Definition of Matching Hypothesis
(noun) The theory that people select romantic and sexual partners who have similar statuses such as physical attraction and social class.
Matching Hypothesis Pronunciation
Syllabification: match·ing hy·poth·e·sis
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /mAch-ing hie-pAHth-uh-suhs/
- British English – /mAch-ing hie-pOth-i-sis/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈmæʧɪŋ haɪˈpɑθəsəs/
- British English – /ˈmæʧɪŋ haɪˈpɒθɪsɪs/
Usage Notes
- Plural: matching hypotheses
- A type of homogamy.
- Also called matching phenomenon.
Additional Information
- Sex and Gender Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “match” and “hypothesis” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
- Rosenblum, Karen Elaine, and Toni-Michelle Travis. 2016. The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions of Race, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexual Orientation, and Disability. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Related Terms
Works Consulted
Branscombe, Nyla R., and Robert A. Baron. 2017. Social Psychology. 14th ed. Harlow, England: Pearson.
Encyclopædia Britannica. (N.d.) Britannica Digital Learning. (https://britannicalearn.com/).
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).
Cite the Definition of Matching Hypothesis
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2016. “matching hypothesis.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved May 29, 2023 (https://sociologydictionary.org/matching-hypothesis/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
matching hypothesis. (2016). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/matching-hypothesis/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2016. “matching hypothesis.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed May 29, 2023. https://sociologydictionary.org/matching-hypothesis/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“matching hypothesis.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2016. Web. 29 May. 2023. <https://sociologydictionary.org/matching-hypothesis/>.