A new research paper reveals that online dating has contributed significantly to the growing income inequality in the United States over the past few decades. With the rise of dating apps that allow individuals to choose partners based on factors such as education and income, Americans have increasingly been marrying people who are similar to themselves in these characteristics. This trend, known as assortative mating, has had a profound impact on household income inequality.
The study, conducted by researchers from the Federal Reserve Banks of Dallas and St. Louis, along with Haverford College, examines the role of online dating platforms in shaping social and economic dynamics. According to the researchers, dating apps have facilitated a more selective process when choosing partners, allowing people to prioritize traits like education, income, and skill level.
This shift has had a direct impact on income inequality. The researchers found that the tendency for people to marry partners with similar education and wage levels has accounted for about half of the rise in income inequality among households in the U.S. between 1980 and 2020. In particular, online dating is responsible for a 3-percentage-point increase in the Gini coefficient, a widely recognized measure of income inequality.
Assortative Mating: A Growing Trend
Using data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, which includes information collected between 2008 and 2021, the researchers analyzed the evolution of marriage patterns during the period when online dating became widespread. They discovered that both men and women have become slightly more selective about the traits they seek in partners. Specifically, women have shown a tendency to prioritize age when selecting a partner, while men have increasingly focused on education.
When the economists compared recent marriage patterns with data from 1960 and 1980, a clear trend emerged. People in the modern era are more likely to marry partners with similar educational and wage levels, contributing to growing economic disparities between households. At the same time, the study noted a gradual decline in the emphasis on racial similarity when choosing a spouse, indicating that while race remains a factor, it is less influential than it once was.
The study highlights that education and skills are the two most significant factors driving assortative mating, followed by income and age. These factors, when combined, create households where both partners bring similar economic advantages or disadvantages, further exacerbating income inequality. While race was once considered an important factor in marriage choices, the study found that it now plays a relatively minor role compared to education and income.
The researchers emphasized the importance of sorting by “vertical characteristics” like income, skill, and education. These traits have become central to how people choose their partners, and the rise of online dating has only accelerated this trend. In contrast, horizontal characteristics, such as race or geographic origin, have decreased in importance over time.
Implications for Household Income Inequality
Marriage plays a critical role in shaping household income, and the shift toward assortative mating has had far-reaching consequences for income distribution in the U.S. Households where both partners have high education and income levels are better positioned to accumulate wealth, while those with partners who share lower education and wage levels face more significant economic challenges. This divide has led to a wider gap between wealthy and low-income households, contributing to overall income inequality.
Paulina Restrepo-Echavarría, one of the paper’s co-authors and an economic policy advisor at the St. Louis Federal Reserve, explains that the increase in income inequality can be traced back to how people choose their spouses. “We find that the increase in income inequality over the past half-century is explained to a large extent by sorting on vertical characteristics, such as income and skill, and their interaction with education,” she said in a blog post summarizing the research.
The Gini Coefficient and Inequality
The Gini coefficient is a commonly used statistical measure that represents income distribution within a population. A Gini coefficient of 0 signifies perfect equality, while a value of 1 indicates maximum inequality. According to the study, online dating has contributed to a 3-percentage-point rise in the U.S. Gini coefficient. This increase highlights how modern partner selection processes have helped fuel a widening gap between wealthy and less affluent households.
While online dating has allowed people to be more selective and efficient in finding partners, it has also had unintended social and economic consequences. The study’s findings suggest that the rise of assortative mating, particularly through the use of dating apps, has created new dynamics that further entrench income inequality.
The research also sheds light on how broader social trends have influenced marriage patterns in the digital age. Since the 1960s, Americans have become increasingly open to marrying outside their race, and racial assortative mating has declined. However, this trend has been counterbalanced by a growing focus on education, skills, and income when choosing a life partner.
The emergence of online dating platforms has intensified these trends by allowing users to filter potential partners based on specific criteria. While this can lead to more compatible matches, it also reinforces socioeconomic divides, as people with similar education and income levels are more likely to pair up.
The rise of online dating has fundamentally changed how people in the U.S. find and choose their partners, with profound implications for income inequality. As assortative mating becomes more common, particularly based on education and income, households with higher levels of economic capital are increasingly concentrated, widening the gap between the wealthy and those with fewer resources. While online dating has provided new opportunities for finding love, it has also played a significant role in shaping the economic landscape of modern American society.
