Table of Contents
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 April 19, 2024 (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 April 19, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/matching-hypothesis/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“matching hypothesis.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2016. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/matching-hypothesis/>.