Educational Assortative Mating in Japan: Evidence from the 1980-2010 Census

Abstract

The existing results for Japan on the general trends in educational assortative mating are mixed largely due to data constraints. This study aims to describe the trends in educational assortative mating in Japan using four decennial population censuses conducted in 1980-2010 and to discuss their social and demographic implications. Our simple log-linear model shows that the strength of the association for educational homogamy remained constant between 1980 and 2000, and dropped significantly in 2010. From 1980 to 2010, the strength of the association for female educational hypergamy decreased, while, contrary to previous findings, both the share and the likelihood of female educational hypogamy increased. Our study is the first to use census data to provide clear findings on the trends in educational assortative mating in Japan and points to the emergence of new marriage behaviors which are, in fact, consistent with the observed shifts in educational assortative mating across the globe. 1 National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, Hibiya Kokusai Building 6th Floor, 2-2-3 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 100-0011, Japan 2 Centre d'Estudis Demogràfics, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Carrer de Ca n'Altayó, Edifici E2, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra / Barcelona