Volume 52 - Article 14 | Pages 415–444  

Demographic convergence in marriage timing: Intersecting gender and educational expansion

By Hanbo Wu, Luca Maria Pesando

Abstract

Background: Considering the massive educational expansion and dramatic changes in marriage timing the world is undergoing, this study explores whether the timing of marriage has become increasingly similar across countries amid educational expansion at different levels.

Objective: First, we focus on convergence in marital timing, a core family demography indicator often overlooked in the convergence literature. Second, we shift the focus from demographic convergence over time to convergence over educational expansion. Third, we incorporate a gender perspective into the analysis, taking into consideration gender differences in educational expansion and union formation.

Methods: We combine time-series data from 1950 to 2015 covering 144 countries from two data sources: (1) sex-specific singulate mean age at marriage (SMAM) from World Marriage Data; (2) sex-specific educational attainment by age from Barro and Lee. Methodologically, we explore whether convergence in marriage indicators has occurred over educational attainment by testing for β-convergence..

Results: Age at marriage has strongly converged over measures of educational attainment, with far stronger convergence among women. We uncover two types of educational gradients: (1) convergence is stronger the higher the level of education (tertiary > secondary > primary); (2) within each level, completion of education contributes more to convergence in SMAM relative to just attendance.

Conclusions: The study is unique in showing that convergence in SMAM masks fundamental heterogeneity, pointing to the growing importance of secondary and tertiary education worldwide. Relatedly, results call for a shift in policy focus from school attendance to successful school cycle completion.

Contribution: Findings provide important insights for addressing key challenges in global development and demography.

Author’s Affiliation

• Hanbo Wu - New York University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates EMAIL
• Luca Maria Pesando - New York University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates EMAIL

Most recent similar articles in Demographic Research

Gendered adolescent time use in Japan, Korea, Finland, and the United Kingdom across three decades
Volume 53 - Article 17    | Keywords: adolescence, cross-cultural research, Finland, gender, Italy, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, time use, United Kingdom

Attitudes toward child well-being in diverse families across Europe
Volume 53 - Article 11    | Keywords: attitudes, children, Europe, European Social Survey, family, gender, same-sex couples, single parenthood, stepfamily

Where do we go from here? Partnership-parenthood trajectories of cohabitation as first union during young adulthood in the United States
Volume 53 - Article 9    | Keywords: cohabitation, family inequality, fertility, marriage, race/ethnicity, transition to adulthood, union formation, United States of America

Education, religion, and male fertility in sub-Saharan Africa: A descriptive analysis
Volume 53 - Article 8    | Keywords: education, male fertility, polygyny, religion, sub-Saharan Africa

The surge in living alone among young and middle-aged adults: A decomposition analysis of the rise in one-person households in Germany, 1991 to 2021
Volume 52 - Article 32    | Keywords: algebraic decomposition, East Germany, gender, housing, middle adulthood, one-person households, social structures, solo living, West Germany, young adulthood