Mismatches in finding a romantic partner: Education and gender values in the Spanish marriage market

Abstract

The last decades the ‘romantic partner market’ has been changing drastically. Well-known changes in the structure of this market have been found in the discrepancies in educational level of potential spouses due to the educational expansion for women. If there is no potential spouse with similar resources or characteristics available (in a certain population), there is no possibility to partner homogamous, for many being the preference. Research from the Centre d’Estudis Demogràfics (CED) at the Autònoma University of Barcelona (UAB) examines for the first time the aspect of gender role values to mismatches between potential spouses. The importance of the (second) half of the gender revolution cannot be overlooked. We might expect that, as feminism becomes more widespread, the role of men in household tasks increases in importance, and women would therefore more and more look for a potential partner that values such an egalitarian view. Using the only, most recient available, Encuesta de Fecundidad (2018) for young Spanish men and women, the combined education-values gender gap in Spain is examined.