ABSTRACT
Log-linear analysis in this case confirms that there is no significant trend in assortative mating by fathers’ occupational levels. Even if parents and friends exerted no pressure to marry homogamously, and even if there were lots of social contacts with individuals from different backgrounds, still the effect of values selection would be to produce a disproportionate number of couples who came from similar backgrounds. In its pure form, the “differential association” explanation of marital homogamy does not assume that pressure from parents or friends or strong sentiments of ethnic or class loyalty need occur for homogamy to be common. People in higher class positions may be very anxious to marry within the same class level, but less selective about ethnicity and religion. The “lumps” consist of neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, clubs, and other associations that are mainly composed of people of the same social class, ethnic group, race, or religion.
