This paper proposes a new approach to the measurement of assortative mating and of the change over time in assortative mating. Non-assortative mating is viewed as independence between the characteristics of the husband and those of the wife. In our paper the characteristic we focus on is the educational level of the spouses. In measuring the change in assortative mating we use an algorithm that allows one to make a distinction between changes in the distribution of husbands and wives by educational level and a “pure change in assortative mating” that is the consequence of a change in the degree of independence between the educational levels of husbands and wives. We present an illustration of our approach, based on data for Thailand covering the period 1985–2019. It appears that while over the whole period 1985–2019 the increase in the Theil index of non-random mating was uniquely due to a change in the educational composition of the males and females (essentially of the female population), there are several sub-periods where the “pure change in assortative mating” played an important role.

本文提出了一种新的方法来测量分类交配和分类交配随时间的变化。非分类交配被视为丈夫和妻子的特征之间的独立性。在我们的论文中，我们关注的特征是配偶的教育水平。在测量分类交配的变化时，我们使用一种算法，该算法可以区分按教育程度划分的丈夫和妻子分布的变化与“纯交配变化”，后者是由于婚姻程度的变化而产生的。丈夫和妻子的教育水平之间的独立性。我们以1985-2019年期间泰国的数据为基础，说明了我们的方法。