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: British Household Panel Survey
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A