Author
Akın, Şerife Nuray, Platt, B. C.
Publication Date
2016-06
Publication Place
-
Elsevier
Subject
Marriage market frictions, Spouse quality, Reservation quality over the lifecycle, Non-stationary search, Mismatch
Type
Periodical
Language
English
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Özyeğin University
Library Asset ID
0014-2921
Record ID
4d43f521-278f-4cb3-8a31-2f7deea84938
Library Location
Economics
Date
2016-06
Sample Text
Spouse quality, measured by educational attainment, varies significantly with the age at which an individual marries, peaking in the mid-twenties then declining through the early-forties. Interestingly, this decline is much sharper for women than men, meaning women increasingly marry less educated men as they age. Moreover, quality has worsened for educated women over several decades, while it has improved for men. Using a non-stationary sequential search model, we identify and quantify the search frictions that generate these age-dependent marriage outcomes. We find that single-life utility is typically the dominant friction, though college women in the 1950 and 1970 cohorts are affected even more by deteriorating suitor quality. Regardless of educational status, individual choice (as opposed to pure luck) is pivotal in explaining marriage market outcomes earlier in life.
DOI
10.1016/j.euroecorev.2016.02.008
Cilt
85
