Mercado Matrimonial Dominicano: Impacto del Nivel de Educación en el Proceso de Selección de Parejas y su Vinculación con el Mercado Laboral

In this paper we use microdata from population and housing census and the National Labor Force Survey in order to study the behavior of people in the marriage market of the Dominican Republic, with emphasis in the evolution of the patterns of educational assortative matching. We explore the interaction between mating decision-making and participation in the labor market. Among the main results, we identify an increase in the level of educational homogamy in recent decades, particularly in couples who live in condition of cohabitation. In addition, we confirm the existence of division of labor within the household, affecting the participation of women in the labor market. Finally, we find evidence of a positive relation between labor income of people in a marital relationship and the educational attainment of their partners.