The "Wedding-Ring": An Agent-Based Marriage Model Based on Social Influence

Thomas Fent, Vienna Institute of Demography
Alexia Fuernkranz-Prskawetz, Vienna Institute of Demography
Belinda Aparicio Diaz, Vienna Institute of Demography

In this paper we study the emergence of the age-at-marriage curve from the bottom-up, building an agent-based model of marriage based on social influence. More specifically, we build a population of agents whose willingness to marry depends on the share of relevant others who are already married and on the availability of partners. Agents live on a circular space. Our simulations show that age-at-marriage curves of realistic shape can emerge from micro-level hypotheses and social interaction.