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The Her in Inheritance: How Marriage Matching Has Always Mattered, Quebec 1800–1970

Matthew Curtis

The Journal of Economic History2026https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022050725101010article
AJG 3ABDC A*
Weight
0.50

Abstract

When did marriage become strongly assortative? I use a uniquely suitable database from Quebec 1800–1970 to provide the long-run perspective necessary to answer this question. First, I develop a novel method that reveals that marriage was highly assortative as far back as the early nineteenth century. Next, I show this matching depends on the individual human capital of women, not just on family backgrounds. Finally, I show that mothers had an effect on child outcomes independent of the fathers. Thus, despite deeply conservative gender norms, marriage matching—and women—have always mattered for social mobility.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022050725101010

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@article{matthew2026,
  title        = {{The Her in Inheritance: How Marriage Matching Has Always Mattered, Quebec 1800–1970}},
  author       = {Matthew Curtis},
  journal      = {The Journal of Economic History},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022050725101010},
}

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The Her in Inheritance: How Marriage Matching Has Always Mattered, Quebec 1800–1970

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.