Testing Beckers Efficient Marriage Market Hypothesis And Its Implications For Spouse Selection And Marital Transfers In India

Abstract

This paper constructs an empirical model of spouse selection based on Becker’s efficient marriage market hypothesis to examine how equilibrium sorting takes place in marriage markets in India. It finds that education of the groom and age of the bride has the largest effect on matching behavior in India. More importantly, it finds that marital transfers from brides and their families to grooms and their families increase the likelihood of women marrying men of similar type.