Marry for What? Caste and Mate Selection in Modern India

This paper studies the role played by caste, education and other social and economic attributes in arranged marriages among middle-class Indians. A unique data set on individuals who placed matrimonial advertisements in a major newspaper, the responses they received, how they ranked them, and the eventual matches is used. The preferences for caste, education, beauty, and other attributes are estimated. A set of stable matches is computed, which is compared to the actual matches that are observed in the data.