assortative mating

Noun

assortative mating (countable and uncountable, plural assortative matings)

1. Between males and females of a species, the mutual attraction or selection, for reproductive purposes, of individuals with similar characteristics.
   • Underlying all distributions of characters in assortative matings are certain elementary principles based on probabilities and the theory of sampling.1922, Frank A. Hartman, "The Emergency Function of the Adrenal," Science, New Series, vol. 56, no. 1440, p. 146
   • A recent New York Times Magazine story that investigated the rise of diagnoses of bipolar disorder in children suggested assortative mating as a possible cause, because parents who are both bipolar—and who may marry because they are more likely to understand one another's symptoms—are more likely...2008 September 20, Sarah Barmak, “Social Science: I like you because you're like me”, in Toronto Star, page ID3

   Synonyms:

   assortative pairing, positive assortative mating