Trends and Differentials in Jordanian Marriage Behavior: Marriage Timing, Spousal Characteristics, Household Structure and Matrimonial Expenditures

This paper employs the 2010 Jordan Labor Market Panel Survey to analyze patterns in marriage behavior over time and across socio-demographic groups. Using retrospective reports from ever-married respondents, I describe the postponement of first marriage to successively older ages for both men and women, and I trace the decline in consanguinity and the rise in nuclear family living arrangements over time. I find that husbands’ age seniority has fluctuated over time, but that the education gap between husbands and wives has closed over successive marriage cohorts. I also describe how these trends differ between rural and urban residents, as well as between members of different regional and socioeconomic groups in Jordan. Finally, I analyze trends in matrimonial expenditures in Jordan, finding that contrary to popular discourse, the costs of marriage have not increased in recent years. I describe variations over time in the components of marriage costs, and examine how these differ for various socio-demographic groups.  

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