Changes of Heart: When Marital Change Changes Wages

• In Event: 50261 - Family Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 2: Marriage, Cohabitation & Divorce

Abstract

Marriage is associated with many—but not exclusively—positive effects, particularly for married men. The effect of marriage on wages is a well-studied phenomenon, yet most studies use what has been termed a “static approach” (Cheng 2016), treating marriage as a discrete event rather than a long-term association with proximal, medial, and distal effects. This study proposes a “life course of marriage” framework to better identify the temporal variations in the effects of marriage throughout the life course. Leveraging Current Population Survey-Merged Outgoing Rotating Group data, and using an adjusted change model, this study identifies the proximal, gendered effects of marital change on wages. Results indicate not only that entering marriage pays dividends, particularly for men, but also that having been married pays similar dividends. These findings support the concept of marriageability whereby the marital wage premium persists even after a marriage has ended. Further, findings encourage continued development of a “life course of marriage” framework to provide more granular understanding not just of how marriage impacts individuals but when.

Authors

• Ami Mariko Hood Frost, University of Oklahoma

• Cyrus J. Schleifer, University of Oklahoma