<P> Assortative mating based on socio - economic status is the most broad of these general categories . It includes the tendency of humans to mate within their socio - economic peers, that is, those with similar social standing, job prestige, educational attainment, or economic background as themselves . This type of assortative mating includes the growing tendency in recent years for humans to marry people more like themselves in educational attainment or earned income . This applies across all socio - economic statuses, both rich and poor, in that the rich and well educated tend to marry among themselves, as do the poor and under educated . This is best observed in the fact that, in the United States, matches among those with similar educational attainment were more common than they would have been if couples had matched randomly . </P> <P> Another form of sociological assortative mating is assortative mating based on racial and ethnic background . Mentioned above in the context of the genetically similar preferring to mate with one another, this form of assortative mating can take many varied and complicated forms . While the tendency mentioned above does exist, and people do tend to marry those genetically similar to themselves, especially if within the same racial or ethnic group, this trend can change in various ways . It is common, for example, for the barriers to intermarriage with the general population experienced by a minority population to decrease as the numbers of the minority population increase . This assimilation reduces the prevalence of this form of assortative mating . However, growth of a minority population does not necessarily lead to decreased barriers to intermarriage . This can be seen in the sharp increase in the non-white Hispanic population of the United States in the 1990s and 2000s that correlated with a sharp decrease in the percentage of non-white Hispanics intermarrying with the general population . </P> <P> Religious assortative mating is the tendency of individuals to marry within their own religious group . This tendency is prevalent and observable, and changes according to three main factors . The first of these is the proportion of available spouses in the area who already follow the same religion as the person searching for a mate . Areas where religious beliefs are already similar for most people will always have high degrees of religious inbreeding . The second is the social distance between the intermarrying religious groups, or the physical proximity and social interactivity of these groups . Finally, the third factor is the personal views one holds towards marrying outside of a religion . Those who greatly value adherence to religious tradition may be more likely to be averse to marrying across religious lines . Although not necessarily religious, a good example of humans mating assortatively based on belief structure can be found in the tendency of humans to marry based on levels of charitable giving . Couples show similarities in terms of their contributions to public betterment and charities, and this can be attributed to mate choice based on generosity rather than phenotypic convergence . </P> <P> Assortative mating has reproductive consequences . Positive assortative mating increases genetic relatedness within a family, whereas negative assortative mating accomplishes the opposite effect . Either strategy may be employed by the individuals of a species depending upon which strategy maximizes fitness and enables the individuals to maximally pass on their genes to the next generation . For instance, in the case of eastern bluebirds, assortative mating for territorial aggression increases the probability of the parents obtaining and securing a nest site for their offspring . This in turn increases the likelihood of survival of the offspring and consequently fitness of the individuals . In birds whose coloration represents well being and fecundity of the bird, positive assortative mating for color increases the chances of genes being passed on and of the offspring being in good condition . Also, positive assortative mating for behavioral traits allows for more efficient communication between the individuals and they can cooperate better to raise their offspring . </P>

Choose the 5 filters that are part of the assortative mating process