Multi-trait matching and gender differentials in intergenerational mobility

We describe a model of multi-trait matching and inheritance in which individuals’ attractiveness in the marriage market depends on their market and non-market characteristics. Gender differences in social mobility can arise if market characteristics are relatively more important in determining marriage outcomes for men than they are for women, and if they are more persistent across generations than non-market characteristics. A reduction in gender based discrimination in the labor market increases homogamy in the marriage market and lowers social mobility for both genders.