Sasiwimon Warunsiri Paweenawat;Lusi Liao
Journal of Demographic Economics, 2022
Abstract:This study examines the degree of educational assortative mating, its evolution, and its
relationship with income inequality in Thailand using national labor force survey data
from 1985 to 2016. Since the 1990s, Thailand shows a trend of decreasing educationalhomogamy, but there is evidence of continuing educational hypergamy in Thai
households. Using the semiparametric decomposition method of DiNardo, Fortin and
Lemieux (1996), the study finds that educational assortative mating has affected
changes in household income inequality over time. Furthermore, there exists a negative
relationship between income inequality and marital sorting with same education, which
contradicts evidence found in developed countries.
Key words: Educational assortative mating; income inequality; Thailand