Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T00:54:44.508Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Assortative mating in a Spanish population: effects of social factors and cohabitation time

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

A. Sánchez-Andrés
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biología Animal, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares
M. S. Mesa
Affiliation:
Sección de Antropología, Departamento de Biología Animal I, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain

Summary

Assortative mating for 22 anthropometric and body composition characteristics and social indicators was studied in a Spanish sample of 114 married couples. Significant spousal similarity was found for occupation, educational level and number of siblings. Sex–age adjusted spouse correlations were significant for stature, ileospinal height, total arm length, and biacromial breadth. Spouse correlations were not altered after allowance for socioeconomic effects. When couples were grouped according to marriage duration, differences in mate correlations for fatness were detected, suggesting a cohabitational effect on spouse resemblance.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 1994, Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Beckman, L. & Elston, R. (1962) Assortative mating and fertility. Ada Genet. Statist. Med. 12, 117.Google ScholarPubMed
Brozek, J., Grande, F., Anderson, J. T. & Keys, A. (1963) Densitometric analysis of body composition: revision of some quantitative assumptions. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 110, 113.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cavalli-Sforza, L. L. & Bodmer, W.F (1981) Genetica de las Poblaciones Humanas. Omega Barcelona.Google Scholar
Durnin, J. V. G. A. & Womersley, J. (1974) Body fat assessed from total body density and its estimation from skinfold thickness: measurements on 481 men and women aged from 16 to 72 years. Br. J. Nutr. 32, 77.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eckland, B. K. (1968) Theories of mate selection. Eugen. Q. 15, 71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Forbes, G. B. (1978) Body composition in adolescence. In: Human Growth, Vol. 2, p. 239. Edited by Falkner, F. & Tanner, J. M.Plenum, New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garn, S. M. (1986) Family-line and socioeconomic factors in fatness and obesity. Nutr. Rev. 44, 381.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garn, S. M., Cole, P. E. & Bailey, S.M (1979) Living together as a factor in family-line resemblances. Hum. Biol. 51, 565.Google ScholarPubMed
Garn, S. M., Lavelle, M. & Pilkington, J.J (1984) Obesity and living together. Man. Fam. Rev. 7, 33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garrison, R. J., Anderson, V. E. & Reed, S.C. (1968) Assortative mating. Eugen. Q. 15, 113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garrow, J. S. & Webster, J. (1985) Quetelet's index (W/H2) as a measure of fatness. Int. J. Obesity, 9, 147.Google ScholarPubMed
Johnson, R. C, Defries, J. C, Wilson, J. R., McClearn, G. E., Vanderberg, S. G., Shton, G. C, Mi, M. P. & Rashad, M.N (1976) Assortative marriage cognitive abilities in two ethnic groups. Hum. Biol. 48, 343.Google ScholarPubMed
Kiser, C. V. (1968) Assortative mating by educational attainment in relation to fertility. Eugen. Q. 15, 98.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Knussmann, R. & Wiedebruch, I. (1984) Korrelationen in anthropometrischen Merkmalen zwischen Eltern und Kindern unter Berucksichtigung verschiedener Altersstufen. Homo, 35, 245.Google Scholar
Kurbatova, O. L. & Pobedonostseva, E.Y (1991) Genetic demography of the Moscow population: migration, outbreeding and assortative mating. Ann. hum. Biol. 18, 31.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lohman, T. G. (1981) Skinfolds and body density and their relation to body fatness: a review. Hum. Biol. 53, 181.Google ScholarPubMed
Mascie-taylor, C. G. N. (1987) Assortative mating in a contemporary British population. Ann. hum. Biol. 14, 59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mascie-taylor, C. G. N. (1988) Assortative mating for psychometric characters. In: Human Mating Patterns, p. 61. Edited by Mascie-Taylor, C. G. N. & Boyce, A. J.Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Mueller, W. H. (1983) The genetics of human fatness. Yearb. phys. Anthrop. 26, 215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanchez-laulhe, C. (1990) Variabilidad de la Presion Arterial y Pardmetros Morfologicos en Relation con Factores Ambientales: Estudio en Familias. PhD thesis, Universidad Autonomade Madrid.Google Scholar
Sánchez-laulhé, C., Sandfn, M. & Ugalde, M. (1988) Temporal and social variability in the association between body fat and blood pressure in married couples. Int. J. Anthrop. 3, 109.Google Scholar
Segalen, M. & Jacquard, J. (1971) Le choix du conjoint et homogamie. Population, 3, 487.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siniarska, A. (1984) Assortative mating of parents and sib-sib similarities in offspring. Stud. hum. Ecol. 5, 95.Google Scholar
Susanne, C. (1977) Heritability of anthropological characters. Hum. Biol. 49, 573.Google ScholarPubMed
Susanne, C. (1980) Interrelations between some social and familial factors and stature and weight of young Belgian male adults. Hum. Biol. 52, 701.Google ScholarPubMed
Susanne, C. & Lepage, Y. (1988) Assortative mating for anthropometric characters. In: Human Mating Patterns, p. 83. Edited by Mascie-Taylor, C. G. N & Boyce., A. JCambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Van Scharen, F. & Susanne, C. (1974) Assortiment matrimonial: etude de quelques caracteres anthropologiques et psychologiques. Homo, 25, 146.Google Scholar
Weiner, J. S. & Lourie, J. A. (Eds) (1981) Practical Human Biology. Academic Press, London.Google Scholar