Matching Markets in History and Now – Marriage
Often times we don’t see that selection similar to the of a matching market often occurs in our dating lives. Matching markets exist in every aspect in our lives–from what we eat, from where we go/live, and even who we choose to date and, eventually, marry. This often occurred in history, too. The first article covers marriage in Imperial China, where family status and pedigree were the primary dictators of who a person in an “elite” family would marry. It was fundamental for a functional marriage, and also very similar to a matching market. One would have suitors, and the suitors would have several options to choose from, each with an individual preference and value on each potential mate. As the article says, a financial outlay by both families would be presented and reviewed by the opposing family.
As laid out in the article, individual talent, finances, and potential gifts were all considered in the selection of a potential partner. This is also present in dating in modern society. With services like Christian Mingle, Farmers Only, and Tinder; there are so many websites with specific criteria and preferences by both sexes. This constitutes a matching market, with rankings and scores based on how compatible one is with another. The second article I link exemplifies this, with details on how one would score a potential partner of the many they interact with on their preferential dating website. With the assumption that the other is also assigning these “scores” to the individual in question, we are forming a dense network of people in a massive matching market, but, with dating.