Who Remains Single? Educational Gradients in Long-Term Singlehood Across Ethnic Groups

Bibliographic Data

ID2287571
AuthorsK Dederichs (0000-0001-9379-0504, Nuffield College University of Oxford Oxford UK, corresponding author), Evelina T Akimova (0000-0001-8733-3745, Nuffield College University of Oxford Oxford UK), N D De Graaf (0000-0002-4405-4612, Nuffield College University of Oxford Oxford UK)
Year2025
Volume88
Issue2
Pages505-521
Publication date2025-08-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Marriage and the Family (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-2445 • E-ISSN: 1741-3737
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jomf.70017
OpenAlexW4412997368
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited93

ObjectiveTo compare the prevalence of long-term singlehood and its educational gradient .BackgroundEducational gradients in singlehood vary with countries' prevalent gender roles, and European societies increasingly include ethnic minorities originating from countries with more traditional gender roles. This study investigates whether the prevalence of singlehood and its educational gradient differ between ethnic majority and minority groups and whether opportunity structures are shaping any such differences.MethodUsing full-population register data from the Netherlands, this study examines educational gradients in the risk of entering one's first co-residential union (i.e., cohabitation or marriage) between ages 18 and 45, while also exploring differences and temporal shifts in opportunity structures. A rich description including non-parametric Kaplan-Meier curves is provided for women and men of Dutch, Turkish, and Moroccan origin who were born in the Netherlands or abroad between 1977 and 1983.ResultsLong-term singlehood is more common among ethnic minorities. University education is associated with lower singlehood rates among men of all groups and Dutch-origin women, but with higher singlehood rates among women of Turkish and Moroccan origin. This reversed educational gradient can partially be attributed to the limited availability of coethnic university-educated male partners.ConclusionThe interplay of individual preferences, endogamy norms, and the structural availability of educational and ethnic ingroup partners affects who remains single in ethnically diverse societies

Developmental psychology · Ethnic group · Sociology · Term (time) · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Work-Family Balance Challenges · Gerontology