This Website has a limited use of cookies. By using this website, you are agreeing to the terms and conditions listed in our data protection policy. Read more

Working Paper No. 728

Lady and the Trump: Status and Wealth in the Marriage Market

Working Paper
Reference
Almenberg, Johan and Anna Dreber (2008). “Lady and the Trump: Status and Wealth in the Marriage Market”. IFN Working Paper No. 728. Stockholm: Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN).

Authors
Johan Almenberg, Anna Dreber

We examine a relatively neglected aspect of intergenerational transmission of economic standing, namely culturally determined status markers and their valuation in the marriage market. We take nobility to be such a status marker. Using data on Swedish marriages, we test the hypothesis that nobility have a greater probability of marrying "up" in terms of wealth. We find a large and statistically significant positive effect for nobility. This finding has important implications for the intergenerational transmission of inequality, and for the longevity of the institution of nobility itself.